Chapter 3
"Are you alright?" Rinoa looked up to see a well-dressed and very handsome young man. He couldn't have been much older than her, but his eyes betrayed a maturity well beyond his years.
"I'm fine. Thank you."
"You still look a little shaken. Would you like me to walk you home?" he asked, the complete gentleman.
"No it's okay. I don't have anywhere to go anyway."
"You mean you live on the streets?" he asked, obviously shocked. She nodded, not wanting to look him in the eyes. "Why?"
"I, erm, I'm an orphan. I ran away from the orphanage where I was staying."
"That's terrible. Why did you run away?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Rinoa didn't want to tell the stranger who she really was and why she was here. She didn't want anyone to know.
"That's fine, you don't have to, but I won't let you stay on the streets. You can stay with me until you get things sorted out."
"Thank you, but I couldn't intrude."
"It would be no intrusion. Please, I'd be glad of the company." Rinoa knew she shouldn't accept his offer. Not after what had happened the day before, but there was something that made her trust this man. She couldn't put her finger on it, but for some reason she knew that no harm would come to her.
"Well, if you're sure."
"I am. Come on, I'll walk you there."
"You live here?" she gasped. She was standing outside an old-looking mansion, in the centre of a large expanse of land, in which she could see a lake, a forest and an orchard. "Who are you?"
"My name is Squall Leonhart."
"Do you own this place?" she asked, clearly overawed.
"Yes, I'm the Lord of the whole area," he replied, clearly embarrassed.
"I apologise, Lord Leonhart, for not knowing your identity." She curtseyed towards him, and became worried when she saw the look of shock on his face. "Is anything the matter, Lord?"
"No, it's just that that's the kind of curtsey that royalty give. I guess I was just shocked because you said you were an orphan."
"We were taught good manners at the orphanage," she lied.
"I'm sorry. And please, call me Squall." He opened the front door and motioned for her to enter. "Let me take your bags up to your room."
"You don't have servants to do it for you?"
"Yes, I have servants, but I don't like asking them to do everything for me. I wouldn't have any at all if I had the choice, but I couldn't leave them without a job." Rinoa began to laugh. "What is it?"
"I just thought all noblemen were pigs. You're different."
"And how many noblemen have you met?"
"Well, none," she replied, remembering to keep her identity secret. "It was just the impression I had."
"These are your rooms." He set Rinoa's bags down inside the room. "I'll leave you alone now to have a bath if you want. If you need anything, don't hesitate to find me. My room's at the end of the hall."
"Thank you."
"No problem. By the way, you didn't tell me your name."
"My name's Rinoa Heartilly." She didn't think there was any harm in telling him her first name, and Heartilly was her mother's surname so she didn't think that he would find out who she really was.
"Miss Heartilly, may I come in?" Rinoa answered the door to find Squall with a tray of food. "I hope this is alright. If you don't like it I could make something else."
"No, no thank you very much. And please, call me Rinoa."
"Very well, Rinoa."
"Will you join me?"
"If you don't mind." The pair sat down on Rinoa's bed to eat.
"You made all of this?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, well apart from the cake. One of the servants made that yesterday. I'm a terrible cook you see."
"You're not, this is delicious."
"Thank you. You're the first person to compliment me on my cooking."
"That's okay. Anyway, tell me about yourself, if you don't mind that is. You don't have to."
"I don't mind."
"I was just interested in how you got to be the Lord when you're obviously so young."
"My father was the Lord before me. He died last year."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. He was very ill. It had been coming for a long time. I was just glad that I was back from the war to be with him."
"You fought in the war?"
"Yes, I was a general. I won many battles. Why do you sound so shocked?"
"Because you look so young. How old were you when you joined the army?"
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen?"
"Yes, I'll admit that I was young when I joined, but I certainly left an older man. You have to grow up very quickly when you fight for your life every day."
"So, how old are you now?"
"Eighteen, just. What about you? I don't know anything about you other than you lived at an orphanage."
"That's all there is to tell. I never knew my parents." Sensing that Rinoa was not ready to talk about anything more, and that there was something she didn't want to tell him, Squall politely said his goodnights, and left Rinoa to sleep.
"Are you alright?" Rinoa looked up to see a well-dressed and very handsome young man. He couldn't have been much older than her, but his eyes betrayed a maturity well beyond his years.
"I'm fine. Thank you."
"You still look a little shaken. Would you like me to walk you home?" he asked, the complete gentleman.
"No it's okay. I don't have anywhere to go anyway."
"You mean you live on the streets?" he asked, obviously shocked. She nodded, not wanting to look him in the eyes. "Why?"
"I, erm, I'm an orphan. I ran away from the orphanage where I was staying."
"That's terrible. Why did you run away?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Rinoa didn't want to tell the stranger who she really was and why she was here. She didn't want anyone to know.
"That's fine, you don't have to, but I won't let you stay on the streets. You can stay with me until you get things sorted out."
"Thank you, but I couldn't intrude."
"It would be no intrusion. Please, I'd be glad of the company." Rinoa knew she shouldn't accept his offer. Not after what had happened the day before, but there was something that made her trust this man. She couldn't put her finger on it, but for some reason she knew that no harm would come to her.
"Well, if you're sure."
"I am. Come on, I'll walk you there."
"You live here?" she gasped. She was standing outside an old-looking mansion, in the centre of a large expanse of land, in which she could see a lake, a forest and an orchard. "Who are you?"
"My name is Squall Leonhart."
"Do you own this place?" she asked, clearly overawed.
"Yes, I'm the Lord of the whole area," he replied, clearly embarrassed.
"I apologise, Lord Leonhart, for not knowing your identity." She curtseyed towards him, and became worried when she saw the look of shock on his face. "Is anything the matter, Lord?"
"No, it's just that that's the kind of curtsey that royalty give. I guess I was just shocked because you said you were an orphan."
"We were taught good manners at the orphanage," she lied.
"I'm sorry. And please, call me Squall." He opened the front door and motioned for her to enter. "Let me take your bags up to your room."
"You don't have servants to do it for you?"
"Yes, I have servants, but I don't like asking them to do everything for me. I wouldn't have any at all if I had the choice, but I couldn't leave them without a job." Rinoa began to laugh. "What is it?"
"I just thought all noblemen were pigs. You're different."
"And how many noblemen have you met?"
"Well, none," she replied, remembering to keep her identity secret. "It was just the impression I had."
"These are your rooms." He set Rinoa's bags down inside the room. "I'll leave you alone now to have a bath if you want. If you need anything, don't hesitate to find me. My room's at the end of the hall."
"Thank you."
"No problem. By the way, you didn't tell me your name."
"My name's Rinoa Heartilly." She didn't think there was any harm in telling him her first name, and Heartilly was her mother's surname so she didn't think that he would find out who she really was.
"Miss Heartilly, may I come in?" Rinoa answered the door to find Squall with a tray of food. "I hope this is alright. If you don't like it I could make something else."
"No, no thank you very much. And please, call me Rinoa."
"Very well, Rinoa."
"Will you join me?"
"If you don't mind." The pair sat down on Rinoa's bed to eat.
"You made all of this?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, well apart from the cake. One of the servants made that yesterday. I'm a terrible cook you see."
"You're not, this is delicious."
"Thank you. You're the first person to compliment me on my cooking."
"That's okay. Anyway, tell me about yourself, if you don't mind that is. You don't have to."
"I don't mind."
"I was just interested in how you got to be the Lord when you're obviously so young."
"My father was the Lord before me. He died last year."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. He was very ill. It had been coming for a long time. I was just glad that I was back from the war to be with him."
"You fought in the war?"
"Yes, I was a general. I won many battles. Why do you sound so shocked?"
"Because you look so young. How old were you when you joined the army?"
"Fifteen."
"Fifteen?"
"Yes, I'll admit that I was young when I joined, but I certainly left an older man. You have to grow up very quickly when you fight for your life every day."
"So, how old are you now?"
"Eighteen, just. What about you? I don't know anything about you other than you lived at an orphanage."
"That's all there is to tell. I never knew my parents." Sensing that Rinoa was not ready to talk about anything more, and that there was something she didn't want to tell him, Squall politely said his goodnights, and left Rinoa to sleep.