Chapter 8
Sitting on a slab of stone, Squall threw stones at the nearby door to pass the time. He had lost count of the hours that he had been there. He was pretty sure that he had been there for about two days now. The cell was tiny, but could occupy two people. Squall was there alone.
The door to the cell suddenly swung open and a gross looking guard entered. He proceeded to grab Squall's arm and drag him out of the cell.
"Hey," protested Squall. "What the hell do you think you're doing."
Squall tried to resist the Guard, but he was too strong for him. Coming up out of the dungeons, they came through doors and corridors until Squall was dizzy. Coming through another door, they eventually entered a very large room. Windows looking out over the courtyard lined one wall. Heavy veiled curtains covered the windows. A thin rug covered the stone floor. At the back was a four-poster bed.
"Welcome Squall, make yourself at home." Andria slipped up behind him, her hands on his back, feeling the power inside him.
"What do you want with me," asked Squall, turning round to face her. In the dim light he could see her features like she was a ghost, a shadow of the woman that he loved. She looked so beautiful to Squall that he wanted to take her up in his arms there and then and kiss her so deeply, but he knew that he couldn't. This was a different woman from the one that he had known.
Andria sensed his thoughts; it was something she had always been able to do, even more with Squall.
Coming closer to him, she whispered in his ear, "You're still in love with me Squall. You're screaming it at me, right now."
"No, you're wrong," said Squall, backing away. "I'm in love with Andria Perne. You aren't the woman that I knew and loved. Zell was right, the spell didn't work, and I see that now. I can never bring her back. It was stupid of me to try."
"Squall wait," said Andria as he walked towards the door. She grabbed his arm, but he pulled it away from her.
"Throw me back in the dungeon because I don't wanna be here with you any more."
Andria caught his arm this time and pulled him round to face her.
"If I'm not her, then can you try and love me as me? Am I not close enough?" Andria demanded.
"Why all this," asked Squall, avoiding her question. "These followers of yours. Why are you trying to create an army to destroy so many innocent people."
"It was those people that took you away from me," Andria retorted with a fire in her that was frightening to watch. "I wished that I'd died the day that I watched my lover and son die, but I didn't, so someone had to pay the price."
"If you stop all of this nonsense, then I'll be willing to give us a try again," Squall said quietly.
"Oh Squall," cried Andria, hugging him "I love you so much. I felt like I've been asleep all of this time and I've finally woken up."
Squall felt uncomfortable being hugged by Andria. It brought back all of his old feelings desire for her. Putting his arms around her felt so good to him, it had been too long. He held her tight now, not wanting to let go, afraid he might suddenly wake up.
"I love you too," he whispered in her ear.
Andria pulled away from him and stroked his face gently. Squall couldn't wait any longer, he responded by kissing her forcefully. Andria leaned into the kiss, again neither one willing to back down and stop.
She pulled him towards the bed. Squall willingly followed.
* * *
"So what are we gonna do," shouted Zell. "We can't just leave him there. Anything could be happening to him."
"It is worrying," said Enki, "Andria is a master manipulator, and Squall is a willing person. His love for this woman will blind him to the truth."
"Back to my question, what's the plan," growled Zell.
"Well we can't just charge in swords drawn, we have other problems. King Zidane and Queen Garnet have declared war on Andria. They have no way to fight her effectively, she is too slippery to be caught," said Daguro. He had just walked in the room on board the Celestial Front, at Zell's last question.
"What can be bad about that, we can stage an attack to get Squall out whilst this is happening. Andria will the occupied with them at the time," said Sia.
"No we can't do that," said Leraikhe "Their death's will tear our country apart. If King Zidane cannot do anything, then people will believe themselves finished. Our only hope is to delay any action taken."
"Well how are we gonna do that," said Zell, exasperated at so much talking and no action for his fists.
"Zell we know you're upset at Squall's capture, but you must realise that things must be planned for every eventuality," said Enki calmly.
"Well you didn't plan for Squall's capture, exactly what was the real motive for the plan into Andria's castle. What did you really want to do in there." Zell's voice had risen to a screaming crescendo. Rage and frustration was clear on his face. "Did you really want Squall in there?"
Enki, Leraikhe and Daguro exchanged glances.
* * *
Squall awoke to find himself alone in the strange bedroom. Andria was nowhere in sight. Squall was suddenly afraid that he had dreamed yesterday, that being with her had only been his imagination. The door then slowly creaked open and Andria entered, not the dream, but the real Andria. However instead of coming up to him and holding him, like he thought she would, she threw his clothes at him.
"Up," she commanded.
Squall was confused; this was not the Andria that he had seen last night. It was almost as if this was a completely different person inside the same shell.
"Andria, what's wrong," Squall asked her.
"Nothing," she snapped. "I only want you to get out of that damn bed. Now get UP!!"
Squall obliged, but the hurt and confusion was evident on his face. He found it very confusing that she had changed all of a sudden. When he stood there fully dressed in front of her, Andria waved her hand for Squall to follow. Squall followed only because he thought that he might get an explanation for her sudden change.
Through rooms and down corridors they went, Squall had no idea where he was going only that he had to keep up. Andria suddenly stopped outside a door and motioned for him to go through. Squall opened the door and stepped through.
"Bye Squall," said Andria and shut the door.
Squall stood outside the city. The door locked behind him, there was no way that he was getting back in. Dejected, Squall could only go on back to the Celestial Front if it was still there.
* * *
"What!" cried Zell. "You used Squall as bait. He is trapped in that castle, possibly being tortured and you're off planning a war. You… you bastards."
"Zell please, we needed to do this. While Andria is busy with Squall, we can stop what she was planning and save Squall later," Leraikhe said.
"I don't care I'm goi-"
Squall stood in front of Zell, a haggard look on his face, sadness and pain both showing. His clothes were rumpled as if he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and they were just picked up off the floor and thrown on.
"It's okay Zell, I'm alive," said Squall.
"What happened?" asked Sia, concerned at Squall's look.
"It's a long story, but suffice to say that this Andria is not who I thought she was. Your plan didn't work Enki, I kept her occupied for a few hours and then she got bored and threw me out. I guess she knew what you were up to."
"Well what do we do now?" asked Daguro.
"I'll tell you what we do. Me, Squall an' Sia are getting out of here. We never should have listened to you in the first place." Zell reached out for Sia's hand, immediately stopped at Squall's voice.
"No Zell," Squall said wearily. "We stay and fight. I don't know about you, but I have to put a stop to all of this."
"Okay then," said Sia, backing him up. "We stay."
Zell merely grunted his okay. He wasn't happy with the decision, but there was no way that he was leaving Squall, who would probably do something stupid without him. Sia needed him to back her up so he had no choice.
"Okay, then," said Squall. "What's the plan."