Time's Scars
Chapter Nineteen: Save Me
A large stone castle loomed ahead, so large that it seemed to consume the entire horizon. Rinoa immediately felt the evil seeping off the building, and she knew Saruman was in there. She had to get to Squall. Soon, he would break, and it would be too late for everyone. If Saruman was to take Squall's mind, the world would fall to him.
The brunette boy stopped abruptly before reaching the open castle gates.
"I'm sorry, but you have to go in alone. I can no longer accompany you."
Rinoa immediately felt panic, how could she go in there alone? "But…why? What if I get lost? What if I get attacked?"
He looked up at her. "Saruman has already defeated me, so I would be no help anyway. I can't go in because I am defeated. You will know where he is. If you really love him like you say you do, he will lead you to him. Remember, this is only a dream world. Trust in yourself, and in Squall, and no enemy will touch you in there. His love for you will protect you. But, once you reach Saruman, your goal is not to defeat him. Your goal is to get Squall out of there. If you do that, Saruman will have to leave. Once Squall's strength is restored, with your strength in him also, Saruman knows he stands no chance. Now go. There is not much time."
With that, he was gone. He simply vanished into thin air.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Okay, I can do this. I just have to trust.'
She took a few hesitant steps forward, then forced herself to quicken the pace. She did not have time to focus on being afraid.
She was surprised at how easy it was to get inside. She'd expected Saruman to have set something up. Then again, it was Squall's mind. Maybe he opened it up for her.
The air inside was heavy, and she felt a heavy weight on her chest every time she breathed in. But she felt something else. It felt like something was pulling her. She focused solely on it, and she knew it had to be Squall. She could feel his fear.
The walk was long. Her footsteps sounded loud in the incredible silence. Rinoa knew it couldn't be this easy. Either Squall was putting up a hell of a fight, or Saruman was trying to catch her off guard. She suspected the latter.
And she was right to. Soon after thinking that, she became aware of something she probably would not have noticed before. The ground ahead of her looked different somehow. She didn't know why she knew, but she did. It had to be a trap, and she could not walk over it. There was no telling what was there. But where could she go? She had no idea how to navigate this place.
She had a feeling, out of nowhere, to turn and walk right. She followed that feeling. Squall was guiding her, trying to reach out to her with the last of his strength. He needed her. She was his only hope.
She continued to follow this newfound intuition, and was guided around various traps in a complex maze of stone walls. With each step, and each warning of a trap, she felt stronger. She really could do this.
Rinoa put all of her focus onto Squall, hoping that he could somehow hear her. She wanted him to know that she was coming. But she could only pray that he did.
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Quistis sat quietly next to the unconscious Squall. Everyone else was there as well. They wanted to give their friends support through this. Quistis knew it could not be easy in there. She could see the fear on Rinoa's face, even though she was asleep.
Ellone was jolted out of her sleeplike state, and sat up quickly.
Dr. Odine rushed over to her, a look of fear in his eyes. "Vat happened?"
She shook her head, "I don't know. I set the connection up, and I know she was in there. It was like I was forced out by something. Saruman is definitely in there. I could feel it."
"Zen, how could zey still be connected?"
"I don't know. Maybe they forged a connection of their own."
Selphie looked at her. "Do you think you can get back in?"
"No. Whatever was in there didn't want me around. I hope they're okay."
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At the end of another long hallway, Rinoa spotted a large door. She smiled, knowing that Squall was behind it. She could now feel him strongly inside of her.
She grabbed the door handle and pulled it with all her might. It would not budge, no matter how hard she tried.
She fell to her knees, tears coming into her eyes. She had come all this way, only to be kept out by a door.
She looked up at the ceiling. "Squall, if you can hear me, I need you. I can't open this by myself. I am not giving up on you. Please, help me. I need you so bad right now."
She felt no response. Maybe he couldn't hear her.
Then, a warm, tingly feeling spread down her arms. It felt like someone was touching her, but nobody was there. She got up, took another deep breath, and pulled the door handle again. This time, it came open.
The feeling quickly stopped, and she moved into the room ahead of her.
It was dark, and she felt cobwebs all around her. She'd always hated spiders, and she figured that Saruman probably knew that. She didn't care, it didn't matter. All that mattered was Squall. She pushed through the webs, determined to find him. She knew he was in this room.
Though she could barely see, she was able to make out an object in the far corner of the room. It had bars. A cage?
She ran to it, grasping the bars tightly. Inside, she could see a figure, laying on the ground. She used magic to unlock the cage, and she stepped inside, crouching down by the person. She touched his hair, and knew it was Squall.
Rinoa gently turned him over, trying to get a good look at his face. From what she could see and feel, he was close to death. She could feel his ribs sticking out underneath his shirt. Luckily, he still had a pulse.
She laid her head on his chest. "Hey, it's me. Wake up."
He groaned, but said nothing.
"Squall, I know you are weak and hurting. But you have to try, please. We have so much ahead of us. The world needs you, and I need you. Please don't quit on me now, not after I've come all this way. Be strong."
"I…I can't." He rasped.
"Yes, you can! Squall, please. I want to have you in my future. I want to have a family with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to spend every waking moment of my life with you. Please. If you give up, Squall, I will die. You're a part of me. Without you, I can't live."
"I've…failed…you. I…I'm sorry."
"No! Dammit, Squall, fight! Don't let Saruman have what he wants. I know you are stronger than this! I know you have fought, and I need you to fight again. Whatever it takes, do NOT give up on me! Squall, you are my knight. You promised me! A sorceress cannot live without her knight. You promised you would fight for me, and that you would never leave me. Don't break that promise, Squall. You are my whole world, do you know that? Do you realize how important you are? So many people care about you, Squall. You know that. Whatever Saruman has told you is a lie. You can't believe him. He only wants to hurt you. Do you want to die like this? The entire planet depends on your fighting. Do you want to die on the floor of a dusty little cell? Do you? Or do you want to die with dignity, knowing that you did all you could? Please, Squall, I love you. I love you so much. Don't break my heart. You are strong. Now fight!"
He opened his eyes and looked up at her. Gently, he brought a hand up to touch her cheek. His hand was freezing, and she could feel the bones in it.
"One..last…time. For you. I…I'll fight…for you."
A/N: Sorry about taking forever and a day to update. Life has really been insane. I promise this story will live on. I'm not giving up on it. I will try to update again sooner. Please leave me a review. I love them!