Gone the dream, it's all faded now.
Take me home.
Ash, Gone the Dream.
I peered over the side of the boat, into the depths of the ocean below. I could see my reflection staring back at me, taunting me. It had changed so much in the last four years. The last time I truly stepped back to look at myself was that night I took a walk with Squall along the beach. I was just strolling along the sand, letting the waves lap gently over my feet, when I noticed my reflection in the water. I had never before gazed into the mirror and seen someone so filled with happiness. Squall asked what I was looking at, and I told him that for the first time in my life, I was happy. He told me that was the way it would always be. It wouldn't change.
Time would go on, seasons would change, but our love would live on forever.
Haunted by these memories, I saw another reflection materialise beside my own.
"Squall," I whispered. His face was just as I remembered. He hadn't changed since the night he left, cold blue eyes still penetrating deep within my soul, somehow filling me with an inexplicable feeling of warmth. He just stared back at me, smiling.
The illusion didn't last long, dispelled by the tear that cascaded down my cheek into the ocean.
"Hey, kid? You alright?" asked the boatman. I had almost forgotten that he was there, lost as I was in my own world. I nodded, not looking directly at him. "What business have you got in Winhill?" He obviously wasn't one for conversation. I got the feeling that he wasn't just asking out of curiosity.
"I'm a journalist," I replied.
"Hmph. We don't need any more of your types in the village. We don't want you to do anymore damage." His mood was suddenly hostile. Helana was right, they certainly were wary of outsiders.
"I'm not here to do any damage. I'm just here to write an article." I tried to explain my situation to him, but I was sure that he wasn't about to listen.
"That's what they all say. Then they go and show us to the whole world, put us on TV and everything. I just don't trust arrogant journalists." He turned away from me and I could tell that he was contemplating turning around and taking me back to Dollet.
"Look, I don't want to change your village at all. All I want to do is write one little article to keep my boss happy. It's not as if anybody will read it anyway, so there's nothing for you to worry about." He looked at me as if I'd just sprouted three heads.
"You're a funny thing." He laughed at me. "You're not like anyone who's ever come here before. I like that. Can't be doing with stuck up people."
"Whatever," was the only reply I could think of. Sure it wasn't very imaginative but it was the best I could come up with. This was the first time in four years I'd ever been given a compliment. It made a refreshing change from what I usually heard.
"You have to get over him. You're just being stupid. Pull yourself together Rinoa." I couldn't begin to count the number of people that had said that to me. As if they had any idea what I was going through.
My thoughts were interrupted by the boatman laughing once more.
"You know what, you sound just like my son. Well, he's my foster son technically. Anyway, that's all he ever says. Whatever."
It's worse than that. I've started to sound like Squall.
It was only now that I had begun to realise the effect that the death of his family and the lack of friends must have had on his life. Sure, I had lost my mother, but I always had a father, even though most of the time we weren't even on speaking terms. I'd always had friends as well. I'd never been alone. Until now, anyway.
I didn't see anyone from Garden anymore, I lost touch with all my old school friends years ago, and after the liberation of Timber, I lost touch with Zone and Watts. I didn't even get on with anybody at work. This must have been what it was like for Squall. And to think, I used to tell him to let people in, to share his feelings with others. Ironic, isn't it? Look who's the lone wolf now.
"I'll have to introduce you to him." I wasn't even aware that he was still talking to me. "Anyway, enough about my son. My name's Maron." He held out his hand for me to shake. I obliged just to be polite.
"Rinoa."
"Rinoa. Unusual name. Sounds familiar. I can't place it though. Don't you just hate it when that happens?" I nodded in agreement, not really understanding what he was talking about. "Is there any reason I might have heard of you?"
"No," I replied. Of course, I knew why he had heard my name. Everybody knew my name after the Ultimecia incident. Back then, I didn't mind so much. Maybe because that was my life at one time. I wasn't the same woman, no, the same girl, that I had been back then. I couldn't take anymore questions about what it was like to be a sorceress and what it was like to have been close to the legendary Squall Leonhart.
"Never mind. I'm sure it'll come to me." He stared off into the distance, as if he was trying to place my name at this very moment. It was then that he noticed the shoreline. "We're almost there," he told me. "Where are you going to be staying?"
"I have a room at the hotel." At least I hoped I did. Helana usually set me up at various hotels so that I didn't have to make my own travel arrangements. I hoped she had done the same this time.
"Isn't it beautiful," he said, pointing towards the village, which I presumed must be Winhill. I had to admit, it had it's own quaint appeal. It seemed very cosy and picturesque, but not the kind of place you could live in. It was so isolated and small, I think I would go crazy if I lived there. Maybe when I'm older this would be the perfect place to live, but right now, I was glad I was only staying for a few days.
The bottom of the boat ground to a halt against the shoreline. I picked up my luggage and stepped off the boat, letting my shoes sink into the sand. He took hold of the guide rope and pulled the boat fully ashore.
"Don't want it floating away," he pointed out to me as if I didn't have a clue what he was doing. I may be a city girl at heart, but I had travelled and wasn't completely uneducated in the way of the world. "I'll carry your bag," he offered.
"No, really. I'm fine." I effortlessly picked up my bag and set out towards the town. "At least let me walk you to the hotel."
"Fine." I was just being polite. It wasn't as if I could get lost. In fact, I'm sure it's impossible to get lost here. There are only a couple of streets in the village.
"Follow me." I trailed slowly behind him, taking in the breathtaking scenery, the endless fields, and the wonderful view of the sea. I could see why Raine liked her little place in the world. "That's the shop over there." He pointed towards the building to the left. "Just go there if you need to buy anything. And here's the hotel." He led me into a building on the right. The ground floor seemed more like a restaurant than a hotel, as it was filled with wooden tables. Each one had a vase of what looked like fresh flowers on them. The smell spread throughout the room creating a pleasant atmosphere that was warm and welcoming. In the far corner, elevated slightly, was a grand piano that appeared almost identical to the one my mother used to play in the Deling City Hotel. I smiled, remembering how she taught me to play all those years ago. I hadn't played recently. I'm not sure why. When I was younger and I argued so much with my father, I used to sit at the piano for hours, writing my own songs and playing those my mother taught me. It always cheered me up, took my mind off everything else. Maybe I should try it?
"Do you need any help?" The sight of a friendly receptionist shocked me after being in work that morning.
"I have a room reserved under the name of Heartilly."
"Here's your key, Miss Heartilly. Your room is Number 3. Would you like me to show you the way?"
"No, I'll be fine, thanks." I just wanted to be alone for a while.
"I'd like to invite you to my house for dinner," Maron said before I could leave the room. How was I going to get out of this one?
"I'm sorry. I'd love to but I have so much work to do." I hated lying, but this was necessary.
"Oh, that's fine. What are you going to write about?" I hadn't really considered that, so I had to think quickly.
"I'd like to find out about how the town becomes overrun by monsters." I could remember being told about that this morning.
"You'd better go and see my son, Leon. He's like the monster hunter of the town." Monster hunter? That could make an interesting story. "He'll be just outside the town. There's a cave down by the beach. He hangs out there a lot. You should try looking for him there first." This could be fun.
"Alright, I will. Thanks."