Selphie Kinneas

"Journey To The Past"

Chapter Eleven- Return to Trabia

The next day

Rin clutched her blanket around her. She heard the cackling of fire, but still felt colder than ever. She opened her eyes. Thin rays of light were produced form the window. They had arrived to Naryal. Well perhaps not Naryal but Trabia. Squall was already up and dressed… or he might've not slept at all. He was wearing the clothes from the previous night, but then again Squall had tribulations on his mind to find time to change different ensembles everyday.

She sat straight not sure why she wasn't accustomed to the chilly weather. She herself never had thick blanket or even a proper working heater. She had been spoiled in Esther much too long. Get up Rin; you're not a princess. GET UP! She slowly, VERY slowly removed the blanket from her bodice. Carefully she stepped on the cold wooden terrazzo. She quavered over to Squall who sat at the chaise comfortably reading a newspaper.

He seemed as if he'd passed his forty's sometimes. It confused Rin occasionally if Squall truly was 21 or 22. Ellone said his birthday would arrive soon, if only there was something she could do for him. Anyways at this moment she could give a good morning greeting. Her slowly tip-tampering took more time than she imagined. Finally she gained speed and rushed to Squall. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good morning." She serenely welcomed. Squall smiled at her. Rin noticed his exhausted bags and knew for a fact he hadn't slept much or at all last night.

"Rise and shine sleepy beauty." Squall yawned in reply. "I think you should go get ready, the conductor already said we'll be in Naryal soon. Your breakfast is over there too.

Rin nodded in agreement and went through one of her many suitcases. Raine and Ellone had bestowed so many gifts when she had the plan of leaving she wouldn't need an addition to her wardrobe for the next year or longer. She placed on black bell-bottoms with ebony lace at the bottom. She wore a thin white sweater that reached her thighs and fetched a long dark brown leather coat that cover her to past her knees with white fur cuffs and fur covered neck collar. She finished her suit and strapped on long shiny black leather heeled boots. She brushed her silky hair and rung the silver chain with Squall's ring around her neck and went to eat the cool breakfast.

As Squall had said before, they soon came to Trabia. They brought their cargo out of the train and caught a taxi outside of the train station.

"Do you have an idea where we're going to stay?" Rin asked. Squall looked around the small car and whistled.

"I forgot." He spoke monotonously.

"Fine. If you're ready for cold nights and no bed my shack of a place is still collecting dust." Rin said coolly. Squall's eyes went narrow,

"It'll be me 10 years ago. No complaints."

ooooo

The cab disembarked the couple around the fringes of the Naryal main streets. Squall and Rin dragged the numerous amounts of luggage containers across the snowy fields to a long hill of small tiny broken down cabins.

"Rin? Do you live in an house that won't break down on us?" Squall questioned as he observed foundations of a few pitiful buildings breaking off.

"Don't worry. Mine is actually stable." She laughed softly as they passed five broken shacks. They entered a suitable, well appearances seemed suitable, cabin. Inside was a musty warm room. The fireplace had dusty ashes and an inch thick patting lied on the ground near in. Wooden box linger in the opposite corner and a rust stained bathtub stood far before it.

Squall slowly unzipped his black jacket as he dropped the weight. "If any hotel keeper here was from Esther I could get us in free. Well this'll do." Rin noticed the black leather coat fall onto the floor.

"Oh, for your own warmth, keep your coat on it gets chilly." She called as she scanned the small lodging for firewood.

"It's hot enough in here." Squall snapped as he aided her in her search.

"That's because it's been cooped up for months. Leave the door open so the sandy air gets out."

The day passed by while the cabin became cooler and cooler. Night came and even a large fire in the stone hearth didn't give much warmth. Squall spent his day interrogating Rin about nearly everything passed her accident. It became quite difficult to pull answers out of her. She wasn't frank or blunt, and let little slip her lips. Was she trying to hide fragments of her past life too?

"Rin! This is serious! Tell me what happened to you right after the accident! No blank answers!" He shouted now very irritated. Rin sat silently near the inferno lit wall.

"I told you… I was assumed an orphan."

"Please Rin, I've been hearing that all day. Tell what happened after that."

"I was sent to the orphanage." She inaudibly answered.

"Thank you." Squall raised his eyebrow in utter relief. Rin felt completely awkward. She felt unsure of speaking too much of the past, mostly because she was afraid she'd uncover something saying she never will have a family that was once her own. The embers in the grate were dieing down and Squall stoked them. He informed Rin that she could use the mat to sleep.

Rin herself was much too weary to remember Squall who apparently again did not sleep while she was still alert. The morning arrived the next morning and the cabin was empty. For a moment Rin hesitated and had a sick feeling telling her Squall was a hallucination but then she found the pile of suitcases, it couldn't be a dream.

Rin warmed snow the way she did months ago to drink and refresh her face. She came across a white slit of paper saying-

"Dear Rin,

When you said orphanage an idea hit me. I decided to look through the Trabian orphanages for a clue. If I'm successful you'll need to sell that shack of yours, we'll be leaving and not coming back. I'm going to that café I met you at, won't the memories be fun to remember? Just kidding. I'll meet you for dinner at the town square around seven or eight. We'll go together somewhere. Try keeping all your belongings packed; I have a feeling we might be leaving tomorrow or sometime soon. There aren't many orphanages around this continent either.

-Squall"

Rin dropped the note and unpacked a suit for the day. She found a long black skirt that came to her ankles and long flared sleeve pink shirt. She placed on her same shoes and coat. She added on two light coffee bean brown gloves with long embroidered ivy vines.

She put down the fire and went out to the merciless frost. She paced down the hills and fields to the loud headache-causing streets, which she was traveled daily. There before her very eyes were the small parking lot where she had broken leg and the peaceful café she'd met Squall. Nida's Naryal Drinks. The parking lot was nearly empty, which means the busy rush hour had gone by and Nida would only have schoolgirls and other unemployed people would be his only customers.

She slowly entered the small coffee house and advanced with caution. There were three young ladies paying a check in the back and were close to departure.

"Well I'll be darned. If it isn't Rin Heartilty."

Rin smiled as she glanced at Nida who sat at the counter with his usual grin. "Nida! It's so nice to see ya again!" She rushed to him and gave him a greeting hug.

"Well look at you. You used to come in here looking like you lived off the streets your whole life, now you look richer than anyone in Naryal!"

Rin gazed at her appearance. A warm coat from the finest coat factories in Esther, high quality leather boots, soft embroidery filled gloves, and her silver chain with intricate designs on Squall's ring.

"Well… uh you won't believe it, but I'm engaged." She smiled weakly.

oooo

Squall paid the taxi driver his fare and carefully stepped up the snowy path to the Whiteners Estates. It was a large mansion covered in snow, it hadn't been tended to very much, obviously all sweat to care for the blanketed mansion was cached during the bitterness of the weather. Squall came to the large doors and knocked with the large iron knocker shaped of a snow lion.

The echoing of the bang was heard around the lawn, which shook slightly. The oak door opened and a small lady with messy brown hair and patched clothing answered.

"May I help you?" She asked timidly as she covered majority of her corpse behind the entry.

"I'm looking for the Whitners'. Are they here?" Squall asked slowly as he observed the dead ivy crawling half way up the walls.

"Abigail! Abigail who is it?" The voice of an aged woman asked. The girl opened the door unhurriedly to reveal a female with a bright aged face and elegant clothing. She stayed stiffly in a wheel chair with a gentle and comfortable appearance. "Oh, a new face. How lovely. Who are you lad?" She asked in a serene yet cracking accent.

"I'm Squall Loire, I'm here to ask you a few questions of young girl you adopted a few years ago."

The woman unpeeled her eyes and thought for a moment, "The president of Esther's son? Oh come in please. Sit near the hearth it is so cold out there." Abigail, the servant, shut the door and wheeled Mrs. Whiteners to a dark den with dusty photos on the wall and musty sitting couches. A huge lit fire was the only source of light in the entire corridor.

"Sit please." Mrs. Whitners ordered softly. Squall took his seat against the fragile classic furnishing. "Abigail dear, leave me now, fetch some tea and snacks for our young Mr. Loire. It isn't everyday a famous lad like him visits me." She turned her attention to the man that sat before her.

"Now then, what was it you needed to interrogate about?"

"Uh… do you remember a girl named Rin?"

"Rin? My… how long it has been. Yes I do, I adopted her for company since I was in need of company and someone to help me. Why do you ask?"

"If you don't mind, can you tell me everything about Rin. That you know…" Squall urged hiding his feverish emotion.

"Well now, where to start? Yes, I'm an old lady now and unable to walk. Servants and my own husband didn't seem to give me enough attention that I need. My children have left me and seldom write. I am very lonesome and someone suggested I adopt a useful child to fill my needs. I went to the orphanage and found that quiet Rin. Oh what a sweet girl she was."

Squall pondered for a moment. The elder female before of him gazed to the ceiling entranced by her old memories. I should have said do you know anything useful he thought scornfully to himself. "Anything else?" He asked trying hard to conceal a yawn.

"Well… yes now that you say it. She always sang this song. She said it's all she can remember. Funny, I can't remember it though!" She chuckled half-heartedly. Squall blew hopelessly. He stood and held out a hand to shake with Mrs. Whitners.

"Thanks for your time."

"No, thank you for companying an old lady."

Squall took his leave ignoring the stale crumpets Abigail had brought in. The young skittish maid opened the dusty grand doors and bade Squall farewell.

A song… that might lead us somewhere, He thought to himself as he waved an arm for a taxi.

ooooo

"Shoot, Squall Loire is marrying you!?" Nida gasped in utter shock.

Rin nodded happily as she pulled her ring out to show him. Nida took a close glance at it. "It looks old, but not cheap. It isn't much proof. But heck I'll believe ya, sure as I believe Squall Loire came to my café this morinin'."

Rin finished a warm beverage as she reached for her money. "No need Rin, it's on the house." Nida kindly gestured.
"How com I never got free things when I needed it?" Rin thought aloud. Her former employer laughed.

"Welcome to the life of real celebrity!"

"But I'm not famous here, wait I'm not even famous."

"Calm down Rin, let me make it short and sweet. Esther affects the entire world since it's so powerful, and you joining the family makes you famous."

Me? Famous?

"So what brings you and your rich fiancé back in Naryal?" Nida asked abruptly as he cleaned a green mug. Rin shrugged, "Marriage business?" She replied unsurely. Nida looked at her awkwardly then shrugged.

"No need to explain… I wouldn't understand ya'll married people."

oooo

A few hours later

Rin sat at town square watching the snow fairs fall gracefully on the messy streets. Being back in what felt like her hometown was awkward, since she had changed quite a lot. She was no longer Rin Heartilty the girl of Trabian slums, but a engaged woman probably one of the most fortunate gals in the world.

"Song!"

Rin turned her head to Squall who had just exited a taxi. He rushed towards her and repeated himself. "Song."

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