Chapter 19

The Queen's Reign

Queen Morgana looked down at the Amazons and smiled. "Looks like I've captured the few remaining Amazons! Ha ha ha ha!"

Makita glared up at her. "Where are we? How did we get here?"

"I brought you here…" She replied.

"Where is here?" Makita asked in anger.

"Here is inside the Amulet!" The Queen started to laugh.

Makita and everyone gasped. They couldn't believe it. "How is that even possible?" Screamed Makita.

"You underestimate the power of darkness. I would have expected more from an Amazon…" The Queen gazed down at Reliquan, who was on one knee, bowing. "Good work my dear child. You shall get your reward as promised."

"Reliquan! How could you betray us? What would make you even consider working for her? Answer me!" Makita screamed at her once again.

Reliquan stood up and her shoulders began to shake. Then she dropped her head back in laughter. "My Queen promised to give me more powers to make me stronger than just the warrior I am on my own. Then I could eliminate you and rule over our people while she rules the rest of the world!" She smiled wickedly.

"You TRAITOR!" Shaltwan had leapt towards Reliquan with her spear raised. Just as she reached her, a dark barrier formed and shot a beam of light out at her, throwing the Amazon backwards. She slammed into the ground.

"Shaltwan! Are you okay?" Makita asked her, rushing to her side.

"Yes…I'll be fine." She got up off the floor and stood back up.

"That's just like an Amazon…Resist the pain and stand back up as a proud warrior…your ancestors did the same." Morgana told them.

Rinoa and Squall had been watching the whole scene from a little farther away. They stood up together and walked towards their friends. "Is everyone alright?" She asked the Amazons. They all turned to look at her concerned face, but all nodded their heads. "Everyone…It all comes down to this moment. We have to stand our ground and be strong. This is the final battle, but I know we can do it!"

"Do you have a plan?" Makita asked her questionably.

Rinoa shook her head. "No, not really…but I have an idea. Okay, Makita and Tennetra, I want you two to take care of Reliquan and Crystal!" Makita shook her head at this.

"I'm sorry Rinoa, I have to fight the Queen…It's personal…" Rinoa stared deep into her eyes. After a few minutes of deciding she nodded her head.

"Alright, but promise me you'll be careful!"

"I promise!"

Rinoa turned her attention back to the others. "That means that Tennetra will fight Reliquan and me and Makita will fight Morgana…That leaves Crystal…"

"I'll do it…" Squall had spoken up.

"You can't! You're too weak! You might hurt yourself worse than you already are! Let Shaltwan handle it!" Rinoa gazed at him with a worried expression. Squall lifted his hand and put a finger on her lips.

"Shaltwan is injured too badly. I have to do this…It's like you said…I would do anything to protect you. I have to make myself useful. Everything will be alright. Crystal is nothing. Trust me…" Rinoa was lost for words. His eyes were burning into hers. It felt like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Alright." She said in a whisper. "I love you…"

Squall smiled. "I love you, too…" He pulled her towards him and kissed her lips for a few seconds and then released her.

Just then the ground started to shake. Morgana was hovering off her throne. Crystal and Reliquan beside her. All had glowing masses of dark energy swirling around them. "Here is the power I promised you my dears!" Morgana said laughing. Jets of energy shot from her hands and into both Crystal and Reliquan. They screamed at first, but then began laughing with delight.

"I can feel it! This power is incredible! I've never felt anything like it!" Reliquan said. When the power waves stopped, the two girls touched back down to the ground.

Rinoa turned to look at the others, they returned her gaze. "This is it everyone! Let's do it!" Tennetra ran towards Reliquan and Squall towards Crystal. Makita and Rinoa waited for them to begin fighting, to keep them busy and away from the Queen.

Tennetra jabbed her spear in the ground and vaulted over it, jumping right at Reliquan. She threw her leg out and kicked her right across her face. Reliquan gasped. "You will pay for that!" She stuck out her hand and began to summon dark energy all around her. The next second, meteor rocks were falling from the sky at Tennetra. She back flipped and somersaulted in every direction to dodge them.

Crystal had seen Squall coming and had shot him with a blast of her new dark energy. "You fool! You can't defeat me…you are three times as weak as before, thanks to the curse." Squall lay on the ground, his gunblade in his right hand. Crystal walked towards him and put her boot on top of his chest, near his throat. "Should I kill you now, or wait for the curse to finish you off? It's such a shame that you'll die either way, and you were so cute, too." She made a little pout face.

"I don't think so!" Squall said. Crystal looked at him curiously. Then he grabbed her leg and threw her on the ground, him on top now.

"Isn't this a surprise? You still have some strength left." Without a warning she threw her arms around his neck. "Might as well kiss you while we're like this before you die…" Before she could even get the chance, Squall brought his gunblade up to her throat. She laughed. "You wouldn't really kill me now would you?" She asked with a grin on her face.

"You tried to take Rinoa away from me! That is something I could never forgive you for!" Instead of using his sword, he used an absorb spell, to drain away her remaining health.

Crystal took one last breath and said, "You weren't worth the trouble anyways…" Then she closed her eyes, her head falling to the side. Squall got up and looked around the room. Rinoa and Makita were standing there watching the Queen carefully.

Tennetra and Reliquan had been battling for quite some time now. Tennetra's arm had been cut pretty bad, but she kept on.

Shaltwan sat off to the side watching everyone fight. No one had wanted her to help in the risk of her getting more injured. She couldn't take it anymore though. She stood up slowly and grabbed her spear.

"Ready for your demise?" Reliquan asked Tennetra laughing. Then a voice sounded from behind her.

"You mean yours!" Shaltwan had yelled. Before Reliquan could turn around all the way, Shaltwan had sent her spear flying through the air. In the next moment, Reliquan was screaming in agony. The spear had pierced her straight in the back. She fell to the ground and toppled over. Tennetra ran next to her.

"I'm sorry…I betrayed you…I never should have done it…forgive me…friends…" Then she choked and was gone. Tennetra could feel tears beginning to well up inside of her. She had been very close to Reliquan, they were like sisters. As an Amazon, she knew she would have to face her friends if this ever happened.

Shaltwan walked next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright…She's free from her misery…" Tennetra looked up into the Amazon's eyes and then hugged her.

"Of course…you're right. We have a bigger job to do right now!" They stood up and looked across the room towards the Queen. She wore an expression of hatred on her face.

"You imbeciles! You lost me my loyal children! You will pay!" She stepped down off her throne and began to walk towards them. As she did so, she threw her cloak off. She now wore the same black top with chains that cut down the middle, but her dress was cut down the sides of her leg, allowing for more fluid movements.

Shaltwan, Tennetra, and Squall ran over beside Rinoa and Makita as the Queen advanced on them. "I will crush you all!" She screamed at them. Fire emblazoned out of her hands and stalked towards them. Everyone dodged out of its way as it made impact with the ground they had been standing on moments before.

The Amazons leapt forward in an attempt at a back attack. The Queen had seen it coming though and shot them back against the wall. Rinoa glared at her. Morgana smiled wickedly and then shot more fire at the girls behind her. The Amazons screamed in pain. After the fire cleared away Rinoa's eyes opened in horror.

Makita and the others lay in a heap, burnt and bloody. Cuts and bruises were on their arms, legs, and stomachs. Tennetra tried to stand, but fell. "Whoops…I must have used too much power on them…too bad." Morgana laughed maniacally. Then with a swipe of her hand, the Amazons hovered above the ground. They flew to a side of the room and ropes formed around their bodies, holding them to the walls.

"I'm sorry Rinoa…please forgive us…" Makita said weakly. She smiled, but then fell into unconsciousness.

Rinoa turned back to face the Queen. "You will pay for this!" She yelled. Morgana just laughed again. Then she stopped and looked at Rinoa. Her eyes grew larger and then she closed them. Rinoa could hear a strange sound. She turned around and saw a wave of fire blowing straight at her from behind! She closed her eyes, ready to take the hit.

She felt heat but no pain. She opened her eyes to see Squall in front of her, taking on the full blast of it. "Squall!" He fell to the ground. "Why did you do that for me again? You're hurt too bad to fight anymore…Please, let me handle it!"

He smiled up at her. "I've told you before…I love you so I'll always be here to protect you…even if the whole world was against you…I would be your knight…"

Rinoa could feel tears sliding down her face. "Oh Squall…you mean so much to me. I just wish we could go back before all of this happened! I love you so much!" She wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. Squall layed his hand on her back.

"I love you too Rinoa…but you have to beat this Queen here and now…we can't go back…"

"I can't do it by myself!" Rinoa cried out.

"Yes you can Rinoa…trust me! Believe in yourself!" He held his hand up and placed it on her cheek. Then with another smile drifted into unconsciousness.

"Squall? Squall!" Rinoa screamed. "Don't leave me! I need you!"

Queen Morgana had just sat watching the whole scene. She began laughing even louder than before as she made Squall disappear from Rinoa's arms and reappear on the wall with the Amazons.

"Give him back!" Rinoa screamed at her, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Never! The world has already begun to be covered in my beautiful shade of darkness. Soon you and everyone else on this measly little planet will belong to me! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"