Chapter 21

The Queen's Knight

When the light had dimmed, Morgana uncovered her face. Rinoa had come back down on the ground, but her hands were glowing with power. In each one there was a power sphere, swirling around in her palms. Her eyes were glowing with hatred for the Queen. She began to walk towards her, no fear visible.

"I've had just about enough of this! You've tried to take everything away from that is precious!" A bolt of energy shot out of her hand and hit Morgana's right leg. "You took my Amazon friends!" She hit her again, this time her other leg. "Worst of all, you took the guy I love!" Rinoa gritted her teeth and thrust both her hands out, which shot two energy waves out, but morphed together becoming one. It flew through the air, right into the Queen's stomach.

She fell to the floor, gasping for breath. "I will make you feel, what you made Squall feel." Rinoa walked towards her and stared down at the fallen Queen. "It's not funny anymore…is it? When you feel what the other person felt…"

Morgana stared between her two hands pressed on the floor, sweat dripping down her face. "She's so strong! How is this possible!" She thought quickly to herself. She looked up into Rinoa's angry face, full of hatred. "Wait! I can defeat her, but not by my own hand!" Without wasting any time, Morgana pushed herself from the ground and began to chant. Rinoa watched speechless.

Rinoa gasped in disbelief. Squall had appeared down in front of Morgana, but something was wrong. He looked like he was defending her. Morgana began to chuckle. "Awaken my dear Prince!" When she spoke those words, Squall's eyes opened, but they were glowing red. He pulled out his sword as if in a trance.

"Squall! What's wrong with you?" Rinoa cried out. She walked forwards toward him, but stopped when Squall swung his blade down at her. "What's she done to you?" Her eyes opened wider in horror.

"He's under my spell now. The curse has been removed…but he has become my knight! He will protect me at any cost. You know what that means! In order to get to me…you must first defeat the one you love!"

Rinoa stood still, not daring to believe what she had just heard. "This can't be…it just can't be true…" She whispered in a low voice slowly to herself.

"He will do anything I command him to do. Like now for example…" Rinoa watched as Morgana walked towards Squall. She put her hand on his face and kissed him. Tears were flowing down Rinoa's face now. She couldn't stop them.

"No…no…NO!" Rinoa screamed. She put her hands on her head and screamed. "He would never leave me for a repulsive, ugly witch like you! He just wouldn't!"

Morgana turned to face Rinoa, a large grin spreading across her face. "Looks like you're wrong. He has left you and there's no denying it!" She turned back around and faced Squall. "Now my knight…Kill her!" She pointed her finger down at Rinoa's limp figure on the floor.

Squall turned towards Rinoa, drawing his sword as he walked ever closer. "Squall…don't do this! It's me…Rinoa!" She cried out.

"It's useless little girl! He can no longer hear you! His mind belongs to me and only me, for now and forever!"

Rinoa didn't know what to do. There was no time to think about it at the moment, for Squall had just leapt forward at her, his blade coming down fast. Rinoa rolled over backwards and flipped back up. He picked his sword up and ran back towards her and swung it left and right. Rinoa glanced around the room for her own blade. Then she spotted it. In a quick flash she ran to the right and slid across the floor, pulling her sword from out between two stone tiles.

She threw it up just in time to stop Squall's blade from stabbing her in the stomach. He continued with his assault, Rinoa just blocking. "I can't attack him! I don't want to! I just can't bring myself to hurt him!"

Morgana watched from her throne, smiling the entire time. It was just like her to have someone else to all her dirty work.

Rinoa jumped into the air, stretching out her white wings. She flew high up, when she heard a noise coming up behind her. Squall had shot a stream of fire up at her, knocking her to ground, as feathers flew in every direction. Her wings were practically destroyed. She wasn't able to fly from the damage. Half the feathers were gone on her left wing, as it hung limply at her side. She fell to the floor in exhaustion.

Squall began walking towards her again, a smirk across his face. "My Queen has given me orders to destroy you! I will and get my reward! I will rule by her side." He said as he came ever closer.

Rinoa shut her eyes, tears rolling down her face. She opened them and glared towards Squall, her mind made up. "Squall, did you forget everything that has happened? What about you and me? Remember when we met, when you protected me, all your promises? Were you lying to me when you said that you loved me?"

Squall stopped when he was standing above her. He raised his sword in the air. Rinoa glared at him and yelled one last sentence at him. "You told me, that even if the whole world was against me, you would stay by my side, you'd be MY knight!" Squall had begun to swing his blade down, but stopped at these last words.

"Your…your knight?" He asked. Rinoa couldn't tell anything from his mysterious expression. "I would never betray my Queen!"

"She's not your Queen! She's brainwashed you and turned you against me! You loved me!" Rinoa cried up at him.

"Love…I loved you…" He had lowered his sword back down and stared deeply into Rinoa's tear stained face.

"That's right…you loved me and I loved you!"

Queen Morgana was getting angrier by the minute. "You fool! You obey me and only me!" She shot dark energy out of her hand, making it engulf Squall. Squall gritted his teeth at the power surrounding him.

"Squall! I won't let her brainwash you anymore than what she has already done!" In a second, Rinoa had jumped in front of Squall and forced the energy to hit her instead. She screamed in agony. Morgana stopped and smiled.

"I guess I got rid of her one way or another…" She said to herself.

Rinoa fell towards the stone floor, but was gently caught. She looked up to see Squall above her. "Why did you do that?" He asked her. His eyes had a faraway, mysterious look to them.

Rinoa smiled up at him. "Because I love you. I would never let anything hurt you. You mean so much to me…" She grimaced as pain flooded through her entire body.

Squall stared at her for a moment, then his eyes opened wide, his distant expression fading. "Ri…Ri..Rinoa?" He asked her.

"Yes, do you remember now?" She asked him, hope filling her heart.

"I…I…I'm beginning to. Bits and pieces are flooding through my mind…" He closed his eyes in thought, and then began to speak once more. "Yes, I saved you from Seifer and a T-Rex. I asked you to a…a dance. You kissed me at my Birthday party, but then afterwards…I…I kissed you. We told each other that we loved one another for now and forever…" He opened his eyes and gazed back down at Rinoa, who was in his arms.

"That's right…" Rinoa said, forcing herself to smile through her pain. Squall pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"It's all my fault! I caused you all of this pain!" He said, his voice quivering.

"Stop it! That's not true! Things happen for a reason. I know what I've realized from this!" Squall looked down into her light blue eyes. They were full of tears, but not sad tears, happy ones. Rinoa gulped. "It's made me realize how much I love you!" She whispered.

"Rinoa…" He said, but Rinoa put her finger on his lips to silence him.

"I know Squall. You don't have to say it in words. I know you love me." Squall smiled. Then he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers and then released her.

"I want to say it anyways…I love you Rinoa." Rinoa smiled and blushed.

"Isn't this just precious? The two lovebirds are together once more! I guess I'll just have to destroy you both!" Rinoa and Squall looked away from each other and towards the Queen who was standing up off her throne now. "I will not tolerate to be made a fool of in my own realm!"