The Sorceress Child

Squall lifted a stool beside Rinoa's bed and set it beside her. Taking his seat, Squall placed his palm on her forehead and began patting her gently. "Rin, how do you feel?"

Rinoa opened her eyes and smiled at Squall. "Better, I guess," she mumbled.

Squall took her beautiful hands in his and massaged them. "Did you hear the news? Doctor Kadowaki said that you were pregnant."

Rinoa nodded her head and answered, "She told me earlier. Aren't you happy Squall? You're going to be a daddy!"

Squall let out one of his rare laughs and kissed her on the cheeks. "Yes, of course Mrs. Leonhart. I am very very happy. But apparently, you need some rest. So that means no fighting in the Training Center or physical combat of any sort for that matter."

Rinoa pushed Squall's head away with her hand. "Yes, sir. Your wish is my command sir."

"Now don't get sarcastic on me," Squall scolded Rinoa. "You really should get some rest. I want our baby to remain healthy inside you." He moved his hand over Rinoa's womb and began rubbing it in a circular motion. Rinoa laughed and set Squall's hand aside.

"Ok Squall, I know my duties as a mother, or a soon-to-be mother for that matter, and I don't think I need a man's advice when it comes to stuff like this. Yes, I will stay indoors and I will get as much rest as I need. But tell me, when the time comes for me to defend myself, what will I do? Tell the enemy to stay away because I'm pregnant?" she asked him.

Squall shook his head and replied, "No, but I'll make sure that you get proper training when you're around me. I don't think it would be safe to do that in the Training Center right now, especially since most of the creatures in the Training Center are much more beefed up than the ones we had in Balamb. And, since you are a sorceress, I guess you can exercise your magic powers as opposed to your fighting skills for the meantime. Until we are sure that everything is going well, I don't think my conscience can permit you to do things that I wouldn't do were I in your position."

Rinoa tried to sit up and did so when Squall helped her. "Alright Squall, I'll do that. But promise me that you will train with me in the apartments. I can't sit around and be fat forever you know. Besides, I'm a sorceress. What's the biggest problem we could ever face?"

"That is our main concern Rinoa. Since most sorceresses in the past were known to have difficulty giving birth, let alone getting pregnant, I think it is a bad idea to overwork you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" he asked her with concern.

"Yes Squall, I do, and since I am concerned much as you are about this baby, I will try to do everything I can to remain as healthy as possible. And Squall," she told him. Squall looked into her eyes with the newfound love of a father and a husband and allowed her to continue. "I love you. I thank you for this baby and I hope he grows up to be just like you."

Squall leaned towards Rinoa and kissed her lips. "I love you too," he whispered to her when the kiss was over.

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Squall went to the cavernous library of Esthar Garden when Doctor Kadowaki advised him to let Rinoa rest for a few more hours in the infirmary. He made his way around the maze of old and new books, periodicals, and extremely sleek looking Estharian data cards until he found what he was looking for.

The Esthar Garden library was a state-of-the-art design complex which included at least every book, article, and reference device known to man. In the bowels of the library, however, was a restricted area that included documents containing the mysterious past to the growth of Esthar as one of the known world's most developed civilizations. Other important documents such as references to Esthar's myriad of strange experiments and exploits could be found there as well, and only SeeDs two levels below Ouragan could access those articles. The upper levels, however, were ridden with infinite material that referred to every single subject that the human mind could come up with. And what made it more convenient to search the library for its almost innumerable references was Esthar's astounding technology which allowed a student to receive access immediately to that book, without the cumbersome process of having to browse around such a huge room. Like the Presidential Palace and so many of Esthar's streets and facilities, the library was well-equipped with those flotation devices, and of course, that made the students' lives much much easier.

Squall took a seat in one of the levitators and entered the subject of the book he was looking for in the central computer in the middle of the device. After a few moments of processing and registering, the machine began its journey across the alleys of fiberglass shelves and Estharian blue steel studded all over the place. When the machine came to a halt, computer in the center of the levitator opened slightly to reveal a ball-like device that beamed a blue light at the book he was looking for. Another device in the computer opened to reveal another beam of light that drew the book closer to Squall, and not a moment too soon he was able to witness the book floating in the air towards him. When he received the book, he whispered to himself, "What amazing technology."

It was then that a voice from the computer spoke to him. "Would you like to be taken to the reading room or the checkout desk student Leonhart?" an animated voice asked him. A variety of options was immediately displayed on the screen in front of him, and he pushed the button that read "Reading Room". Soon the machine was flying towards one of the comfortable areas in the library, and Squall finally sat down on a lovely leather couch. "Spared no expense, these people did," he remarked once again.

He laid the book down on the sofa and took a pen and a small notebook out of his bomber jacket pocket and began to read the book entitled, "The Letters of Imogene", a manuscript containing a series of letters to a knight about the only known sorceress who was able to bear children. He flipped the first page of the delicate text gently so as not to damage the aging paper, and slowly read the text written in a very old Estharian dialect. Squall had studied ancient Estharian in school so it wasn't a problem at all for him reading such an ancient dialect.

The first page read:

"My beloved protégé,

I cannot believe what the medicine man told me when I had him check my conditions….I have a child in my womb! Am I the first of my kind ever to face such a joyous, yet fearful predicament? Yet, it is your child as well, my love, and I do not know what to say except that…I am at my happiest now that we can truly enjoy our bond not as knight and sorceress, but as lovers. It surprises me to know that I would someday give birth to a child, let alone be pregnant with one! But oh what a wonderful day it shall be when we have little ones running in the house! My knight, are you not happy to receive such news? I for one know that I am. The medicine man, as helpful as he is however, cannot guarantee the baby's safe delivery from my womb, as I am a woman equipped with some of the world's most coveted powers. I only wish I can say that I could have this baby safely without endangering him or myself for that matter. But oh how amazing it is that I am the only one amongst my kind who can enjoy the company of a son or a daughter! He gave me a binding potion that would suppress my powers at the moment, and hopefully that will allow our child to develop without the hindrance of the thundering elements raging within my blood. I bid you farewell my knight! I wish you safety in your travels.

Your love,

Imogene"

Squall flipped the page once again to the second letter. He took note of the binding potion and continued reading.

"My beloved one,

It is with pleasure that I inform you about the development of our little one. I can feel him jumping in my womb! Oh isn't he just precious? Going to the point however, I would like to tell you that I met another sorceress today, a mother figure I should say, and I asked her about children. She, of course, was dumbfounded to discover about this, but then she gave me a useful piece of advice regarding the child. As you would know, several of my predecessors have neither had a wonderful knight nor a precious child, and of course this would mean that most of my kind would have no idea on the raising of a little one. But this sorceress informed me that there was once one who had a child herself, and although it gave her much difficulty in the past to bear it, adding to the fact that binding medicines were unheard of before, she was successful in raising a healthy child who bore much powers. Legend says that somewhere, somehow, this child became a sorcerer knight and married another sorceress of his generation. And thus it was made clear to me that this family soon bore a generation of sorcerer-knights and sorceresses, all of whom had complete control of their powers. I still do not know if such a family exists, but if it is true that powers can be kept limber, then I do hope that our son, if he does inherit my powers, will also have such and such a power. How is everything in the Galbadian continent? I heard that there are very few magical beings there, and that it is such a boring place to visit. I hope you're having fun though. Until then, I shall continue writing to you.

Soon to be mother,
Imogene"

Squall paused to think for a moment. 'So there is a family of socerer knights! The question is, where should I begin to look for them?' He jotted down notes on his little book and turned the page to the next letter.

"My knight,

I hear that you are returning soon. It has been months since I last saw you! How are you? I hope you have been doing well. I received your letters and with much love have absorbed every single word that you have written to me. I am glad to know that you are happy about me having a child, and I know that somehow, I will be able to bear one without the labor pains that the average human mother would experience. Oh how painful it must be to exist without powers! I'm glad to know that I have an honest shoulder to lean to once you come back. The ship should sail smoothly after I said my prayers. The baby is still healthy, and would you know by now that I have a rather large stomach? It's like a ball! I had to ask a tailor to sew me several new robes because my sylph-like ones fit me no longer! It is so interesting being pregnant!

I just want you to know that everything is well here, and that a kind nurse has come to help me around the house. I love you as always and hopefully you will arrive in a few weeks perhaps? I don't know. Time passes much too quickly for me to keep up with you. One thing I know is that our child will be glad to welcome his father. I love you my knight.

Faithfully awaiting your return,

Imogene"

Squall suddenly felt a familiar sensation. "Oh crap, not now Storm!" A piercing sound like Ellone's pre-dream warning pounded through his head, and he was out cold in seconds.

When Squall woke up, he found himself in the yard of a beautiful house set upon the mountains of Esthar. He looked around and saw the wonderful view of the Great Plains of Esthar below, still lush with zounds of forests and lakes that would now have been visions of its past glory. He then heard a voice behind him speaking in the ancient Estharian dialect he had read from the manuscript earlier.

"My knight! Oh you have arrived," cried a woman who ran to him and hugged him tightly on the waist.

"Um, who are you?" Squall asked the woman.

"Gualtiero! Oh please don't play tricks with me now!" she told him. When Squall had a chance to take a good look at her, he was surprised to find that she looked very much like Rinoa. "Gualtiero, why do you look so strange? Is that the latest fashion in that strange land?" She cupped his face and said, "Are you hungry my love? Come, there is food in the house. Amina has prepared a sumptuous banquet for your return."

The woman whom Squall assumed to be Imogene led him to the house. He had noticed that Imogene didn't have a large belly like most pregnant women. "Imogene, where is the child?"

The woman turned around and answered, "The little one is in his room sleeping. Amina is lulling the child so please keep quiet. Now my knight, get changed. I don't want to see too much black around here." She led Squall to what he thought was Gualtiero's room, and after Imogene (or Rinoa, as he thought) had chosen a robe for him, he was asked to undress and change clothes.

"What? I'm going to undress in front of you?" he asked her while blushing uncontrollably.

"Oh now, what is the problem? We used to do it every night before you left for that Balbadia or Galgadia or something. What is the shame of doing it in front of me now? You haven't gotten fat have you? What have those people planted in your mind? That it is shameful to undress in front of your wife? Come off of it now my love. I wouldn't mind seeing you without your clothing after months of being deprived of our wonderful sex," she told him without shame.

Squall blushed even harder this time, but decided to do as he was told. In minutes, he was finally dressed in a robe. "How do I look Rinoa?"

Imogene was putting his clothes away in one corner until she spoke to him. She turned around and asked, "Who's Rinoa?"

Squall clapped his forehead with his hand and said, "I meant Imogene. I'm sorry, I'm just very tired from my travels," he nervously made up.

"I see. Well join me for dinner and I'll tell you more about the little one." Together, they left for the dining room and ate the food that Amina had prepared.

Squall looked at Imogene with curiosity and wondered how she and Rinoa looked very much alike. When Imogene noticed that Squall had been staring at her, she smiled and asked, "Gualtiero, please eat your food, we can talk later when we're done."

Squall resumed eating and when they were done, Imogene asked the nurse Amina to clean up the table while they went up to see the child. When they arrived at the room, Squall saw the child sleeping peacefully in his little crib. "What is his name?" he asked Imogene.

She cradled the child in her arms and presented him to Squall. "His name is Leonardo." She gave Squall the child and he rested it gently in his arms. The baby yawned and looked into what he thought was Gualtiero, and touched his father's face. He cooed and laughed when Squall smiled at him, and Squall laughed as well.

Imogene smiled and sat on the chair beside the crib. "I'm glad to know that he recognizes his own father. He looks like you, you know. And I do hope that someday, he shall grow up to be like the great man that his father is too."

Squall slowly and gently laid the child in his crib. "Imogene, do you think he has powers yet?"

She smiled and shook her head, "I would not know at the moment. He was born only two weeks ago. Until then, I could never tell whether he would show signs of my powers evolving within him. Why do you ask?"

"Since you were a sorceress, I thought that it was logical that he would receive your powers," he explained. He walked slowly to her and held her hands. "Imogene, I love you." He felt as though as if he were speaking to Rinoa, and his love started pouring out for her.

"And I love you too my knight. I am glad that you are the father of our child," she told him lovingly.

Unconsciously, Squall moved closer to kiss her, and soon he was sharing his kiss with a woman whom he barely knew, but somehow had met in his mysterious past. They moved into their bedroom and began undressing each other, and soon he and Imogene (Rinoa) had coupled together in bed.

When everything was over, Squall started down into Imogene's eyes as he lay on top of her. "Did you miss me?" he asked her.

"Of course I did Gualtiero, of course I did. I could not bear to live without you. You may be my protégé, but without you I am nothing, a shell without an ounce of substance. Do not leave me again my love, I will go mad if you do," she said with a tone of fear in her voice.

Squall pressed his naked body against hers and asked, "What would you do if I did?"

Imogene looked sideways and answered with a shiver in her voice, "I don't know my love, I don't know. I may never live again if you leave me. You know how much I love you. I am alone without you, and I cannot function as such. Please stay with me. Promise me that."

Squall kissed her again and said, "I promise."

He closed his eyes and soon, Imogene was asleep. He laid down beside her and decided that it was time to go back, and as he shut his eyes, he summoned Storm's powers once more.

"Storm, take me back now." And soon, he was once again in that whirlwind which would eventually take him to the library.

When Squall woke up, he found himself in the reading room with his notebook in one hand. He had scribbled something on the notebook in an ancient text which he this time didn't recognize.

'I wonder what this is?' he asked himself as he remembered the lucid dreams he had experienced with what seemed to be Rinoa's former self, Imogene.

Again, this took me time, and I wish I didn't make anyone wait like crazy for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and I also hope everyone had a swell time during Thanksgiving. Until then, I wish you happy reading and writing, and do take time to read and review my story. Ciao!