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A Maid's Tale	By : tealover Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Het - Male/Female Views: 886 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Mistress Adel, one of the Witch Queen�s emissaries was
visiting the chateau to listen to some compositions. It was the future
Housekeeper�s role to make sure the house was in perfect condition and Rinoa
had been working since five in the morning. She was on her way back to the
chateau after a trip to the flower shop in Winhill, where she bought lilies
specifically for the occasion. The flowers represented Galbadia�s flag which
was colored white, black and red. Rinoa was actually late to return, as she got
caught up looking at small pink and white roses. The shop lady, who introduced
herself as Maude, was a very convincing saleswoman and Rinoa couldn�t resist
the woman�s pleas to look at more flowers. The roses were so cute and Rinoa
wished she could buy some, but the carriage had already been stuffed to the
brim with the flowers needed for Adel�s visit that evening.

Rinoa had spent hours arranging the flowers into large vases
one by one down the main hall and was nearly done. Suddenly the sound of a
piano playing and holding a single note reached her ears. As the note faded, a
soprano voice began to sing in the ancient Centran language. Rinoa couldn�t
understand the words so she ignored the sound and continued to fix the large flowers,
moving onto the next vase in the hall.

Eventually Rinoa�s tasks lead her to the last glass blown
vase, which was close to the room where the guests were. Before she could
finish arranging the lilies to perfection, a giggling Selphie dragged Rinoa around
the corner and closer to the piano room. Ballari was also there and apparently
the two were busy peeking at the guests from between two large doors.

�What on earth are you two doing?� Rinoa exclaimed.

�shhh�!� Selphie put
her finger to her mouth.

�We�ll get caught so keep your voice down, ay!� Ballari
whispered.

In the music room, a woman with extremely white skin and
long red hair suddenly shivered and held herself uncomfortably. She was
perfectly seated on a chair meant for ballroom gowns.

�Is there something wrong, Mistress?� an old man in richly
adorned clothing asked. As he said this, the woman who was singing paused. Her
hair was the fairest color of blonde and she was wearing a white corseted gown
with violet bows. A wide violet sash across it was tied into a bow at her back.
It was a wonder that she could even sing in such an outfit.

�I am fine. Was just a chill, perhaps. Winter is just around
the corner.� the red haired woman looked around the richly decorated room with
a discerning eye. She paused for a second in the whispering girls� direction
then looked back at the vocalist.

�So it is, Mistress. So it is. Ready, Maria?� The old man
cued the piano and the woman began to sing once again.

Rinoa gulped. She was sure that Adel was looking right in
their direction for a few seconds.

�What we�re listening to is going to be the latest Leonhart
produced Opera, that is, if the creepy lady approves.� Selphie whispered while
pointing at Adel, who was wearing a green-gold gown with green lace trim. It
shined whenever she moved, the material looked nothing like that found on most
other noble�s gowns. It seemed to have a mind of it�s own as the color changed
every now and then.

�Ay, isn�t Maria beautiful as always? Wish I could get my
hair braided in �er style. Pity I�m no blonde...� Ballari whispered while
tugging her brown pigtails.

The singing ceased and the old man resumed his explanation
of the composition. �This Opera is about a prince from across the sea. He is
searching all over the world for a wife with a pure heart because his fianc�
loved him only for his riches. He could have any woman he wanted, but there was
no woman who he ever wanted until now.�

�My, that sounds quite interesting, Sir.� Adel remarked.

�This is the scene where a maiden is introduced to the
audience. She dances in Lenown Plains, singing to the flowers and thanking them
for blooming. All the while she is being watched by the traveling prince, who
is stunned speechless by her beauty and innocence.� The old man nodded at Maria
and then began to play an upbeat piece on the piano.

As soon as the introductory bars were over, Maria began to
sing in her clear Soprano voice, in a language forgotten by most of the world�s
people. She trailed up and down like a bird happily flying from tree to tree.
Adel was visibly impressed by the music and lyrics as her deeply painted red
lips formed a nostalgic smile.

�Heey, that old man looks a lot like Squall Leonhart!� Rinoa
whispered while pointing to the old man as he played the piano. She noticed the
old man was wearing the uniform of Knighted nobility. Up until now she thought
that the only Knighted person in the house was the Master.

Selphie and Ballari�s eyes quickly darted towards each other
then back at the room. �Rin, that IS Squall Leonhart!� Selphie whispered in
reply.

Rinoa and Ballari stifled their giggles, �How odd! I thought
I recognized him as one of the butlers!�

Selphie rolled her eyes, �Yea� they all tend to look the
same. Old, rarely ever talk much, and MEAN just like our Master.�

Ballari had been looking at Adel�s dress and was getting
dizzy with how the colors changed ever so slightly. �I believe that the
material on Adel�s dress is �silk� from the Island Closest to Hell.� She
whispered.

�Isn�t that the worst place in the world? Filled with
monsters from an ancient Lunar Cry?� Rinoa asked.

�Yes, brave folk who do venture out into places like those
can get rich by selling monster skins. The skins are used to weave that shiny
material.� Ballari answered.

�Wow, ya always know a lot of neat stuff, �Ba.� Selphie
began to cross her eyes while looking at Adel�s dress.

�I feel� there is something powerful about this woman. I
don�t know what it is but it makes my head feel light.� Rinoa subconsciously
held the ring in her necklace tightly.

Ballari and Selphie quickly exchanged a knowing glance. �Ah,
I know what you mean Rin. All those rich nobles who think they own the world
can make me feel sick, too.� Selphie quietly reassured the black haired girl.
Ballari smiled uneasily.

After a long day�s work, Rinoa began her usual nightly
routine as soon as she reached her quarters. Kicking off her heels and
loosening her braid as she always did; she paused as she realized what the room
smelt like. Roses? Rinoa ran inside the room to find every corner of the
room, every tabletop, every vase filled with small white and pink roses. Her
mouth gaped as she took in the smell while looking around her room. A
present? Rinoa smiled as she inhaled the scent and resolved to find out
more in the morning, since nobody in the house would be awake to explain.

After bathing and changing into her nightgown as usual, she
walked past �Ma� on the way back to her quarters. Rinoa greeted the woman with
a courtesy and the woman gave her a once-over, something Rinoa didn�t notice as
it was dark and she was without her glasses.

�Humph, what sort of mangled court�sy could that be from the
likes of ye?� the woman bellowed as she gave Rinoa a foul look.

�Excuse me, Madame?� Rinoa asked, confused at such a rude
response.

�Don�t take me fer a fool like th�rest of �em. I know what
ye are and who ye are.� The large woman raised her fist and Rinoa stepped back.
�d�scendant of Hyne� the woman mumbled, �Ye bet�er stay away from my Selphie. I
didn�a raise me girl to be one of yer puppets.� Rinoa turned and ran towards
her quarters, angry and confused. �Ye stay away from her, ye hear?� the woman
shouted down the hall.

Rinoa felt tears forming as soon as she reached her room and
threw herself on the bed, trying to stop herself from crying. She had been
sheltered from violent situations her whole life, so much so that she didn�t
know what to do other than cry. When the emotions passed and she finally
relaxed, she found herself sleeping lightly out of pure exhaustion.

Rinoa was in between the world of dreams and waking when her
large windows silently opened. A cold air slowly searched her room and she felt
herself become paralyzed. She wanted to move but when she felt a presence move
above her, it made her too scared to even budge. The presence was cold and it
wanted something. The cold air moved the few sheets that were covering Rinoa
and then moved away, as though it�s purpose was fulfilled.

In the corner of Rinoa�s vision, she saw a large black wing
quickly disappear as a large form darker than shadows drifted towards her.
Without the warm sheets covering her and having only a nightgown to protect
herself from the elements, Rinoa was slowly regaining awareness and was about
to wake up. Instead she was lulled back to her dreams by the feeling of warmth
as a heavy weight pressed down over her. It snaked its strong arms around Rinoa�s
small waist and her dreams suddenly
shifted.

She was in a beautiful dress and hopelessly in love with
her Master. She was chasing him down a beach and trying to get him to turn
around so she could see his face. He playfully ignored her calls and continued
to walk towards a lighthouse. All the while she was both scared and excited of
what he could look like. She laughed as she took off her shoes and tried to
catch up to him.

Leonhart smirked and melted back into the shadows. He
watched for a few moments as Rinoa slept contentedly and then disappeared the
way he came. Now her dreams would be going the way he wanted.

Rinoa woke up extremely late the next morning and
frantically got herself dressed. Color bloomed in her cheeks as she partly
remembered the dream she had. It was the most unusual and erotic thing she had
ever dreamed, and she never once got to see the Master�s face! Now why on
earth would I dream of the Master like that? Rinoa looked at her bedside
table and the bold faced letters of a large novel seemed to answer her. �Creatures
of the Night�. I�m going to kill �Ba. Rinoa had been reading it daily and
although it was a rather trashy piece of adult literature, she had to admit the
story of sex-crazed Vampires was an interesting and guilty pleasure.

Tying her apron up, Rinoa stepped into her heels and ran
down the hall. She would use the excuse of Ma�s threat for not showing up at
the kitchens that morning but the Master wouldn�t be happy about having his
breakfast served late.

�Rin?� a small red-haired girl stepped into the music room
where Rinoa was dusting the piano. �You�ve been avoiding me all day, Rin.
What�s the matter?� Rinoa paused and clenched her teeth. She didn�t really know
what to say so she said the first thing that came to mind.

�Sefie, what�s a Descendant of Hyne?� Rinoa looked at
Selphie with a serious expression.

�I knew it! �Ma told you to stay away from me didn�t she?
Oooh I�ll get her for this! Rin don�t listen to whatever �ma says. She�s just
old and confused!� Selphie walked into the room and began to help Rinoa with
dusting.

�Answer the question, please. What is a Descendant of Hyne?�
Rinoa�s expression didn�t change and she continued to look at Selphie.

�Look Rin, it�s a long story. To be honest, I don�t even
know the whole story myself... maybe ya should wait until Ballari is back from
Winhill and we�ll discuss it, you know, together! In her room like always!�

�Just tell me what you know.� Selphie stopped dusting and
looked out the window. It was as though Rinoa�s scrutiny had no power over her.
Selphie sighed and shook her head, then looked out the window once more.

�Hyne is our creator, all things natural in this world were
created by Hyne. Like that tree out there, the fields, and the ocean, all of
that was Hyne�s doing. Hyne eventually made people like us and went away.
Thousands of years passed and Hyne came back. There were so many people and
they were smarter than when Hyne made them. They also wanted Hyne�s power. They
began to fight against Hyne and Hyne was caught off guard. Hyne was a clever
person, though. Hyne used a decoy and escaped. The decoy was a part of Hyne�s
power. The people who got that power thought it was Hyne�s but it wasn�t. It
was a tainted piece of Hyne�s power and it made the people kill each other for
it.�

Rinoa stared at Selphie in awe. Selphie usually spoke like a
commoner but at this moment she looked like a noble who just happened to be
wearing a maid�s uniform. It was like she was a young noble from a far off
land, who was instructed in history and literature.

�Every twenty-five years, women are born under a certain
moon sign and are given this power. Either they cultivate it and grow stronger,
or they abuse it and grow mad. Rinoa, you have the spark for this power.
Everyone here knows it. Haven�t you ever felt like you wanted something so
badly and it suddenly happened? As though magic granted your wishes?�

�No� but...� Rinoa began to put two and two together,
�You�re saying I�m like those Witches? The women who are causing wars and
taxing the poor people of this country to become even poorer? Never. I hate them
with all my being. If I had that power, if I could use magic�I� I�d make it all
stop ever since it began. All the suffering that my family had gone through,
for money my poor mother had to�� Rinoa�s eyes welled up and she tried very
hard to keep the tears from flowing.

Heavy footsteps were heard down the hall and Selphie looked
in their direction. �Hey, hey� we�ll talk about this later tonight, okay?�
Selphie rubbed Rinoa�s back and Rinoa nodded dumbly. �Meet me at Ba�s, she has
a lot of books and knows more about this stuff than I do. I should go, Ma might
catch me.�

Selphie ran down the halls and skidded to a halt when Ma
caught sight of her across the hall. �Sefie! Shouldn�t you be sweeping floors?�
the woman bellowed in her usual threatening tone of voice.

�Sure thing �ma! Right on it, �ma!� Selphie chimed as she
began to run in the opposite direction while giggling. If Rinoa can use
magic like Edea did, we are going to have some serious fun!

�Sire, did you see a large delivery recently? For a Rinoa?� Rinoa
looked up at the tall old man. She saw him the day before, when she came back
from Winhill.

�I don�t believe there was a delivery to that name. One
moment please.� The old man rifled through the desk at the main hall and found
nothing listed for Rinoa.

�What about flowers? Other than the ones I came back with?
Did someone come with roses?� Rinoa furrowed her brow and the old man shook his
head at how this maid was asking so many questions.

�Let�s see� ah yes there was a delivery of roses from Winhill�s
flowershop.� The old man adjusted his glasses as he read from a small datebook.

�Yes! That�s the one! Who was it from, Sire?� Rinoa ran
behind the desk and looked at the datebook�s scribbling, unable to make out
what it said.

�I�m sorry, it only says for it to be delivered to a
specific room in the maid�s wing.�

�Not even a name? Or a message, Sire?�

�Curious, the store had been paid an extra fee to not
disclose who made such a large order.� The old man scratched his balding head
as he refilled the papers and put the book back in place.
�Thank you, Sire.� Rinoa began walking upstairs and towards Ballari�s room,
wondering what those roses were all about. Perhaps Lady Trepe wanted to send
them and since she was not allowed to contact me, she had to pay more so that
nobody would know! That must be it! Lady Trepe must be doing so well to afford
such flowers! Rinoa continued walking, although she wasn't quite satisfied
with her conclusion.
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A Maid's Tale