The Tale of the Princess

Disclaimer: As much as I love being praised for my original ideas, this one however is not mine- it came from a quote in the Astronaut's Wife. All I'm doing is making the short paragraph it was spoken as longer and more detailed with my own little twists and turns. I do not own Final Fantasy Eight or any of its names which are all copyrighted and I also don't own The Astronaut's Wife.

Warnings: Rape, death and violence… do I need to warn you guys about the lemon?

Do you know the story of the princess whose beloved prince dies in battle? The enemy prince after overrunning the castle finds the princess and forces himself upon her. Months later the princess is with child... but whose? It's either the child of her enemy, the man that killed her husband, the man that raped her... in which case she will kill herself and her child. Or it's the child of her prince. The only thing she has left of him, a part of him still alive within her, kept safe inside her, in which case... But how would she know until it was too late? How will she know until the child is born and she can see its eyes?

The Story

Not too long ago, where technology was just reaching what it is now, in the kingdom of Esthar there lived Princess Rinoa and her Prince Squall. Their royal marriage had been announced two months earlier, and less than eight weeks later, their nuptials had been celebrated. Barely two days after this joyous occasion, Prince Seifer of the neighbouring country of Galbadia, launched an attack on Esthar without reason. As soon as the Galbadian troops had passed the border and had closed in on the capital of Esthar, Squall, despite the protests from his father, the Estharian council of advisors and his new bride, decides to ride out to fight for his kingdom and country. This decision terrified his princess, who desperately tried to stop him.

"I won't let you go Squall!" she sobbed into his arms the night before he was due to leave. "You can't leave me here to sit back and watch you die!" she thumped his chest, determined to change his mind.

Squall lifted her face in his hands and looked into her eyes, her heart-shaped face patchy red from her many tantrums that she'd had during the day. She had begged and pleaded with him not to go since his announcement during breakfast. He stroked her tears from her face and bent down to kiss her. She tried resisting his advance, but soon gave in to his soft lips on hers. After a few moments he pulled away from her, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder. She began sobbing once again.

"My love, don't worry about me. I promise I will come back to you when this is all over. I promise you I will not die." He told her softly as he stroked her hair to soothe her. He cupped her face with one hand, allowing himself to see her tear stained features.

"A-alright then. If you promise, then I believe you." She whispered. "But, please grant me this one request before you go…"

"Anything my darling," he told her, whilst smiling gently at her.

She reached for his cupped hand and pulled it down from her face, leading it towards her front. She let his hand go, leaving it resting on her left breast. Squall pushed her hand away in shock and she looked up at him, her hazel eyes pleading with his cobalt ones.

"We have only been married a few simple days but I'd like you to officially make me your wife tonight. I know you promised you'd be back but I want you to be with me so I know you will return to me."

Squall's heart felt like it had stopped in his throat. He swallowed nervously and looked at his wife, realising that this would have to happen sooner or later.

"Ok," he whispered. "If that is what you wish, I shall do it for you."

He leaned in and began kissing her softly, which shortly turned into a fierce kiss. His hands trailed over her shoulders and tugged the zipper of the silk nightgown she was wearing down. Rinoa unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it from his shoulders, exposing his smooth bare chest. She pushed herself from her sitting position on their bed and stood up, allowed the soft material she was wearing to fall gracefully to the floor. She felt herself blush furiously when it fell past her waist and trailed around her ankles. Squall gasped at the body of his wife. Her skin looked so soft, and pure. Her breasts had seemed so small under her fine Estharian gowns, and now in the dim light of the room, he could see them looking much fuller. Her face was now hidden beneath her hair. He stood up from the bed also and walked over to her, almost nervous to touch her virgin skin. He gently pushed her dark hair back to see her face pink in the glowing candlelight of the room.

"If you want me to stop, you only need to ask," he uttered softly. Rinoa shook her head and tentatively took a step towards her husband. She reached out her hand and placed it onto his bare shoulder.

"Kiss me again, my love," she asked as she placed her body directly next to his, feeling the warmth of his bare chest against her own. Squall felt an agonising pull in his night trousers as her perky breasts brushed against his skin. Rinoa felt this and moved her bare hips slowly against this newfound hardness of her husband. Squall groaned in exasperation. Never before had such a thing happened to his body and he wasn't sure what to do. In all his nineteen years on this planet he'd never learned sex education from his highly paid scholars; he knew only the skills and knowledge of how to run a country, not the method to produce heirs to the throne. Obviously it was different for princesses; they didn't rule countries on their own.

Sensing a struggle to break free, Rinoa unzipped Squall's trousers and pulled them gently down, revealing his quivering manhood. Squall gasped at the sight. It stood a good distance away from his body, thicker and longer than what he had normally seen taking baths. Rinoa whimpered also at the sight before her. This was what she would need to become a woman?

Squall heard her whimper and looked at her face. Her lips had been pressed together so tight, they almost looked nonexistent. The flush on her face and the size of her eyes indicated her fear of their physical union.

"I can't do this," he said, lifting her face towards his. "You're scared, aren't you? I told you, if you're having second thoughts-"

He was cut off by her lips pressing against his in a fierce way, her body grinding against his groin. He moaned into her mouth and wrapped his muscular arms around her waist possessively. He suddenly felt the urge to 'bounce' his hips against hers. He did so, earning a loud moan from his wife. Then he grabbed her bum, lifted her legs around his waist. Rinoa comprehended with his silent request and tightened her legs around his waist, whilst wrapping her arms around his neck. He thrust his hips against hers, causing both himself and Rinoa to moan in each other's mouths.

His erection now stood straight up along his belly and he groaned when they rubbed it between their bodies. He let go of her waist and held it with one hand and stroked the curve of her backside with his free one, slowly reaching underneath to find a very wet entrance. He found himself touching this area and causing a gasp from his princess. There was a gap in particular, for some strange reason, in which he wanted to feel the inside of, and with no protests coming from Rinoa, he boldly slid one of his fingers within her and began feeling around this wondrous place. She moaned with elation and he felt his finger getting wetter with each inner stroke he administered.

She kissed him hard and ran her fingers through his hair passionately, gasping into his mouth. He spun around on his heels and gently lowered her onto their marital bed. He watched her closely. Her face was rather flushed at this point, her heart racing and her breathing rate was deepening, from where he could see, her breasts heaving up and down.

"Squall…" she uttered heavily, her eyelids drooping as she drank in this new sensation. Squall lay down beside her and leaned in to kiss her forehead. Rinoa moved her chin up and caught his mouth with hers once more. She clasped his left hand and placed it onto her breasts as they kissed. Squall, sensing the urge to enter her immediately, restrained himself and caressed her breast smoothly, gaining more deep moans from his wife.

This is what I want. Nothing could ruin this moment. Squall thought to himself as he deepened the kiss he shared with Rinoa.

Boldly, Rinoa reached out towards her husband and grabbed him softly. Doing this caused Squall to groan rather loudly. Rinoa smiled as Squall's face came into view of her own. Sweat dripping from his well-defined nose, his hair tousled and his eyes wild with hunger.

"Do you desire me, my love?" Rinoa asked innocently. Squall growled ferally in answer and began kissing her ferociously, his hands roaming her body freely.

He moved from lying next to her and sat in front of her feet. Leaning forward, he caressed her sex softly, propelling his thumb in and out of her. Rinoa lay paralysed at his touch and could only moan his name. When he felt her climax on his hand he stopped and lifted her legs onto his shoulders. He moved closer to her and felt his erection quivering against her entrance. He watched himself as he moved closer to her and stopped as his head slid inside her. He felt her tighten, only allowing him to go this far. He tried leaning in to kiss her, only to push himself further into her, causing her to cry out in pain. His hand reached out and stroked the side of her face, wiping some stray tears that had escaped her beautiful eyes.

"Just relax Rinoa," he asked softly. "I won't hurt you, I promise."

He felt the grip on his manhood loosen significantly and pressed himself forward, going in as slowly as he could muster without going crazy. Rinoa whimpered as his length penetrated her deeply, giving Squall leeway to kiss her lips.

He slowly moved back and forth, savouring the wetness around him, enjoying the feel of her around him. Rinoa, on the other hand, was biting her lip as pain surged through her. This being her first time with a man, she knew it would be painful, but also it was her husband who was with her, not any other man, but the one she loved so much. She relaxed as much as she could in this situation and soon felt herself feeling the same way she had when he had his finger within her. She moaned as loud as she could, for Squall had lifted her legs above his head and had gone as far inside her as he could. He grabbed her hips and pulled her back and forth in rhythm with his hips. Rinoa mewled with ecstasy as this feeling reached her head, making her feel dizzy. Squall grunted and groaned at this new experience, enjoying every minute he could. He felt another strange sensation within him and gasped as he suddenly felt himself release within Rinoa. He fell forward onto her heaving breasts, listening to her heartbeat as sleep took him over.

Later on

He awoke to find the bed empty when the castle clock struck seven. He grabbed his discarded trousers and jumped into them quickly. Rinoa's nightgown had disappeared, indicating she had left the room many hours ago. Probably not long after their consummation. Maybe she was having breakfast, or having a bath. His eyes trailed towards their bed. There was a deep red stain on the sheets. Blood. Rinoa's blood from last night. He had not noticed this before and fled from the room in search of his beloved.

Maids were wandering the castle, attending to their daily duties.

"Her Highness? Oh yes, she went to have a bath a while ago. She should be in the left wing bathroom." A passing maid informed him when he asked her.

"Good, can you send someone to our chamber to strip the bed sheets later?" Squall asked her as he proceeded to the left wing bathroom.

Bathrooms back then were not as they are now. Well, palace bathrooms anyway. The entire room is a pool of water with hot stones in the bottom to keep it at a suitable temperature along with an attendant to do the royals' hair. Sinks were held in a separate room adjoining the bathroom. The room had marbled stained glass for windows and had three larks in cages to serenade the royal taking their bath. These larks would be released daily and would return at nightfall.

Squall entered the left wing bathroom and saw Rinoa drying herself off with a towel from the attendant. Her dark hair was freshly washed and shone in the light through the windows.

"You may leave us," Squall told the attendant and walked towards his wife, who wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to keep her towel on.

"How are you feeling?" he asked awkwardly. She shook her head and smiled at him.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked him back.

"It's nothing. I'll go downstairs for breakfast. Shall I wait for you?"

She giggled and shook her head again.

"I'm sure I won't mind if you want to start eating before I come down. I shall be down shortly." She turned and headed through a side door, leaving Squall alone in the empty bathroom.

Rinoa shut the door and began crying. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart as she remembered that in a few short hours Squall would leave her to go and fight. Even his promise that he would return could not console the young woman. She fiercely rubbed her tears away. She shouldn't cry like a child anymore, she had to be brave and pray for her husband's safe return home.

Fifty miles from the Estharian capital…

"Sire, are you certain you want to progress further? The troops are all ready to attack the next armament that arrives, but are you sure you want to fight this time? If we lost you, Galbadia would be left without a ruler."

Seifer scoffed at his general. "Of course I want to fight! I have been planning this for months and I will not back out from taking what should have been mine!"

He turned towards his tent and entered it. A map was suspended on the wall and had red lines leading from Galbadia to Esthar. There were many gold stars on each kingdom from Galbadia, indicating the conquests of each up to Esthar. Balamb, Centra, Trabia had all been conquered, all that was left was to take over Esthar and Seifer would have everything he desired, including his main prize… the princess of Esthar!

Back at the Estharian palace…

Squall and Rinoa ate in silence at the long table where the royals of the palace dined. Squall at one end, Rinoa at the other. This was always how meals had been taken in Esthar, for the last five hundred years. It had become custom and had continued ever since.

Rinoa picked at her plate, which had been filled with bacon, eggs and sausage. On any other day, her plate would have been more or less empty, but the burning fear in her heart had influenced her to eat less over the past few days. Squall, from the other end of the table couldn't see what Rinoa was doing and listened to his father as he once again tried talking him out of fighting the Galbadian army.

"You really are being foolish boy!" Laguna fumed, his face flushing a hot red, as he scolded his son. "I have been king of Esthar for twenty-five years and not once have I acted so reckless as you! If your mother were still alive, Hyne rest her soul, she would have plenty to say on this matter, I assure you! As the only heir to the throne, you must consider what will happen to Rinoa if you die. As you both have not been married for long and have not had children to take over the throne when you die, you will be cutting off the royal bloodline! Have you not thought about this at all!"

Squall rolled his eyes at t his father and continued sipping his coffee.

"Your insolence is inexcusable Squall!" Laguna raged on, slamming his fist on the table, causing Squall to knock over his orange juice in shock. "Answer me!" Laguna demanded angrily.

Squall sighed. "I have thought about all of the issues you have brought to my attention father, but my mind is made up and I intend to ride out within the next hour to fight!"

"What about your wife! Do you intend to die and leave her a widow!" Laguna bellowed loud enough for Rinoa to hear from the other end of the table. Squall then slammed his fist on the table, glaring at his father.

"My intention is to fight for as long as I can, then return back home!" Squall growled.

Laguna rose from the table and walked towards the exit.

"Do as you will, but do not expect a warm welcome from me when you return." Laguna said as he left the dining room, slamming the doors shut behind him. Rinoa chocked back a sob and also got up from the table. She heard Squall's hurried footsteps behind her and saw his arm sweep past her head and pushed the door she had tried to open shut. She turned to look into his cerulean eyes and felt her own well up with tears again. Tear after tear fell from her eyes and her body shook uncontrollably as she tried to keep another sob from escaping. That attempt failed as she began weeping within seconds. Squall wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Promise me you won't cry when I go." He whispered into her ear. "I couldn't bear the thought of you crying whilst I'm fighting for you." Her turned her face towards his and kissed her lips softly. "I love you, and I promise I will come back to you. Please?"

Rinoa nodded slightly. "I promise."

She kissed him back; little knowing it would probably be for the last time…

Squall rode out an hour later on his horse Storm, a beautiful black stallion with a white stripe on his nose, leaving his remaining family to watch him disappear over the horizon. Rinoa stood there for hours after he had vanished, her eyes glazing over with more tears, which she swiped away quickly. She had to be strong. Squall would come back. He promised.

The Battlefield

The countryside of Esthar was covered with soldiers from both Esthar and Galbadia. Many were still alive when Squall arrived two hours later. He drew his gunblade and charged at the Galbadian troops with force. After a gruelling twelve hours and many soldiers lost to the never-ending squadron of Galbadia, Squall was surrounded by more corpses than he'd ever wanted to see. Besides him, there were only about one hundred of his men left and there were no signs of anymore troops from Galbadia arriving. Dismounting Storm, Squall walked over towards his remaining soldiers to inspect their condition.

"We will rest here for the night." Squall announced. "We will all take shifts looking out for any signs of the enemy. Two hours each, until sunrise." He finished his sentence and wandered into a clearing where tents had been put up. He entered his tent and lay down to rest.

For what had seemed like minutes of sleep, his captain rushed in.

"Your Highness! We've just received word from a messenger that the main Galbadian troops have passed us during the battle! The capital is under attack!"

Squall threw on his armour and ran from the tent. He jumped onto Storm and shouted out to the soldiers who had been sleeping.

"Men, the capital is under attack! Find what horses you can and follow me!"

Back at the castle

Panic had spread throughout the castle and servants were running around in circles. Laguna had ordered his most trusted guards to lock Rinoa up in her chambers to keep her safe. All she could do was listen to the screams outside of innocent civilians being slaughtered. She shuddered as she thought of Squall being outside, fighting, dying… No! She wasn't supposed to think like that! She had to have faith in her husband and pray for him to have the strength to overcome this unexplained war.

Suddenly she heard screams coming from outside her room. Soldiers had entered the palace! She looked around frantically for a place to hide and flung herself under the bed, pulling the bed sheets down to cover her.

Laguna was surrounded by soldiers and he had his own gunblade as his only means of defence.

"You'll have to kill me and my son before you can ever take over this country!" he shouted as he sliced through the swarm before him.

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem," a sinister voice came from behind him.

"Ugh!" Laguna fell to the floor as a bullet shot through his chest, blood splattering the stone ground. He turned his head up just as a sword fell towards his neck. The last thing he saw was a tall blond walking away before the cold metal cut off his head.

Squall and the surviving troops stormed into the capital, only to be surrounded by many soldiers. Squall escaped as his men sacrificed their lives to protect their homeland.

Upon reaching the castle, Squall came face to face with Prince Seifer of Galbadia. Seifer smirked.

"So this is the brat of the former king? Shame you won't make it to your coronation, as I'm now going to kill you like I killed your old man."

Squall felt numb with shock. His father was dead?

"You! You…demon!" Squall raged as she flew at Seifer with every ounce of strength he could muster, swiping him with his gunblade. Seifer's speed was far more advanced than Squall's and he dodged each attack with ease. Seifer's hand glowed red and he threw a fireball at Squall, causing him to fall back.

Seifer's eyes gleamed bright with victory as he brought his gunblade down to Squall's face. Squall stopped moving and lay on the ground like his father. Seifer signalled his captain and Squall's body was carried off, but not before Seifer removed the wedding ring Squall had been wearing. This would make an excellent gift for his future wife. With one final smirk, Seifer turned back towards the castle and proceeded to walk up the stairs to the royal chambers.

Rinoa crawled out from under the bed, her eyes scanning the room. She leaned against the bed and took deep breaths. She heard a clink at the door and watched wide-eyed as it opened to reveal Prince Seifer of Galbadia! Her eyes locked with his and for a few moments, neither spoke. Seifer smiled at her and threw something across the floor. Rinoa picked it up and gasped. It was Squall's wedding ring! It had his most treasured Guardian Force Griever engraved on it. No-one but Squall owned this ring. She began crying loudly, holding her husband's ring tightly in her hands. Seifer chose this moment to speak.

"Well my princess, shall we begin?" he asked her, his eyes burning with desire as he approached the young woman on the floor, here eyes filled with terror at what this maniac was going to do to her…

And that's it for chapter one! What did you guys think? I know I haven't updated for a while! I'm sorry! Please review!