A/N: This story is one of the first fanfictions that I have actually sketched out and planned future events for. Which is great, because normally, I get stuck somewhere in the middle of the story because I don't know where I want it to go. I don't know what I want to happen. And then I end up doing something stupid, like starting another fanfiction. (...which is why this fanfiction will even exist.

Summary: Brainwashed by her father like the rest of Galbadia, Rinoa believes his claims that Balamb Garden and SeeD are responsible for the attack on the surrounding countries, the murders, the disappearances, and are allies with the dangerous Sorceress. In an attempt to learn Balamb Garden's secrets, General Caraway enrolls Rinoa as a student. Her assignment is to get close to SeeD and learn everything she can. Secrets are unveiled, mysteries unfold and the true answers are revealed. When she gets too deep, which side will she choose? Those who she trusted are revealed to be liars, and those she hated, may end up being the ones who care about her most.

Story Title: Nearly all of my stories always have a song title as the title of the story. Music's pretty influential to me and I listen to it a lot when writing. This story's title comes from the song "Set Me Free" by Casting Crowns. Not sure if the lyrics would apply, since Casting Crowns is a Christian Band so the song would be talking about God, but... the name of it does seem to fit many aspects of this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII nor any of its characters. It belongs to SquareSoft/Enix, annnnnd if I did own it, I'd probably be working on convincing them to make a second game. Naturally.

Set Me Free

EilayAdnayVolieay

Chapter I: Prologue

My mother died in a car crash when I was five, leaving me to be raised by my strict father alone. In the beginning, I resisted his rules, his plan for me. Yet soon enough, I believed what he said. His rules I thrived on — his way of bringing the military to our home, became my ways.

Once I turned fourteen, things changed. Rumors of a Sorceress War approaching were flying all around the continent. I had just come home from the small seaside town Balamb, when my father had taken me aside.

"Rinoa," he had said to me. "You can't see that boy from Balamb anymore." By 'that boy', he had meant my boyfriend at the time, Seifer Almasy. I thought I was flat out, head over heels in love with this guy. So when my father told me a relationship between the two of us was impossible, my heart crashed and shattered into a million pieces. I cried, I demanded an explanation, anything to justify the injustice. He shook his head sadly, and said only that it was forbidden.

I still remember how for days, I ignored him, hell, even refused to look at him. Perhaps it was childish, but I didn't really give a damn. I was a child. Finally, one day during another tense dinner, he gave in.

"Rinoa, what do you know about this new sorceress?" He had asked me. I remembered glaring at him, the first look I had given him since his he had forbidden me from seeing Seifer.

"...nothing." I answered curtly.

"As the General of the Galbadian Army, it is my duty to ensure the safety of the people of Galbadia. And... as your father, it is my duty to ensure the safety of you. We have received information that the Sorceress is being hidden by Balamb Garden and their SeeDs. They are the ones who have been behind all of the recent attacks — the families who have been murdered, were ordered to be killed by Cid Kramer, the Headmaster of Balamb Garden. He is planning to take over all three Gardens, before moving to gain control of all the surrounding countries. Timber's freedom was stripped away from them because of Cid Kramer's orders — because the Sorceress doesn't want countries and small towns thinking for themselves. This is why I will not allow you to go to Balamb anymore — it is too easy to be placed in danger, so close to the root of it all."

"And what about Seifer? He's not involved in any of this, and —" My father cut me off.

"Perhaps he wasn't before. He is now."

"No." I whispered. "He would never get involved with the Sorceress. He knows what everyone has been saying — he's seen the people she's believed to have slaughtered. He would never take part in that."

"He no longer has a choice. His parents were murdered last night — and he's going to get sent to Balamb Garden, like all the other orphans have been. I'm sorry, Rinoa, but I know what it was like when Adel rose to power. I'm sorry — I can not lose you."

Some day, he had said, I would understand. This night became a turning point in my life. Balamb Garden became a symbol of hate to me. Because of it's Headmaster Cid Kramer, and its damned SeeDs, I had lost another loved one. The disappearances, the deaths... every time I learned of a new one, my anger grew. They were taking everything from all of us. Destroying lives. My fathers mission to overthrow the Sorceress and put an end to Balamb Garden's plans became my only hope.

Maybe I had overreacted. I was very influenced by my fathers personal views, and the way he told it, every day was spent trying to locate the Sorceress, and trying to infiltrate Balamb Garden for information. All of Galbadia believed what Vinzer Deling, the President, was telling them. Balamb Garden was soon hated by not only my father and I, but the rest of Galbadia. Because of them, Timber had lost their freedom. Balamb had lost its once good reputation. Families were torn apart. No one understood how that felt more than me.

—

"She is the one you've been searching for? How can you?..." The President trailed off. They were sitting in his office, waiting for the General to arrive.

"I have always known. She was always the one." A silky female voice replied. The President appeared confused.

"She has been in Deling all this time. If you have always known, why was it necessary to kill all those people? Kidnap all of those children?" He felt somewhat betrayed. She had not let him in on any of her knowledge, and he had allowed her to have free reign to do what she wanted in search for this girl. Now, he found out that she had always known exactly where she was, and they had drawn unnecessary attention to her acts.

"It is necessary because I decide it so. There is a greater force at work than you will ever understand. This is how it must be. This is how it was supposed to be." She smiled and rose gracefully from her seat. She was more than aware of the fact that barely if any of what she had said made sense. Her words were always riddles, full of cryptic messages. If there was ever anyone smart enough to understand them, they would know not to trust her.

A/N: So this may possibly be considered a weak introduction, I'm not really sure. It's something that was more or less supposed to introduce you to the state of mind Rinoa is in regarding Balamb Garden (which was actually a lot harder than I thought, because I wasn't sure how to develop that all in one chapter... I probably still didn't, but I can work on that for chapter two.) , her current relationship with her father, and then at the end I added something that might make the chapter slightly more interesting. Or, that's the goal, anyway. R&R!