A/N: Another chapter! Sorry it took so long, things are just constantly keeping me away from writing, but now i really want to work on this story. We are nearing the end, and now have just this and 2 more chapters before the story ends. I have had many inspirations to write this chapter (pumpkin!) and here it is. I will definately update the next 2 quickly. Please read and let me know what you think. thank you all x

"Stop Right There"

And Squall did; he froze, stopped still. It was not in obedience to the voice though, more due to that fact he knew he had been caught, and caught so close to achieving what he wanted more than anything.

Within the split second of hearing it Squall reached for his gun blade, and drawing the strength from behind his fatigue he spun around, pulled the weapon to the air and placed the tip of it to the neck of owner of the voice.

"Pleasant as ever I see, Squall." Irvine said, his face carrying a surprising amount of cynical amusement for someone with a blade aimed at their throat.

Squall's tension was replaced by a certain amount of relief. He immediately dropped his weapon "Irvine! I am sorry, I assumed it was…"

"I know" Irvine said without Squall finishing the sentence.

"I thought you would have returned to Dollet by now"

"Well, Caraway tried to have me forcibly escorted there , which means he was definitely up to something."

" So you returned to see what it was? How did you escape his minions."

"His guards, Squall, are just guards. They are vicious like him, but they are just guards, unlike you they do not pursue their duty to such an extreme. They are guards, and I am a Prince."

Squall knew exactly what Irvine meant, even from his somewhat Sketchy explanation. They were just doing their job, and to them their job was probably not worth disobeying or harming a Prince

"Were's Caraway now?" Squall asked, eager to get Rinoa and get out of there.

"Inside with that insidious right hand man of his."

"Do you know were Rinoa is, is she here too?"

Irvine looked to the ground, and then to the side avoiding Squalls eye.

"She is" he responded slowly "But…."

Squalls heartbeat seemed so loud that he thought Irvine could probably hear it as clearly as he could. Was Rinoa dead? Was that going to be the end of the sentence that Irvine had left unfinished?

"But what?" Squall echoed. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to know or not, but the tension of not knowing was killing him.

"It is not good Squall They were so brutal, so violent."

"Is she alive?" Squall asked bluntly, finally overwhelmed by his need to know.

"Yes, she's alive, though she's badly hurt…perhaps it would be better for you to go and see her, rather than have me explain"

Squall said nothing, and just nodded in acknowledgement of Irvine's decision.

Glancing around suspiciously first, Irvine headed for the heavy bolted back entrance and pulled the door open. He peered inside first to check there was nobody there.
"Clear" he muttered to Squall and he made his way into the castle, Squall following closely.

For some reason being back in the castle gave Squall a bizarre feeling. So much had taken place there, probably the most significant events of his whole life, and yet this would likely be the last time he was in there.

"The basement should be our first destination I believe." Irvine said , cautiously leading the way. For some reason, the castle seemed empty. Irvine had said Caraway and Seifer were inside, but everything was deathly quiet and none of Caraway's guards seemed to be around. Squall and Irvine reached the basement door without being spotted.

"That was lucky" Squall muttered.

"Well, do not jinx it, Squall, there may be guards in the basement."

Squall knew this was true. Caraway may well have Rinoa under guard. He hoped not; he hoped Caraway had assume he had driven Squall away on the run and Irvine back to Dollet.

Realising if they were there, the guards would be willing to put up a fight, Squall offered to enter the basement first, but Irvine declined the offer, his point being the guards would have a less hostile reaction to him than Squall.

In the second stroke of luck they had encountered perhaps in the whole time they had known each other, Irvine and Squall found the basement was silent and empty. Darkness covered the whole room, but Squall could vaguely make out the outline of someone lying still in the corner.

Irvine retreated a few steps back to the corridor they had came from. Squall panicked for a second, was he backing out on him? But everything became e clear when Irvine returned carefully holding one of the candles that had lined the hallways of the castle. He carefully steered the flame to the candles mounted on the walls and the room flickered with an orange light. It was then that Squall was able to see for sure that that still figure in the corner was Rinoa.

"Rinoa!" he called out, running down the stairs as fast as he could. He knelt down in the corner and took her delicate body in his arms. But when he saw what he had done to her he felt like he wanted to be sick. Her face was badly bruised, covered in blood and cuts, her neck was marked with what looked like the imprints left by somebody's hands and her pulse was weak. Even her dress was covered in blood and Squall was almost glad he couldn't see the damage it concealed. Caraway had always been sick, but he'd gone to far this time. Rinoa was his daughter, and she was a Princess, and yet, Squall knew Caraway would get away with it. He was unhinged, psychopathic and yet he was allowed to rule an Empire, perhaps the greatest one in the world.

"I'll kill him" Squall muttered t himself, though apparently loud enough that Irvine heard him.

"No, you will not. This is not about Caraway, revenge against such a man is tempting, but you have to get yourself and Rinoa out of here."

Squall knew he was right, they needed to escape more than he needed to take revenge against Caraway.

He had to wake Rinoa up so they could get out of there.

He shook her gently. "Rinoa, wake up, I have to get you away from here".

After getting no response he shook her again this time with a little more force. She began to Shift in his arms and then her eyes opened slowly.

"S-Squall?" She said, her voice barely there.

"It is. I am here Rinoa." he said holding her to him.

"You…you came back for me. You should have run" she said weakly

"I never intended to leave without you. The question is, are you going to run with me?"

"Of course"

"You have to think this through. If we run, you have to leave it all behind, Your kingdom, your title, everything, we have to disappear."

"I've never wanted anything more. I never asked for this life Squall, I never asked for a title, I never asked for power. All I ever wanted was to be with you."

"I love you Rinoa"

"I love you too" Rinoa gasped, a smile breaking out on her face despite her pain.

"I am truly happy for you too" Irvine said. "Though I believe we should be getting out of here"

Squall nodded, he knew Irvine was right, this was not the time or the place.

He stood up and helped Rinoa to her feet, but the moment she stood, she doubled over with pain and fell to the ground again.

"I..I can not do it Squall" she said, breaking into tears. Thanks to Caraway, Rinoa was even to weak to walk.

Squall leaned down to the floor and scooped her up into his arms. He was determined to get her out of there if he had to carry her half way across the world.

Irvine lead the way out of the castle, while Squall carried Rinoa in his amrs. She seemed to have drifted into unconsciousness again though Squall could hear her gentle breaths, so did not allow himself to become too concerned.

Squall, Rinoa and Irvine made their way to the stable which from a few feet away they could see was guarded by one man who looked like he didn't care too much.

"An obstacle" Irvine muttered to himself. But for once it seemed lady luck was on there side when another voice sounded, calling somebody's name. Obviously it was the guards as he shouted in response and then headed to were the voice had come from.

After waiting a few moments until the guard was distant enough, the three of them headed in to the stable and untied 2 of the horses.

They quickly lead them into the forested area away from the castle before mounting them. Squall sat Rinoa on his knee, which made it some what difficult to ride the horse, but Squall was an expert, so he pulled it off. A fair distance away from the castle the two men stopped there horses still next to each other and looked out to the distance. The sun was setting now, the open space around them bathed in it's orangey light. It was a moment of majestic beauty. But to Squall it as more significant than that. Like somehow, the sun was setting on that part of his life.

Squall and Irvine stood down form there horses, and Squall lay Rinoa gently against a nearby tree.

"What will you do now?" Irvine asked Squall as he looked out at the sunset.

" I wish I knew" Squall said quietly.

"It will not be easy, then I suppose love never is."

"Do you suppose they will search for her?"

"For a little while. Caraway will no doubt search for her for the show, project the image of the caring father, but I doubt he will look far. He never cared for her. Though do not get complacent, run as far as you can."

"I was thinking of heading towards Trabia"

Irvine nodded "A fine choice. I would offer you sanctuary in Dollet, though I believe Caraways men will pay me a visit there."

"I do not know how to thank you, or to apologise for the trouble this has caused you"

"there is no need. I entered Rinoa's life for my own reasons, my own goals. That was selfish, I was rather selfish my whole life. I feel now I have finally made up for my ways. I should be thanking you"

Squall bowed humbly "Thank you, prince Irvine"

Irvine let out a warm-hearted laugh "I have never known you to bow to royalty Squall"

"I do not bow to you as a Prince, I bow to you as my friend."

"Squall" Rinoa said weakly "Irvine?"

"Princess, how are you feeling?" Irvine asked.

"I have been better, but I am free from my old life now"

Squall helped Rinoa to her feet and she leant her weight against him. " We're are we headed Squall?"

"Trabia, my princess"

"And I will return to Dollet." Irvine said "I believe, my dearest friends, this is were we shall part ways. Though I prey it not be forever"

"We will meet again." Rinoa said "Thank you, Irvine, none of this would be possible without you. You saved us both."

"It was my pleasure. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together."

Rinoa gave Irvine a grateful hug, while he and Squall shook hands. A formal gesture, but they spoke with a breif moment of eye contact, they both knew how grateful Squall was.

"well, to the beautiful Princess and her daring escort, I bid farewell" Irvine gave a respectful nod, before mounting his horse and riding into the distance.

Squall and Rinoa silently watched him until he rode so far away he disappeared from view.

"Are you ready to go?" Squall asked softly. "I can not promise anything to you except my love, are you sure you ant to leave your old life behind?"

Rinoa glanced behind them to the barely visible outline of the castle. "My life is with you , Squall. I am ready to go"

"Then nothing is stopping us" Squall took her hand and helped her onto the horse and they rode together, leaving the castle, leaving their old life, leaving the trouble and the torment behind them. They were finally together, finally free. Neither one was certain what would happen from that point onwards, but whatever it was, it was a new start for them The sun had well and truly set on the previous chapter of their lives, the chapter written by circumstance, by war, by cruelty and secrets. It was time for them to write their own future. Together.

Thank you very much for reading, i hope you enjoyed it, and please leave me your thoughts and comments. 2 more chapters coming soon, keep reading !