Once they reached Squall's room, Rinoa relaxed a little. She hadn't realised how anxious she had been. Her stomach had tied herself in knots.

She finally let go of Squall and moved over to stare out of the window. Her hand found her mother's ring and clutched tight. She took a deep breath. "Squall..." Her voice wobbled. Okay. Try again. "I guess you didn't expect all this when you signed up to be my knight."

It was a pretty feeble attempt at a joke, but Rinoa couldn't bear the tension in the room.