Raine Loire



Raine Loire (レイン・レウァール, Rein Rewāru) is a non-playable character in Final Fantasy VIII. A resident of the small village of Winhill on the Galbadian continent, she is the wife of Laguna Loire. She dies before in-game events.

Personality
Raine is a strong-willed woman. Independent in nature she opted to live on her own and run her own bar rather than marry. Despite her independence, however, she does have an empathic spirit and adopts Ellone and, when he washes ashore, volunteers to nurse Laguna Loire back to health and tolerates him despite her many excuses on why she should not.

Story
Raine was born and raised in Winhill, a small village which she never wandered far from. She appreciated Winhill's quiet and simplicity, and did not want to see the world beyond its borders. As an adult, she lived alone and opened a small bar in the center of town, which she tended herself. She also spent much of her time at the local flower shop, which carried her favorite white blooms.

Raine's solitary life ended forever when, during Galbadia's Sorceress War with Esthar, Estharian troops raided Winhill. Esthar's leader, Sorceress Adel, was searching for an heir, and the soldiers demanded the village hand over all of its young girls for consideration. Raine's next-door-neighbors refused to hand over their daughter, Ellone, and were killed. Ellone somehow managed to escape the Estharians' clutches, however, and once the soldiers had departed, Raine adopted the little girl and raised her as her own.

Raine met Laguna Loire when he was unconscious; a Galbadian Soldier, Laguna had been critically wounded in battle, when he turned up on Raine's doorstep. Raine immediately took him in and slowly nursed him back to health. Eternally grateful for rescuing him from certain death, Laguna remained with Raine for several months, repaying his imagined debt to her by helping her look after Ellone and patrolling Winhill daily in an effort to keep its residents safe and its streets monster-free. Although Raine and Laguna were only friends at first, their relationship deepened and they fell in love, much to Ellone's delight.

On a moonlit night in the fields of Winhill, Laguna presented her with a simple wedding band. Surprised but pleased, Raine accepted his proposal and allowed Laguna to slip the ring on her finger. After examining the ring glinting in the moon's glow, Raine looked up to see that Laguna had raised his left hand, revealing a matching ring resting on his own finger. Overcome with emotion, Raine embraced him, sealing their union.

Their small family was torn apart, however, when Sorceress Adel's minions returned to kidnap Ellone. This time they succeeded in capturing the small girl, taking her away to Esthar to become Sorceress Adel's successor. Enraged, Laguna, along with his friends Kiros and Ward, prepared to journey to Esthar and rescue Ellone. Although Laguna promised to return with Ellone, Raine would never see her husband again.

Soon after Laguna's departure, it became apparent that Raine was pregnant with his child. It is uncertain whether or not Raine knew she was pregnant before Laguna left, but if she did she chose not to reveal this information to him. As her condition advanced, Raine became more desperate for Laguna to return, as she wanted him to be there to witness the birth of their child. She also feared that something terrible had happened to him and Ellone. Meanwhile, the other residents of Winhill shook their heads in disgust. Why would Laguna abandon his wife when she needed him most?

When Raine's time came, her labor was very difficult. The Winhill villagers tried to make her as comfortable as possible, but they could see the delivery was not going well. Just before Raine's baby was born, Ellone returned to Winhill. Laguna had rescued her in Esthar and defeated Sorceress Adel, but, unaware of Raine's condition, Laguna had stayed behind to help the Estharians rebuild. He had sent Ellone home to Winhill ahead of him, promising to return when his work was finished. Raine was devastated, but Ellone's presence comforted her as she fought to give birth. Shortly, Raine managed to deliver a healthy baby boy, Squall. The complications which she suffered during the labor, however, proved to be too much to overcome, and Raine died shortly after. Following her death, both Squall and Ellone were sent to Edea's Orphanage, which had been set up to care for children orphaned by the Sorceress War.

Raine was buried on the crest of a small hill in Winhill. Her final resting place is marked by a simple stone plaque which reads "Raine Loire", under which a pair of illegible dates are inscribed. A small pair of gold angel wings, similar to those which are associated with Rinoa, decorate the top edge. At the end of Final Fantasy VIII, Laguna, now President of Esthar, finally returns to Winhill to visit Raine's grave.

Trivia

 * As confirmed in the Ultimania, Squall is the child of Raine and Laguna.
 * It is theorized that Raine's maiden name was "Leonhart", and it was thus passed on to Squall.

Raine Loire