Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger.
Author's Note: Something that I wrote during work over the past few weeks during some down time. Probably not the best work I have done but anyway here it is.
It seemed like a hopeless venture. There she stood powering that accursed machine as she felt her very life force being siphoned away. Her magic, which had once been so vibrant that she could feel it's cool aura shimmer about her very skin, was now absent.
Schala wasn't sure how it had regressed to this. Everyday that she looked in the mirror she could see her body wasting away. There were dark circles beneath her eyes from lack of sleep despite the exhaustion she felt from powering the Mammon Machine for hours on end.
That was if she got any sleep. There were times where she was forced to stand in the same spot for the entire day. The longest she had stayed powering the Mammon Machine was thirty hours. The whole time she had nothing to eat, wasn't able to relieve herself nor was given an instant to close her eyes and doze off for a few minutes.
She looked over to find her mother sitting on her throne staring at her intently. They were alone for the moment. Schala wasn't sure to feel relief or fear. She did not enjoy the looks of pity from the occasional visitors to the throne room but, for the most part, the queen would restrain from harming her too much when in the presence of company.
When they were alone, however, it was a different story. When fatigue would be far too much for her to bear Schala would feel the lids of her eyes droop heavily as she would drift off to the dream scape. How she wished she could sleep her days away like those of Enhasha. She envied them. It because of her daily torment that they could dream their lives away.
However such instances of weakness were not tolerated by the queen. She would often rebuke her daughter calling her all sorts of horrid names. On particularly bad days the queen would beat her.
There were times when Schala felt her heart turn black and she felt nothing but utter hatred for her mother. Her sleep had been frequented by night terrors which showed her slaughtering her mother after a long, harsh battle.
Each time she would look down the defeated form of her mother, beautiful, tragic yet filled with madness. Even on death's door she would spit on her daughter and curse would fill her hand with a blade of lightning and drive it down her mother's heart. To the very end those orbs of azure would still retain the madness with which the queen had lived by since the death of her late husband.
Every night Schala would wake in cold sweat as she found her hands trembling, her eyes streaming with tears and yet her soul still yearning for sweet revenge, for a chance to strike out to its tormentor and regain the dignity that it had once had.
"Schala are you daydreaming? I will not warn you again! Concentrate and focus your power! If you can waste time lost in thought then you can power the Mammon Machine."
Schala sighed as she heard her mother's reproach. Was it so difficult for her mother to understand that she was only human? So often she had heard of her untapped potential and how powerful she was but Schala wasn't proud of her power.
At times she felt like it was a curse. All it seemed to do was bring her pain. It drove a wedge between her and Janus, as her mother clearly favored her while ignoring her son's existence. While Janus hid it very well Schala could tell that he was hurting more than he let on. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't born with the same potential as she was but even so she still loved him dearly. What right did their mother, or their society, have to judge Janus' lack of worth only because he wasn't gifted magically?
Her power also attracted the attention of those who she would rather not consort with. Dalton disgusted her. She felt like he was undressing her every time he laid eyes on her. More than once he would get within her personal space when powering the Mammon Machine his hands getting dangerously close to areas of her body where they shouldn't be at.
Despite the difference in their power Schala often could not resist him. If she was fresh and healthy then she could repel him with no effort but constant attention towards the Mammon Machine had weakened her significantly. Strangely enough it was her mother that would come to rescue though the Queen wasn't kind about it. She often accused Schala for being a whore in attempting to seduce Dalton while, at the same time, rebuking Dalton's advance towards her daughter and chastising him in hindering the work being made toward the Mammon Machine. Schala would like to think that the Queen would save her because she genuinely cared for her well being but that, at best, was a futile dream.
Then there was the Prophet.
Schala was sure she had never feared anyone so much before. The man's power was unfathomable. She had never seen him in Zeal before yet here came this stranger, a master of the Dark Arts, easily the most powerful Shadow mage she had ever come across...quite possibly the most powerful person she had ever seen. More powerful than her mother, who was the most powerful water adept. More powerful than her father who was so masterful with fire that he could melt the very bones of the Earth itself.
He was more powerful than even her and it was that that frightened Schala the most. He was cold, cruel and his aura was filled with a terrible malice. She could hardly even stand to be in the same room as he. Yet her mother had thought it prudent to invite such a dangerous character within their council. Did she not realize the danger this man possessed to them?
Schala was answered by a harsh hand tugging at her hair and pulling her down to the ground. She looked up to find her mother staring down at her with an expression of anger.
"How dare you blatantly disobey my orders Schala? I would end your life right now were not so necessary in powering the Mammon Machine. However I do grow tired of being lenient and I may forget to restrain myself."
Normally Schala would only mutter a small apology before quietly getting back up and continuing in her toil. Yet there was a niggling thought in the back of her head and the more she tried to ignore it the more it made its insistence known.
"You would not kill me mother. Not when I'm the only one willing to power the Mammon Machine. Who would take the trouble in doing so if I were to die? Would you take up the burden mother?" whispered Schala harshly.
The queen's reaction was swift. At once she grabbed Schala by the hair, pulled her up and slapped her back to the ground.
"You insolent child!"
Despite the pain the idea of making life uncomfortable for her mother was getting more and more tempting. Already there was a rush in disobeying the person she had been obedient to for so long. Never had she refused an accommodation that her mother asked of her and yet here she was thinking of pursuing her line of disobidience even further.
"You know mother beating me to the ground is not going to inspire me to continue powering the Mammon Machine. I need to be at full strength in order to do my job properly. I hardly believe having me stand here for sixteen hours a day is helping achieve that, not with you beating me half the time."
Schala could not help but grin at the sight of the Queen's face going from shock to complete anger. The queen then kicked her daughter ellicting a small whimper of pain.
"Schala do you even understand what the implications are? Do you even know what would happen if you decided to stop powering the Mammon Machine?"
"No mother I don't know and quite frankly I don't care. If it is something that is so important then you do it. I'm tired. I am going to retire for the night." said Schala disobediently.
With that Schala started to walk away from the throne room. Queen Zeal, angered by her daughter's insolence, thought to lash out at her but knew that Schala did have a point.
The fact was that if Schala was too damaged then she would not be able to power the Mammon Machine properly. However the Queen didn't get to her position by mere practicalities. She always knew to find another way.
"I swear if you leave right now then Janus will go in your stead. He may be untalented right now but even I can tell that he holds great potential. However such power is wasted on such an ungrateful brat like him and as such is better suited for the Mammon Machine. What do you say my dear daughter? Care to be permanently relieved of your responsibilities and have your little brother take up the burden instead?"
Schala's form suddenly stiffened just as she was exiting the throne room. She turned around and, for the first time, had given her mother an expression of absolute fury. Queen Zeal smirked, now amused at her daughter's pitiful attempts at defying her.
"Y-You witch! How dare you even bring Janus into this? Don't you realize that he is just an eight year old boy and-"
"Is more than capable in powering the Mammon Machine. All that delicious potential being fed to the awesome life force known as Lavos! In return Lavos offers up a small portion of his infinite power to allow us to continue living in the sky. Tell me Schala. Is the fall and desecration of our proud race worth you coddling yourself? Or protecting your brother? It is because you are of royal blood that your duty lies with your people. Understand that your toils are for the greater good!"
Schala started to laugh manically as she heard this much to her mother's chagrin.
"You tell me to sacrifice for our people and yet I cannot help but loathe them. We descend from the clouds and lord over the Earthbound. How I hear reports of YOUR men tormenting those below. Beating the men and boys to near death. Raping their wives and daughters all the while forcing them to work in inhumane conditions."
"They are barbarians not worthy of the courtesies due to a civilized race such as ours. We are superior and it is our birthright to lord over such animals so that control be maintained!"
"Yet they are not animals! I have been down there. They laugh the same way we do. They eat the same foods, sleep the same way and weep the way we do. The color of their blood is red just like ours! Yet you would ask me to turn a blind eye to their suffering and the injustice sowed upon their people? That such cruelty is wrought at the hands of our supposedly enlightened race when, in reality, we are just as barbaric, if not more, then the Earthbound? The only difference is that we can use magic."
"And that is exactly the point foolish daughter of mine. Do you honestly believe that I, or anyone else in this kingdom, would suffer to believe that we are equal to a race of peoples so obviously inferior to ours? They still live in huts and are at the mercy of the seasons just as our ancestors were eons ago before Lavos fell to Earth. They have not even tried to advance themselves, to find a way to be master of their own destinies. At any moment any one of their lives could end at the claws of a beast, or by a shift in the snow. And you expect me to hold such cowardly, whimpering simians as OUR equals? You do yourself a grave injustice in consorting with such people. You are worth so much more than that. Sometimes I wonder if you even realize just how instrumental you are to not only our people but to humanity in general."
"What do you mean mother?"
"It's obvious that the Earthbound will go extinct. The snow will not cease and will continue to fall for millennia to come. It will get worse and worse until, finally, there will no longer be any seasons but winter. Where then will the Earthbound toil to grow their crop? What beasts will continue to live that they can hunt to eat their meat? All of life bound to the Earth will suffer but the Earthbound will not live. The next time the Earth sees the Sun's face it will be devoid of any Earthbound."
"How cruel. You would be content in letting them die without even offering any sort of aid?"
"No. For in the end the only ones that will live will be us Enlighten. Only those of with magic will be worthy to live. And that is where you come in my dear Schala. You represent the pinnacle of our race's achievement. You are the daughter of the most powerful Water and Fire adepts to have ever lived. In time your power will far eclipse mine as will Janus. From your loins will come a race of people with power that is to be unequaled through the ages. Of course, if my plan for immortality succeeds, then I will have the joy of seeing my great and great great grandchildren come to their full potential. Do you see the implications now? You are aware that we can no longer use the Sun Stone as a source of energy. We depend now on Lavos and Mammon Machine to keep our civilization above the clouds where the sun is kind and warm. Here we can till and grow our sustenance. Here we can avoid a cruel Earth which is doing its best to exterminate humanity."
"By YOUR pain and suffering we ensure not only the survival of our race but of OUR species. Not only that but we will come out stronger and more determined than ever to live and claim this Earth as our own. The days which humanity had to rely on instinct is over. We now have the ability to control magic and manipulate the environment around us. No longer will we ever be a constrained by Earth's design. We, OUR people, will forge their own destiny. Every man, woman and child will bear the gift of magic and it is with this gift that we will further propagate our species. The Earthbound are an obsolete model of humanity long outdated and due for destruction. Their deaths will mark the beginning of our immortal dominion. However this can only happen if you continue to bear this burden. Believe me Schala if I could power the Mammon Machine I would! But I cannot and thus I entrust the future of our people on your shoulders Schala."
A torrent of conflicting thoughts rode through Schala's mind. Never did she believe that her mother had thought through all of this so thoroughly. There had been rumors of the Queen losing her grip with sanity. What not with the talk of immortality and of her borderline cruel treatment of her subjects and children and many were believing that perhaps the death of the king had had a far greater toll than even the Queen was willing to admit.
However what Schala saw was a strong woman that was doing everything in her power to insure that their people prosper. Never mind that she disagreed with the treatment of the Earthbound but Schala was sure that perhaps she could get her mother to change her mind when the time came.
What was important was the fact that the Queen, indeed, was sane and though she wasn't as gentle and kind as before that didn't mean that she had lost grip with her humanity. Schala still thought it prudent to bring up the rumors.
"There was talk about how some of your subjects believed you to be insane. Some went so far as to say that you are under the control of Lavos. Ever did I stop my ears from such distasteful talk as I still wished to hold my faith to you. You have hurt me in both body and spirit,mother, but I cannot deny that I love you still."
For the first time, in what seemed like an eternity, Queen Zeal allowed her face to soften as she placed her hand on the cheek of her daughter.
"I have been blessed to have such a wonderful daughter such as yourself. I admit that I have treated you cruelly as I have done to your brother as well."
There was a terse silence. For a moment Schala wasn't sure what was going to transpire but she had the feeling that her mother was gathering her courage to say something of significance.
"I do not make it a habit to make others aware of my troubles but I will confide in you my daughter. I only ask that you do not speak a word of what I say to anyone else."
Once again the queen took her time as she was preparing herself to speak.
"We are surrounded by enemies daughter of mine. There are those who refuse to see my vision of the future and are doing whatever they can to undermine my position. I tell you this because at any point they will use anything they can to make me submit to their will. My suspicious lie with Dalton though I fear that the Prophet is also hiding dark designs. What if either one of them were to hold you or your brother hostage? How can I deny them their desires when they hold the lives of my children in their hands?"
"I have treated you and your brother cruelly so as to insure that my enemies do not use my own children against me. If I showed them that I cared nothing for either you or Janus then there would be no point in abducting either of you." said the queen bitterly.
Schala was shocked when she heard this and immediately could tell that her mother was barely holding herself together.
"You mean to tell me that all of this is an act?"
The queen shook her head sadly.
"I wish it were Schala. At least that was what I intended. But I am under a heaver burden. Lately I feel as if my mind is no longer my own. I hear myself spitting cruel words to you, making you wilt in despair and sadness and yet I am powerless to stop myself. As I pondered over this disturbing turn of events I had concluded that my loss of control over my mental facilities had occurred on the same day when the Mammon Machine had been completed."
"You may not believe me Schala but after much self deliberation I have come to the conclusion that it is Lavos itself that is trying to invade my mind. Desperately it wishes for me to submit myself to its will. I can feel its overwhelming desire to force humanity into a path IT feels is beneficial. However despite its extra terrestrial origin it has become apparent to me that this creature, even with its infinite power, is AFRAID of us. It fears our potential and our ability to grow as a species."
"Fortunately for us Lavos is not powerful enough to exterminate humanity completely. If it decided to show itself then it may bring down our kingdom but humanity, in general, would still survive. However Lavos also cannot afford to wait. The Mammon Machine siphons a great deal of Lavos' power so it is forced to act before it is subdued into a state of dormancy due to the Mammon Machine."
"That is my goal Schala. Lavos, right now, is uncontrollable and very powerful. However it is not powerful enough to get rid of us. The Mammon Machine is designed to weaken Lavos to the point to where it will no longer have the power to emerge from its subterranean prison."
"It is for this reason that I feel the creature invading my mind. It has decided that the best course of action is to control the source of it's current suffering. If it succeeded in taking over my conscious then it would have me lead our kingdom to ruin. I won't lie Schala. There have been days where I literally had no control of my faculties. Even so I do not put the blame entirely on that creature. I blame myself for not having the power to repel Lavos from my mind. It is because of my weakness that I go to far in harming my children. I fear that if I lose total control that it will be the end of our civilization. Dalton will run our kingdom to the ground if Lavos hasn't already succeeded in bringing it down low."
"This is the reason why I am unable to power the Mammon Machine. If I were to try then Lavos will certainly gain complete control over my body. In essence it will kill me, leaving my body as an empty husk with which it can fill it's essence into. However Lavos doesn't have the power to try and take control over both me AND yourself Schala. So Lavos has to choose one and it has chosen me as it believes me to be the greater threat."
The Queen smiled solemnly as she held Schala close to her breast. Schala blushed a bit from the contact. It had been so long since her mother had treated her tenderly that she had nearly forgotten.
The Queen's aura, which normally was like a raging torrent of water had now calmed. An ocean, blue and deep yet so calm and comforting. This was the aura which Schala was used to feeling from her mother and she was happy that, for the moment, her mother was able to find peace from her toils.
"I have to be strong. Yet at times I feel like I'm going to shatter into pieces. It is for this reason that I beg you to continue working on the Mammon Machine. I know you are in pain and despite my greatest wish to relieve you forever I cannot. We have to persevere otherwise our kingdom will fail and, just like the Earthbound, we too will fall into extinction. I may be cruel to them and I will not excuse that Schala. But I do not have it in me to care about the Earthbound and their pains. My only concern is our people and our survival. I'm sorry Schala I know you care for them. But it is for this reason that I beseech you. Stop going to them. Doing so will only hurt you in the end."
Schala was not sure how to respond to all this. Never did she believe that her mother was under so much pressure but then again she was the Queen and was tasked in making sure that the Kingdom persevere no matter what the consequences.
"My dear Schala I hope you have understood what I said. While I try not to think about it there is a good chance that Lavos may completely overtake my mind, body and soul. When that day comes I need you to strike me down Schala and assume my position as queen of our domain."
Schala's eyes widened in surprise before she exclaimed.
"No! How could even think of me doing such a terrible thing to you?"
"What difference would it make Schala? At that point I would already be dead. All you would be doing is destroying the vessel which Lavos is using to further its goals. Promise me Schala that you will do this. If you don't then our race is doomed."
The burden being placed upon her felt like it was going to break her. Schala was beginning to realize just how much sacrifice it took to be of royal blood. Her desires would always come second. Schala understood what her mother was asking of her but that didn't make it any easier.
"Okay mother. I will do as you ask. But please keep fighting if not for your sake then for mine and Janus! I would not want for him to witness your death by my hand even if it were necessary to save our people. Despite everything he still loves you and longs for the day that you will reciprocate his affections."
Queen Zeal gave a sullen smile as she heard this.
"I'll be sure to call him to my quarters tonight and remind him just how much I love him. He may find me detestable and I do not blame him. But I will beg him forgiveness no matter what."
With that the Queen held Schala even closer to her as she started to caress her hair. Schala closed her eyes in contentment.
"Know that I love you Schala. I may not be the ideal mother and that you hold me in contempt especially with my treatment of the Earthbound. But one day when you are in my position you'll realize that you cannot always be kind. Sacrifices have to be made for the betterment of our people."
Schala held her mother tightly as she heard this. She had never seen her mother this...vulnerable before. It really painted a picture as to how much stress her mother was really under.
Queen Zeal was viewed as a figure that was absolute. Unyielding, powerful.
Yet here she allowed herself to be vulnerable and in the face of her daughter.
"Do you think that Janus will come to me Schala? What if he refuses my summons?"
Schala's face softened as she saw the worry on her mother's face.
"I'll make sure that he goes to you even if I have to drag him."
With that both women shared a small laugh with each other. It had been so long since they had shared genuine joy with each other that both had already forgotten it.
It was then that the Queen rose to her feet. She glowed a soft blue as she placed her hand on her daughter's head. Schala felt an overwhelming coolness fill her body.
Her fatigue started to fade while her muscles ceased to ache so much. The pressure of Lavos' energy did not feel so overwhelming.
"I have realized my folly daughter of mine. Had you not stood up to me today I fear that my mind would have been totally lost never to return. Never again will I lay my hands on you with the intent of causing you harm. As you find the strength to maintain the Mammon Machine and insure that Lavos' energy is kept in check I will redouble my efforts in keeping control of my mental facilities. I no longer wish to hurt my children. Not any longer..."
With that the Queen's form collapsed as she fell to her daughter's bosom and started to weep softly to herself.
"Schala...I'm so sorry...for being weak and allowing myself to be dominated by another force and hurting both you and Janus. I know that I'm not deserving of it but I ask that you please forgive me."
Schala's heart went out to her mother as she drew her in even closer. It was amazing that from her throne the queen looked impervious, powerful and commanding. Her presence was enough that everyone became silent when she entered a room. Yet in her arms Schala could not help but notice that the queen was hardly larger than herself. The princess was so used to her mother's abrasive behavior in public that she had forgotten that the queen too was prone to her own set of stresses and sorrows and that she too could be vulnerable.
"I forgive you mother. Never feel that you are alone or that you must always put up a facade. Let me do my duty as princess and help ease the burden. If you feel your mind breaking from that accursed creature or that the stresses of maintaining our domain are becoming too great don't hesitate to come to me. I love you and I dreamed of the day that I could hold you like this again mother. Even now this feeling would be the sunlight of my heart for a thousand years. Yet this does not have to be the only time."
Queen Zeal clung to her daughter tightly as she heard these words.
"Despite the abuse I have put you through still you love me as your mother?"
"Nothing will ever change that. So stop flogging yourself mother. You will not falter this time. I know it."
With that Schala felt the dam break within her as she too wept softly with her mother as they embraced one another tightly.
In the shadows the Prophet looked on as he smiled mournfully. Already he could feel his existence beginning to disappear before his very eyes.
This is something that did not happen in the past I came from. I'm sure of it. With this change my existence becomes null and void. My character killed before it was ever born. The boy named Janus will become a very different man than what I became.
I do not know if this is for the best but somehow I can't help but feel optimistic.
As long as Schala is safe and happy then I do not care what happens to me.
I only wish I could remain to see it.
With that the man known as Magus disappeared from existence altogether as the future had now changed and he no longer had any part in it.
Author's Note: Weird one shot I know but I figure I put it up anyway. I hope I justified the Queen's actions even if it were a little. To those who were reading my other CT story I'm sorry but I have discontinued it as I have many other projects. Anyway hope you all enjoyed.