The Truth Will Set You Free... Or Not.

Ch XIII

The three went to a slightly better to do inn, making sure that they were covered up so as not to be recognized. They ordered two rooms; one for the men and one for Eä. They ordered dinner to be brought to the men's room, asking not to be disturbed by anyone. Cyrus and Glenn scanned the maps once again, pointing out various points that would be dangerous and problematic. Eä was also there, but she wasn't adding much to the conversation; she was worrying about the future. So much had happened while she was here, and this seemed to be the climax of it all. She was guilty of lying to her friends, witchcraft or some sort of weird power, and, if tomorrow's events went on as planned, being responsible for the death of her close friend.

Dinner came, and the men hastily put their maps out of sight to quickly fill their empty stomachs. Eä played with hers a bit, the growing fear in her gut stopping her appetite well enough. At last she stopped trying to make herself hungry by playing with it and pushed it away with a sigh. Cyrus and Glenn looked up, both somewhat anxiously.

" Eä...?" She stood up, heading for the door.

"I'm not hungry, that's all. I'll be in my room if you need me for anything." She opened the door and went out, letting it quietly thud back into it's place. The two looked at each other across the table, neither knowing what to say. Glenn was the first to speak.

"Are you going to go after her or what? I think she's upset because she thinks something bad is going to happen and it's all her fault."

"What can I do? She's been so moody as of late, I've been afraid to approach her. She either tries to snap your head off or bursts into tears and runs away. I just don't understand women..." Glenn slammed his mug onto the table angrily, startling his friend with his strong emotion.

"I don't know, just go do something! You said you cared for her, so go care for her now when she needs you! Don't let her get away if you really love her!" Cyrus stared for a minute, not knowing how to respond. Glenn calmed down a bit and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you, I guess it's just that I'm a little jumpy. I'm worried about tomorrow too. But for right now, you need to go and tell her how you feel. I don't know if that would help her, but I think it's worth a try. I... don't think that tomorrow is the only problem that's worrying her, so you should also try to find the truth of her concerns. Just go to her." He went back to his dinner, and Cyrus sat several minutes pondering his friend's words before getting up to leave. Before exiting he dug through his pack on his bed, found what he was looking for, and pocketed it quietly as he left the room.

Walking over to her door, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his many emotions. The other two were worried, they showed it in their appearances- Eä especially. But why wasn't he afraid? He wasn't worried about getting the sword, which was all that they were going to do tomorrow. He was a bit apprehensive about confronting the Magus. But they still had a while to go until that happened... He let out his breath and rapped softly on the door. An almost inaudible reply came muffled through the door.

"It's open." He opened the door gently, and peered in. Eä was sitting over by the window, over the shrubs which blocked the bottom of the view of the countryside. She didn't move, but he could tell that she wasn't looking at the stars as she appeared to be, but within her thoughts. He walked over to her side, trying to think of something that might cheer her up.

"I know you were upset when you found out that there was no piano here, but that's nothing to cry about." She sniffed and hung her head, turning her back to him fully. He knelt beside her and tried to make her look at him, but she shied away and faced the room. Putting his arms around her, he whispered, "Eä, it will be fine. We're in little danger when we go to the mountains, all we're doing is going to get the sword. Magus won't even know until we've already had it for several days and have disappeared into the crowds again. You must believe me, everything will be alright." She shook her head and started to cry softly on his shoulder, and he tried to console her as well as he could. This was one of the earliest memories he had of her; supporting her on his shoulder as she wept about the loss of her cat and family. The cat had been returned, but other than the golden cat now asleep on her bed, her past was gone. She'd never really said anything about missing them after a few weeks, but he could tell she missed them by the way she spoke at times. Never really crying, but never truly happy either... He'd just decided it was a girl thing and figured he'd never understand it though he thought the fact that she was an outsider probably hurt her even more when she was in town. Well, he'd soon change that...

He pulled out a handkerchief which she gladly accepted, and waited a few moments while she dried her face. He lifted her chin up to have her look at him and smiled. "You know, Eä, I wanted to ask you something after we got back from this little expedition, but I think I'll ask you now." She stared down at him, a puzzled expression on her face. However, as soon as she realized what he was doing, she pulled away from him and looked away. He gazed up from the kneeling position he had taken and extended the little box to her. Putting it in her hand, he opened it and revealed the small golden engagement ring, a simple diamond held in the setting. She gasped and gaped at the ring, but didn't say anything. He brought his hand up to frame her face, an she looked into his eyes not sure what to say. He gave her an aspiring smile , and spoke gently.

"I know it's sudden, and you probably want to wait until you're older. But I've been in love with you ever since you slugged me for calling you weak. If you accepted... I'd be more honored by your acceptance than by anything anyone else could bestow upon me. Your 'yes' would privilege me more than words can express. I'm no poet, but I'd cast away my armor and sword to be with you; I'd fight the mystics barehanded if it would make you happy, and I would die for you." She shook her head and out the box back into his hand before getting up to go sit on her bed. Cyrus wagged his tail, but didn't get up.

The Knight Captain walked over to sit next to her, surprised and hurt by her flat out no. She didn't look up at him, but she whispered under her breath, " I want to, but I can't Cyrus. I-just-can't. You don't really want to marry me." He held her close, allowing her to weep on his chest, though not having the slightest idea why she was. He smiled as she hugged him closer for comfort, and stroked her hair gently.

"I do want to marry you, Eä, but since you don't wish to marry me, I'll leave you in peace." He let go of her and started to get up, but she caught his hand.

"No, Cyrus, I would marry you, it's just that..." She broke off and looked down. "I haven't told you the truth about my past yet, and you won't want to marry me once I do tell you. I was so afraid that if I told you, you'd send me away, and I couldn't bear the thought of that, considering that you're one of the only reasons I'm staying here at all." He stared down at her, not knowing what to say. He backed up, and said in a low and hard undertone,

"You're a mystic, aren't you?" Despite the fact that nothing seemed to be going her way today, she laughed and shook her head.

"Don't be stupid Cyrus. I'd never become a mystic, and were I one I don't think I'd last long amidst the humans, considering all the things that have happened. Don't worry, I'm 100 human, no mystic in me!" He relaxed noticeably and sat down again.

"Nothing could be worse than being a mystic, and even that would be bearable. Why don't you tell me about your past then? If it will make you marry me, I'll believe anything you tell me." He laughed, but then he saw his joke hadn't made her happy. She sat staring at her clenched fists, seemingly uncertain as to what to do. Cyrus held her close again. "Well?"

"I..I..." She stammered badly, trying to force out what she'd taken such pains to lock away for the last six months. Cyrus could feel her heart racing in her chest, as if she would burst from his arms and flee out the window. He pressed her against him even more, and she broke her silence.

"I'm not from this world!"

She leaned against him, breathing quickly and barely believing that she had just said what had been so hard to say. Cyrus' chest started to rumble, and a few moments later, his hearty laugh came out over her head. When she looked up, she found tears streaming through his eyes. Wiping them away, he paused to catch his breath before speaking.

"I'm sorry... I know it's not nice to laugh, but you had me so worried that you had this dark and ominous story to tell me, then you say that farce. So what are you really, a farmer's daughter? It doesn't make any difference to me what you are , I told you that before. But next time I'd make up a better story, that one is somewhat pathetic." Eä looked alarmed, and said somewhat angrily,

"But I'm not lying Cyrus! I'm not from this planet, not even from the same time period! See, now you know why I didn't wan to tell you..." She pushed him away and went over to her seat by the window again. Cyrus coughed and stood up.

"Oh, Eä, I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me... I'm sorry I called your little joke pathetic, it's just, well, it is. I don't care if you grew up living in the sewers or in a hut outside of town. But if you wanted to make a story up then you should have at least tried to make it-"

"I"M NOT MAKING A STORY UP JUST SO YOU CAN LAUGH IT OFF WITHOUT A CARE! I'm telling you, I'm from the planet Earth, around the bicentennial time period. I lived with my parents and little sister in a house in a small suburban area where I go to school on the weekdays. I played a game called Chrono Trigger, and you were one of the characters in the game. I know of your death tomorrow because in the game, you and Glenn go out to get the Masamune but are stopped by Magus. Glenn ends up becoming a frog and one of the characters you can control! I'm not telling a little story for your amusement, I'm telling you the future so that you might avoid being fried by Magus! If you had any sense at all, you'd be able to tell that I wasn't kidding and that I mean what I say." He looked at her carefully, the merriment still in his eyes. She gazed back at him, unmoving and firm, and his eyes widened after a few moments. He stepped towards her, stammering because he was at a loss for words. Coming over to her, he picked her up and held her by the arms, shaking her gently.

"Eä, you're just tired... It's the stress.. I know it's sudden and that you have a lot of things on your mind, but... Please admit that you're just joking..." She shook her head, and he continued,"You are.. You MUST be... NO! I won't believe it! Eä, SAY you don't mean it! Say it was just for fun! Admit it!" She shook her head and looked down, a tear rolling down her cheek. He let her go gruffly and walked away briefly. She sat down and turned away, crying softly as he stalked about her room in confusion and disbelief. This was the way she had expected it to go... Now he would hate her and think she was crazy. She sniffed as another tear made it's way down to her chin, but a finger came up and wiped it away. She glanced to her right to see Cyrus kneeling by her agin, and gladly accepted the embrace he offered her. She held onto him tightly, sobbing onto his already sopping sleeve. He caressed her head soothingly.

"Shhh, Eä. I'm sorry for yelling at you. It's just so hard to believe, I can't believe it, but I will if you say that it's the truth. Do you?" She nodded once and croaked out that it was, then buried her head into his shoulder again. "He pet her hair gently, and cracked, "So you'll marry me now?" She laughed and nodded, giving him a squeeze. He sighed and ran his fingers down her spine.

"I wish I could help you, make you forget your past, making you feel as if you were one of the towns people. You will be, once we're married. And I don't know about you, but I could use a drink." She nodded, and let go reluctantly as he stood up. He went beaming out into the hall, and she looked out the window happily. He had accepted her past, and he still wanted her to marry him! Even though her parents would never have allowed her to marry at such an early age, she was no longer home and people here her own age had four children already. She smiled as Cyrus re-entered the room and set down two glasses of wine. He beckoned her over to the table, and she sat across from him, taking the glass he offered. He took the ring out of it's case and tried to slip it over her finger, but she shook her head.

"Wait until after we've gotten back to the castle. I don't want to lose it before we even get to tell the others." He nodded and put it away, then lifted his glass.

"May we be happy, and may you find peace with me in my home." He raised his glass, and she did in suite, adding, "and may we both lead long and happy lives together."

The two drank to their cheer, though she could have sworn that he was giving her a funny look. They set their glasses down, and Cyrus moved over to hold her again. She sighed happily and closed her eyes. All the stress was beginning to subside, and she felt warm, safe, and dreamy. She nestled herself further into his deep embrace, and he gently kissed her on the head while petting her hair again.

"I never knew... It must have been hard for you... knowing the future but never being able to explain... "She nodded and mumbled, "MmmHmm..." The effects of the day were wearing her thoughts down to almost no coherent thought at all. She hadn't realized how sleepy she'd been... Cyrus gently picker her up and walked over to the bed, placing her under the covers. Cyrus looked up at the Human Cyrus from his curled position, but did nothing to stop him. Eä yawned sleepily and looked up at Cyrus through her ever dimming eyesight.

"Cyrus...?" He finished covering her up and came over to hold her hand.

"Yes, Eä?" She smiled weakly and gazed up at him.

"Promise me something..." He smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Anything for you Goddess."

"Promise me you won't go tomorrow..."

He picked her up and gave her a loving kiss, and she sighed deeply. She smiled when he put her down, and was already fast asleep before her head hit the pillow.

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Glenn watched Cyrus come slowly into the room, a tired and worn expression on his face. The knight captain sank into his chair, and put his head in his hands. Glenn looked up, offering console for his friend.

"I take it she said no..?" Cyrus shook his head, then looked up.

"No, we're engaged, I think. She seemed so out of it I don't even know if she really meant what she said... She says that she's from a totally different - ah, never mind. I think the stress has just gotten to her. We should leave her here when we go tomorrow so that she can rest. We'll pick her up on the way back." Glenn raised an eyebrow.

"What will she have to say tomorrow when we're leaving and she has to stay? I don't think she'll be very happy about it.." Cyrus shook his head and tossed a small vial onto the table.

"By the time she wakes up tomorrow, we'll have been on our way for hours." Glenn shook his head in disbelief, and Cyrus shrugged.

"She tried drugging me this morning, so don't feel too much pity for her. I feel bad about having to do it, but it's for the best, I think.. Come on friend, get some sleep. We've a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." He walked over to his bad, and pulled off his boots before climbing in. Glenn called over,

"But what about Eä?"

"I'll leave her a note."

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Eä woke up and sighed as the warm sunlight filtered in through the window to play on the floor below. She turned over, deciding a few moments more of sleep wouldn't set them back any more than a few minutes, and closed her eyes. She then shot up in bed when she'd realized that she'd been drugged, and she tried jumping out of bed only to find that though the top half of her was awake, the bottom hadn't gotten that far yet. She lumbered over to the door as quickly as she could manage, but found it to be locked. She pounded on it, shouting,

"Cyrus! Glenn! Let me out!" The banging had managed to bring the innkeeper over to her door, and he said politely through the door,

"I'm sorry Miss, but the two gentlemen forbade me to allow you to follow them. They left a note for you on the table in there-" She dashed over to the table and tore open the neatly written letter.

"Miss Dinn,

Forgive me for doing this to you, but it is for your own good. I didn't wish to leave you, but don't worry. As soon as we have triumphed and retrieved the sword, we will come back for you, and we'll return to the castle to allow you to stay there and to replenish supplies. After we have killed the Magus, I will come back and we'll get married immediately- that is, if you are still in the mind to. I've given instructions to the keeper of the inn to give you everything you may need while we are gone, so don't feel hesitant to ask him for something.

I love you, Ea.

Yours Truly,

Cyrus"

"No!" She ran over to the door again and started pounding on it. " Please, let me out! I beg of you! Cyrus!" The man's voice came through.

"I'm sorry Miss, I just can't do that. If I could get you something to eat however..." She threw herself against the door to test it's strength, but it was too hard for her to budge. She ran over to the table, grabbed the chair closest to her, and threw it at the window. The frame shattered along with the glass, and she leapt over the ruins, Cyrus following close behind her. She grabbed him quickly and ran into the stable yard where a squire was beginning to lead a horse out to his master. She rudely shoved the boy out of the way n\and jumped onto the beast's back. Calling back as the three sped off, she said,

"I'm sorry, but this is an emergency!" Her choice of mount proved to be a fine one; it outran all the others that tried to catch up to the fleeing trio. She turned and steered the animal towards the mountains. 'I hope I'm not too late!'

She stopped the exhausted horse at the edge of the mountains, and gave it a few loving pats. "Thank you for your help. Just wait here a bit and I'm sure the others will be by to get you as soon as they catch up. Thank you again." The horse head butted her, and then Cyrus jumped out of her arms to race into the woods. "Cyrus! I'll be back for you later cat, I need to go help Cyrus and Glenn before they get killed!" She ran off to the beginning of the mountains, clambering up the ladder quickly. She was about to go off to run up the next one when she noticed the bodies of several dead mystics laying about. Cyrus and Glenn had been here, and long ago too, by the looks of it. She doubled her already exhausting pace and tried to get to the next ladder, which was only a few feet away. She scrambled up the thing, only to find herself face to face with an freelancer and goblin.

She shouted in surprise and fell off the ladder, landing soundly on her rear. She pushed herself up into a defensive position, but because she had no more than her cloak with her, she had nothing to arm herself with. The freelancer threw a dagger at her, but she was able to dodge it and grab it as it whizzed by, surprising both herself and the feathered thing. It raced towards her, but she kicked it away and tried to steal it's sword. She got an ugly slice up her arm for that. But she managed to kill off the thing and take the sword before the stupid goblin had managed to shuffle up to her side. It tried to bring its hammer down onto her head, but she dodged the clumsy blow and attempted to give him a taste of the dagger and sword. He knocked the dagger out of her hands, and she leapt back to avoid another swing. He ran towards her quicker than before, but he over lunged and she was able to end the fight.

Quickly searching the remains of her first victory alone, she found a tonic and drank it, stopping the blood flow down her arm. She got up and started over towards the ladder again, but a booming sound like fireworks alerted her to look up. Something was whirling down towards her in a deadly arc, and she jumped out of the way just in time to see the shard of the Masamune quivering slightly where she'd just been standing. She was too late... Another earsplitting boom, a brilliant flash of red, and a wisp of smoke off the top cliff.

"Cyrus... CYRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSS!" She fell down sobbing. "Cyrus... Why did you go? I told you not to... You promised... Oh God, Glenn!" Her friend was teetering on the edge of the cliff, and he fell towards the pool of swiftly moving water. She raced down the first ladder and dove into the stream to swim to her floating friend.

She grabbed him around the torso and hauled him onto the sandy shore. His handsome features were gone, replaced by the familiar cartoon frog face. She sat him up and pounded him on the back, trying to make him spit up water. When he didn't respond she relied on her memory from old tv shows and tried doing a mock CPR maneuver on him. This time, he coughed and gagged, but his huge bulbous eyes opened and focused on her. He gasped, trying to talk.

"Eä...?"

She put his head down on her lap, trying to make him relax. "Shhh, Glenn, It is me. Don't move, you're hurt." He sighed and shut his eyes, but a few moments later tried to sit up quickly.

"Cyrus! Eä, he's-"

"I know Glenn, I know. I'm sorry." Glenn sat up and put a gloved hand over his face.

"You knew. You knew the whole time that this was going to happen. You tried warning us, but we didn't listen. Cyrus is gone, Magus killed him. And I... I! I am a Frog! A Monster! A freak!" She tried to pull him down again and give him some medical attention, but he shook he away and rose uneasily to his feet. He stared at his new features for a few moments, then sighed bitterly. "What are you? You're no human, that's for certain. How did you escape, and how did you know our fates?" She walked over and handed him the Masamune fragment, which he took and shoved into his belt.

"I... Am from Earth, around the year 2000. I knew about your futures because you were characters in a game that I loved. I know the basic background and futures of about seven people from this planet. You will become a member of an elite fighting team that is destined to save the planet. A teenage boy with spikey red hair is leader, and his comrades; a rebellious princess, a brainy scientist, a defective robot, a powerful cave woman, a cursed knight, and- if you wish, a dark wizard. Playing this game, I came to understand everyone's past, and I thought that I might be able to stop the game's events from occurring.. I..." She faltered, but Glenn quietly finished.

"You tried to save us from our demises, but you were unable to do so. Cyrus is gone, and I am cursed until Magus is destroyed. I will avenge Cyrus' death!" She knelt beside him and held his hand.

"Together, you mean. I won't let you go off alone. I swear that I will help you destroy the Magus, even if I have to escort him to Hell myself." Glenn smiled slightly.

"I swore that, pick another curse for your own." A dark chuckle from behind them made the duo spin around to face their unexpected company. Two figures materialized a few feet away, and a familiar voice to both frog and girl echoed through the clearing.

"Well, well, well. How touching. But now it ends. Prepare for the void!"

Glenn jumped to his feet and held out his hands to block Eä from harm's way. Ozzie cackled beside the mighty Mystic King.

"Oh look! Sir Froggy has already gotten a girl friend! But here I thought she was Cyrus'... Hah! You ought to thank Lord Magus for killing Cyrus, Frog! Now you won't have any competition! Gyah hahahahahaha!" Glenn growled at the fat mystic's comments, and turned slightly to Eä.

"Give me the sword, Eä." She shook her head and pushed him out of the way.

"No. You're too weak to deal with them right now. Let me handle this. It's not the right time to confront him yet Glenn. He has his guard up, the Masamune is broken, and you can barely walk, let alone swing a sword. Ten Years, Glenn. Then with Chrono and a friend of his, you will get your revenge." Pulling up the saber to block any advances they might make, she glared at the two defiantly. Ozzie found this very amusing.

"Aww, look. Sir Froggy needs a girl to protect him. Did you know, girl, that Cyrus didn't even think about you as he died? All he said was take care of Leene! I guess he didn't love you after all! Hahahahahahah-"

"Ozzie, shut up." The fat mystic shut up immediately, and his master turned his attention back to the trapped victims in front of him. "Well, lovely to see you again, Miss Dinn. I've heard you've been making quite a name for yourself since we last met. But the fun's over. Move out of the way my dear, I've got a score to settle with that amphibian behind you. After I've finished with him, we can talk about your future with the mystics." She lifted the blade higher, but he laughed ad pointed at her. She was thrown back and the blade was tossed onto the ground. She stood up weakly as Glenn grabbed the sword and ran shouting towards the mystics. Magus lifted his hand again, and Glenn was caught in midair, the sword dropping at his dangling feet. Magus sneered.

"You're too big to be a proper frog. Let's amend that, shall we?" Glenn cried out in pain as a spell began to shrink his form and change him even more. Eä struggled up all the way and shouted ,

"NO!" A beam of light shot out of her hand, missing his heart where she'd been aiming, but hitting him in the shoulder. Glenn fell onto the bank again as the Mystic lord struggled a few feet back. The green mystic behind him was pale, and stared at the girl who was racing over to her friend.

"Master Magus...?" The man looked up, clamping his hand over his shoulder.

"That wench is going TO DIE!" Eä shook Glenn, trying to awaken him. A chill breeze filled the small hollow, and she looked up to see the blue haired warlock chanting a spell. She ran up to the sword to try to run him through, but he looked up before she had gotten there and blasted a dark beam at her. She was forced back against a tree, and looked up painfully to stare at her assassin-to-be. He, however, was staring right back at her, and when she looked behind her she panicked. She tried scrambling out of the suction of the gate, but she was too weak. She was hurtled back along with several of the lose pieces of bracken about her, and she noticed a blur of gold before hitting her head on a hard wall and crumpling onto the cold stone floor. The three who has been in the tunnel before her arrival looked on in amazement, but the girl in command ordered the uniformed man to pick up Eä's limp form. Picking up the smaller bodies that had accompanied the mysterious stranger in her dramatic entrance, the two walked off with their burdens towards a vertical beam of light, allowing the small boy hurry along behind them before they disappeared.

Magus watched the girl through squinted eyes. She was soon enveloped in the light, and then there was no sight of her. The frog lay stunned on the ground as he'd fallen, and the man took a step towards the body before turning suddenly to grab his general's shirt. "Get me a healer!", he hissed, and teleported back to his room before collapsing onto his bed and losing consciousness.

Glenn looked on through half lidded eyes as his friend and apprentice was sucked into a time warp. This didn't faze him at all, nor did the fact that the mystic lord was almost dead thanks to Eä's last shot at him. All he would remember when he woke up later that day would be finding himself all alone on the rocky ground, the Masamune jammed in his belt and the Hero's medal floating towards him...