Chrono Trigger
The Millennial Fair; in which we introduce more protagonists as the story develops
His heart beat quickly as he made his way up the central dais. The general layout of the square was against the beginning slope of a mountain. It was nice, because the further up you went, the more breath-taking the view. The only problem was the fact that his next appointment, which he was late for, was at the very top of the square. It was worse than sprinting across even land and he was putting more into his sprints then he did earlier. It was a good thing that he was wearing a dark colored shirt, or else the sweat on his chest would be visible.
A pang of guilt tugged on his heartstrings. He had promised her that he would go to the science fair. It was so important to her, something that she working on for months. Usually, whenever Lucca would make an invention, she would tell Crono all the specifics. However, she kept this a big secret from him. It just seemed to make it all the more important to her. Lucca was a strong, vibrant woman who would always speak her mind. She was the kind of person who would make a good lawyer; accusing, abrasive, and calculating. However, Crono was like a brother to her, so she could never bring herself to treat him in such a way. Instead, she would become sad and disappointed, which seemed even worse to Crono. She did not realize it, but her saddened silences were far worse than her tirades, only because you could easily see that she was hurt. It was a strange sight to see, because it was so opposite of her energetic nature.
So of course, we could see that he desperately did not want to disappoint someone so special to him. Only one thing was on his mind at that time; and that was getting to the top of the square on time. In fact, it was so engraved into his thoughts that he did not notice another young woman sprinting into his path…
They had both been oblivious of each other, so oblivious that when they had hit the ground they wondered what caused them to fall. The young man was the first to rise, with a grunt, pushing himself onto his legs. He felt a bit woozy, but his head quickly stopped spinning. With a hand rubbing the sore spot on his knee, he looked around himself and was surprised to see a young woman about his age, lying on the brick layered pavement. He did not pay much attention at first to what she looked like, but was so horribly embarrassed that he only apologized profusely as he helped her off the ground. She simply kept on accepting his apology, sounding more and more agitated with each request for forgiveness.
It wasn't until then, after she dusted off her knees, that they had looked at each other for the first time. She ran her fingers through her ponytail as she looked up at the object of her annoyance, but was quickly surprised to see a pair of stunning green eyes. Crono did likewise as he lost himself in her icy blue eyes. A few moments passed, but it seemed like it had not. Time was standing still, and it there was a strange feeling…almost a feeling of familiarity. Finally, time seemed to resume as Crono rubbed the back of his head, where he felt another dull throb. "I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?"
The girl stood there, her mouth agape as if she was trying to imagine the best thing to say. She chuckled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. She could only manage a stammer that came out as an apology as well, "I am fine. N-no. Really, it w-was my fault too." Her hand moved instinctively for her neck line as if she always wore something there and let out a horrified gasp. She patted her upper chest and looked down frantically. Her head began to wildly look left and right as she said, "My pendant! I lost my pendant! Oh no!"
"What?" Asked Crono, a little bewildered.
"It is my family's heirloom! It has been in our family for generations! And I lost it!"
The girl got on her hands and knees and began to scour the ground in hopes of spotting it amongst the flowers. She was wearing clothes that were made from high quality linen. It was expensive fabric, almost too expensive to use to scour in the dirty streets. Suddenly, a diminutive sparkle caught Crono's eye. It was a distance off, about twenty feet or so. Had they really ran into each other that hard? He bent down and scooped up the jewelry. It was extremely beautiful. It was a piece of art that housed a glimmering, blue jewel. The casing was pure silver with gold lettering. The lettering itself had become faded over the generations, but it was of little consequence. It hung from a chain of gold that sparkled in the sunlight, reflected its dazzling gleam on his clothes.
The girl was still searching so diligently for her pendent that she did not even realize Crono had worked his way behind her. He had the chain and pendant clutched in his hand, but let it fall until the pendant dangled in the air in front of the girl's face. He smiled brightly as she let out a gasp of surprise and joy. "Is this yours?" Crono asked, swinging it in front of her face.
"Oh, yes! Please, can I have it back?" she asked, almost desperately.
He laughed, "Well, of course! You don't need to ask!"
She caught the pendent as he let it fall into her outstretched palms. It landed, making a little noise as the links of the chains clinked against each other. She clutched it tightly and held in close to her bosom, swiveling her shoulders as if she were comforting a baby. She let her fingertips find the ends of the necklace and she secured it around her neck with a sigh of relief. She looked at Crono with a wide grin, "Oh, thank you so much! I just didn't feel whole without my heirloom!"
Crono shrugged, "Well, it was the least I could do after I ran you over…"
"Well, why were you in such a big hurry?" she asked.
A look of surprise came over Crono as he remembered something very important. He looked at the young woman and nodded as he began to trot towards the stairway, but was stopped by her voice. "Hey! You didn't answer my question!" Crono turned about, still jogging in place, "Really, I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now! I need to get to the flower garden, right now!"
He was almost on his way, but to his surprise he was spun around until he faced the same young woman, who had a look of pleading in her eyes. Just as quickly as it had appeared, Crono and his urgency quickly vanished as he looked into those blue, begging eyes. "Hey, I – um, I am new around here, and I don't know where to go. Are you from around here?" Crono nodded and the young woman continued on nervously, "I was w-wondering if you could show me around?"
Crono looked to the stairway that led to the next dais and he looked back to her, "Well, I actually have a friend and she wants me to go to the science fair at the top…I need to get there now…"
"Well, can I come along with you?" She asked, her eyes widening and her eyebrows arching.
"I am really late…"
"Please! I don't know anyone here, and you were so nice to me, so I should at least buy you some candy or something!" She smiled sweetly.
You could almost see Crono's resolve weakening as he gave a sheepish grin, "All right! It's good to have company anyway."
She squealed softly as she bounced up and down, clapping her hands, "Oh, what a gentleman! Thank you so much!"
Crono smiled as he turned around, "Well, I am holding you to the candy thing, so don't thank me yet!"
She giggled as he began running up the stairs, her trailing close behind. It felt a bit awkward before when he was running before, people staring at him as he went by. Now it was even a little more embarrassing with a girl following him closely. Thankfully they didn't have that much of a distance left to go. Just up ahead was a stairway that led to the final dais. Indeed, there were a group of people sitting at the bottom of the stairs, but Crono was surprised to see that no one had gone past a pair of men who sat on the bottom steps of the stairway. By this time he had slowed to a stop with the girl beside him, and he looked at the guard incredulously as he said, "Are you serious? Is it over?" His heart sank, realizing that it sure seemed that way.
"What? No! It hasn't even started yet!" The guard said.
"Yeah, you sure are lucky!"
The auburn haired youth spun on his heels and saw a girl with dark hair. When it shimmered in the sun it almost seemed to have a purplish tint. She wore a thick orange coat that seemed a little too big for her, and a tight pair of black shorts that stopped at the middle of her upper-leg. She sported a pair of glasses that rested close to the bridge of her nose. It was hard to determine the color of her eyes, because the light bounced off her lenses, but it seemed as if they were hazel. She had fair skin and she was smiling in a taunting manner.
"Yeah, that is a given. If there hadn't been complications, I would've almost finished my presentation by now!" She folded her arms. "Who is this?"
That was a little sudden. Crono stared at her blankly, not fully understanding all she said at the moment. It took her pointing index finger to understand the entirety of what she meant. She pointed at the same woman he had helped earlier, and he blushed horribly as he scratched his head, "W-well, to be honest, I don't know her name yet!" Lucca's eyes widened and something seemed to twitch in her mannerisms, but it was so discreet that neither one of them noticed.
"Well, you both move quickly now, don't you?" Lucca said, a playfully mischievous grin spreading across her face.
The woman blushed, "No! No! I just never been to the square before, and I asked him to help me find my way around."
Lucca seemed a little unconvinced, but didn't pay too much mind to it. She looked at the woman, now with her hands on her hips and she said, "So, what is your name?" The blonde seemed dumbfounded at such a simple question. It was a strange thing for someone to forget their name, but Crono didn't think much on it since it was loud all around them and it seemed an awkward moment for her, but Lucca was careful to note the woman's hesitation. Finally, she sputtered out, "It's M-Marle…"
"M-M-Marle, huh?" Said Lucca, her voice dripping with suspicion.
"Yeah." The blonde said with a little aggravation in her tone, "Marle."
Now we can see what Lucca was thinking at the moment. Lucca tends to be nice to strangers as long as they treat her with respect. The blonde did nothing to offend her at their first meeting, although Lucca felt a small stab of jealousy. It was perfectly natural and deserved; after all, her friend was late for her presentation and here he was; gallivanting around the square with a girl with whom he hadn't been formally introduced. It was one of those differences that made Crono and Lucca such a good team: Crono was quick to trust, and Lucca was quick to question. So, the main thing that was disturbing Lucca was the fact that this girl was so slow to remember her name and Lucca felt like she knew her…but from where?
By the time she had gathered her thoughts together, Crono had already introduced himself and Lucca. Of course, Marle complemented Crono on his name while she offered none to Lucca, which deepened the feeling of annoyance between the two. They were both careful to hide their true feelings as they talked together in front of Crono. Lucca would tell him what her thoughts were in private. Until that time, it would seem like she would try to flirt him into doing something ridiculous, but hopefully he was smarter than that.
"So, what were the complications?" Crono asked.
Lucca shrugged with a laughed, "The last participant was a dud! It caught on fire!"
Crono laughed, "Really? What happened?"
Lucca pointed to the sky and Crono saw what he hadn't before: a small column of black smoke drifting skywards. "He made a machine that can walk! Kind of…It took a few steps, and then it began to short-circuit. It caught on fire, and the fire worked its way into the tank, and boom! There are pieces scattered all over the place! They are trying to get it ready right now! You should have seen the poor guy. He was going crazy when the fire began to build up."
"Was anyone hurt?" Asked Marle with a gasp.
"No." Lucca said, a little quickly and curtly, and then she turned back to Crono, "So it's going to be another hour before we start up again."
"So, do you want to come with us until the fair starts up again?" Crono asked.
Lucca thought on it for a moment, not liking the idea of leaving Crono alone with someone that grazed her nerves so badly. At last Lucca shook her head, equally not liking the idea of being a third wheel, "No. I have to wait until the mess is cleaned up and then I have to set up our display. You might as well wander around with your acquaintance" there was a lackadaiscal gesture to Marle "and you can come back around 12:00. It should be ready by then." Marle smiled and Lucca tried her best to ignore it, but even Lucca had a still face as Marle pulled on his arm.
"Well, I might as well get you that candy I promised and you can show me around!" She smiled innocently, which made Lucca want to gag.
"Are you sure you don't want to come along, Lucca?" Crono asked, sensing some type of hostility within her.
She waved it off with a hand as she said, "Oh yeah! If I leave, then my dad will kill me. I have to get this done."
"Okay!" Crono said with a smile, "I will see you in an hour."
Lucca watched as they walked away, the blonde clutching his arm. Another small stab of jealousy and annoyance worked into her again. Lucca sneered as they disappeared behind the drop from the dais. She scoffed as she walked past the guards to the science fair area. She whispered to herself as she did a nasty imitation of the woman's response, "M-M-Marle, huh?" Lucca laughed aloud to herself as she shook her head, "I doubt it."
It was surprising how much someone could do in an hour. In fact, it wasn't even a full hour since their friendly little conversation passed. They had visited the more popular attractions: namely the Ferris wheel, a haunted mansion, a drinking contest, and (at Marle's request) a merry-go-round. They even had a good time with an arm wrestling machine. Crono had opted for a chance against it and won a plush doll, giving it to Marle. She carried it around, hugging it close to her chest as she hummed merrily. They did buy candy, but despite Marle's protests, he bought her a few taffies. ("You can't expect me to show you around and not treat you to the best candy available!" he retorted). So, it was Marle who was treated to everything after all. By the end of the hour, she had a dreamy smile on her face. Crono felt satisfied with himself, seeing that he was a better tour guide than he thought.
At that moment they strolled through something that was like an open market. Shops lined them to the left and right, each store carrying any kind of paraphernalia that you can imagine. There were rugs, lamps, clothes, jewelry, restaurants with cuisine dishes, and even weapons. It was the latter that caught Crono's eye, and it was the only store that he had chosen to investigate. Marle herself had a hard time from keeping herself away from each and every store. She didn't mind stopping at a store that really held no interest to her. She giggled as Crono reverted back to an excited childhood status. He ooh-ed and awe-ed as he looked at the fine blades, knifes, military rifles, bows, crossbows, lances, and everything in between. Each weapon glowed with a well polished sheen. It was even visible to the untrained eye that the steel quality was amazing. Whoever made these had a gift.
"Well! Hello there! Can I interest you in anything?"
A rotund man stepped out from behind a curtain that bordered the back room from the front and display case. He was an odd looking man, yet he seemed very friendly. An easy-going smile which could be seen from under his thick moustache would attest to that. However, his eyes were hidden behind a pair of shaded spectacles. His clothes seemed foreign and exotic, unlike anything Crono or Marle had ever seen. He also had a strange accent that they could not identify. They didn't pay much attention to such trivial things; after all, a lot of people were dressed in strange outfits as a way to celebrate.
Crono was still in awe as he scanned over the curves of a certain katana, "I was just looking at your weapons. They are amazing!"
The man nodded in thanks, "I made them all myself!"
Crono looked at him, a dumbfounded look on his face, "You must be kidding! How come I haven't seen you before! Where is your shop?"
The man laughed, "Ah, a weapon enthusiast!"
Crono looked longingly at the sword, "Most definitely! Where is your shop? I have to see more of your stuff sometime!"
The man sighed, "Ah, sadly I live a ways away from here. I saw opportunity in coming to the fair."
Crono laughed, "Well, I imagine you will sell all of this before you go!"
The man said nothing as he reached below the display case, the hinges creaking as he opened a hidden cupboard. He took out a beautiful box that he must have made himself. It was a dark chestnut colored wood with gold lining. It was unlocked and he opened the case to reveal a gorgeous display of jewelry that far surpassed the other items in the other stalls. All jewels of every color and of every kind were lined up neatly in the case. Marle's eyes were glazed as she stared in amazement at the trinkets. The man smiled in triumph and pride, seeing that they were mesmerized by his work. "You see, I actually feel guilty when I make weapons. I wish all the weapons I have sold were for display only, but that is far from the truth. This is what I truly wish to do. Unfortunately, at this point in time, weapons are far more profitable."
"So you make jewelry, or do you trade it?" Crono asked, his eyes scanning the gems once more.
"I do both…trade and design."
"Amazing. Simply amazing." Marle said quietly.
Marle leaned closer to the jewels, watching them shine in the afternoon sun, as they sent off reflections that manifested themselves as rainbows against the lid of the box. As she learned closer, the man suddenly had his countenance fall. His face had become grimly serious as his eyes trailed the pendant that Marle wore. His voice had a certain tone in it that was a little bit frightening as he asked, "Where did you get that pendant?" His stubby fingers pointed to her neckline and she looked down at the pendant, answering that it was a family heirloom.
"How much do you want for it?" The man asked, his eyes shining.
Marle scoffed in surprise, "It isn't for sale." She pointed to the box, "Besides, I think these are worth more, am I right?"
"Then, you wouldn't mind trading it for all of these?" The man asked, with hope in his voice.
Marle gasped this time, "For all the jewels in the box?" She hesitated before saying, "I can't do that! It wouldn't be fair to you! And again, it is precious to me!"
The man suddenly did something that was a little odd. He asked Marle to think about it, and shooed her away until she was just a few paces out of earshot. The man signaled for Crono to lean closer, which he did. The man cupped his hand close to Crono's ear as he whispered to him softly, "Do you like that sword you were looking at earlier?" Crono said that he did. "Do you know how much it is? No? It is about four-thousand gold pieces." Crono jumped at the number, even though it was a fair price for such a high quality blade. The man calmed him down by snaking his arm around his shoulder, using the other hand to block any noise that could find a way to Marle. "However, if you can persuade the girl to sell her pendant to me, I will give you the sword, free of charge!"
A large test of temptation came over Crono at that instant. He had always wanted a real sword, feeling that he deserved one by now. However, his money would usually go to support his way of living. He had very little spending money, and this was a deal that didn't come by often. Not only that, but it honestly was a sword whose quality was nothing short of perfect. Anyone else would have called him a fool for refusing the offer, but as he looked at Marle, (who was habitually toying with the chain of her pendant) he felt that he should not. Of course, the man sighed, sounding full of dejection as Crono refused his offer.
"Very well. But nonetheless, if you change your mind, the offer still stands!" He motioned to Marle, "Come here, if you would, young lady?"
She obeyed, and she smiled broadly at Crono, a face full of appreciation. It seemed the man hadn't whispered softly enough. Unbeknownst the two of them, she had heard every single word. In fact, as Crono turned down the offer, she felt the urge to buy the sword for him. While they talked she excitedly opened her pouch, but then stopped before she dipped her hand inside. Something nagged at her, telling her that if she were to buy something so expensive it would reveal something that she did not want to reveal at the time. Once she was called she made up her mind and snapped her pouch shut. She walked back to the stall, looking at the man who regained his easy-going composure.
He bowed his head as he closed the box and put it back in its secret compartment. "Well, I am disappointed, but I can understand your hesitance. If you ever change your mind, please come back here before the fair is over. Maybe you could talk it over with your family and whatnot. I think that a few dozen future heirlooms are better than one, but I understand your attachment."
"Thank you." Marle said sincerely.
"Don't mention it! If you come back around, ask for Melchoir! That's my name!" He stuck out a hand to the pair, who in turn, shook it vigorously.
"I'm Crono." He said.
"And I am Marle." She said.
"Please to meet your acquaintance. Don't be a stranger! And think on my offer!"
The two walked away, waving goodbye to Melchoir who went back to what he was doing in the back. Crono and Marle talked excitedly with each other as they walked towards a fountain that spouted water high into the air. They talked about the jewels and about what the dealer asked Crono. They wondered why he would want a single pendant when there were so many others that seemed to surpass her own in quality, but after a while they paid it no further attention. Instead, Marle realized that her feet began to get tired, and she looked at Crono. "Is it okay if we have a seat? My feet are aching a little."
"Oh? Sure, we can. There's a bench right over there."
It was a comfortable bench that Crono had the pleasure of sitting on before. The planks of wood were soft and bent a little under weight. It felt a little warmer on their backsides, seeing how it was out in the sun all day. Marle sighed happily as she leaned her head back against the top of the bench, a mess of hair from her ponytail dangling over the edge. "This is probably the most fun I have had in years."
"So where are you from?" Crono asked.
Marle replied simply, "Oh, from here. I live in Guardia too."
Crono's curiosity suddenly piqued, "What? Then how come you don't know the area?"
Marle suddenly jerked her head up, making her hair cascade over her shoulders. She stammered like she did earlier when Crono and Lucca had asked for her name. At first it was only Lucca who had a sneaking suspicion, but now Crono felt a little uncertainty creeping into his thoughts. However, that quickly abandoned his thoughts when her shoulders drooped, and she said, "My dad doesn't let me out that much."
Crono looked at her, saying, "What do you mean?"
Marle sighed, "What I mean is, 'my father is as fun as a root canal.' He never lets me do anything fun."
Crono smiled, "What? Why?"
Marle scoffed as she looked at nothing in particular, "Oh, because he thinks it's unladylike, and that I should behave like an old biddy."
Crono laughed, "So is your old man strict?"
Marle straightened up, looking at him with wide eyes, "Oh, you don't even know the half of it! It's always 'do this' or 'do that'! He never lets me out of his sight."
"Well, what about school? Were you home schooled or something?" Crono asked.
Marle suddenly started laughing. It is true, laughter is contagious, and Crono felt himself smile before he let himself break out into fits of laughter as well. After a few moments, they both wiped the tears out of their eyes. Marle continued, "Well, I guess you can say that. Yes, I was home schooled." She leaned against the back of the bench again, kicking her feet out from underneath her. She sighed again as she said, "I do love him, but he is unbearable sometimes. He doesn't think I can do anything on my own. Sometimes I wish I could just show him that I am not just a little kid anymore."
Crono shrugged, "Well, maybe he realizes it, and that's the reason why he is clinging to you."
Marle's eyes popped open a bit, as if mental jigsaw puzzle had suddenly been put together, "Yeah. That could be it…"
Crono smiled, "Maybe I can meet your dad sometime."
Marle suddenly seemed a little distant, "Oh, I don't know. I think it's better if you don't."
"Well, we are friends now, aren't we?" Crono replied simply.
A toothy grin spread across Marle's face as she said, "Yeah, we are. I suppose you can meet him someday. But not today."
They watched the fountain for a few minutes, both appreciating the silence between them. After a few minutes, Marle turned to him, her blue eyes twinkling, "Crono…" He turned to her and saw her staring back at him. Her heart beat sped up (she wondered why) as they made eye contact. She smiled as she exclaimed, "Thank you for giving me such a good time! I'm glad I met you!" Crono smiled back, saying the feeling was mutual, and then his eyes suddenly widened.
"What time is it?" He asked, a bit of fear in the tone of his voice.
Marle looked down at her wrist, "Why, it is 12:00. What's wrong?"
Crono grabbed her by the wrist and said excitedly, "We are going to be late! We need to get to the science fair now!"
Marle sighed, not wanting to break off their time together so soon. She was so excited to see more of the fair that she was able to attend, but going to the science fair was part of the plan from the beginning. So she followed him closely behind, very much aware that he was pulling her by her hand.
She blushed.