Chrono Trigger
The Queen is Gone; A chapter in which many things are explained about the accident at the Millennial Fair and questions are answered.
He had no idea where he should go. Where could he go? He was most likely a wanted fugitive again and eventually posters depicting his face would be on every single door in town. He could always retrace his steps and try to go back home. Could he even count on that strange portal to take him back to where he used to be? What had happened to Marle? He could not possibly leave without her, but what could he do? She vanished into thin air and he had no idea why!
His leather boots pounded onto the dirt road under him as confused pedestrians watched him go by. He did not care about anything at the moment, and he was not willing to stop for anything. Sweat poured down his face and chest, soaking his undershirt. He gasped and his knees began to wobble, for he had run as long and as hard as he had ever done. He stopped in front of a house, leaning against it and panting like a dog. He coughed in between his wheezes, the air almost painful to his dry throat. At that moment he felt like crying, not knowing what he should do.
As soon as he stopped, an excruciating pain filled the points of his toes. He sat on the ground, not worrying about getting his pants dirty again, and removed his boot and sock to see the beginnings of five painful blisters. He swore as he carefully slid on his boot, trying his hardest not to irritate the blisters. It was a risk, but it would be foolish to make such a long trip in the course of one night. He was already suffering the consequences of such an excursion as his escape from the palace. He groaned, banging his head against the wall behind him. He would have to find a place to sleep for the night. He also got the feeling that since he was in the city, no one would be as kind as the farmer was to him, so he would have to content himself with an inn.
He walked very gingerly, wincing whenever he felt any of the blisters rub against the soles of his boots. He would work up the courage and ask certain people where he could find a place to stay. He didn't know whether it was the night or something else, but he was surprised to see that not many people recognized him from the day before. Perhaps word got around that he helped the queen, but if that were true and if tales traveled that fast, it would only be tomorrow when the rest of the kingdom would crave revenge for their missing majesty.
After an hour of wandering, he was relieved to see a homely looking tavern that served as a lodge. It almost seemed like a large house, the only indication otherwise being a small sign that hung over the doorway. He pushed his way through the door and he immediately felt a cheery environment filled with friends and a certain amount of festivity. From the bits and pieces of conversation, the kingdom seemed like they were celebrating the return of their queen. That only worsened the sinking feeling in the pit of Crono's stomach and he found his way to the keeper of the lodge.
The innkeeper was a fat, balding man who seemed very jolly. He had a very easygoing smile and a set of heavy eyelids so that he seemed sleepy all the time. At that moment he was tallying marks and checking how much he had made that day. By the pile of coins on his counter it seemed as if the queen's reappearance wasn't the only thing he was celebrating. "Ahem." Crono said gently.
The man appeared startled, jumping from his stool and tipping a pile of neatly stacked coins so that they rolled off the counter and onto the wooden floor below them. Crono hastily assisted in cleaning up the coins to which the man showed his appreciation with a beaming grin. He spoke in a gruff voice that betrayed his gentle, boyish look. "Sorry 'bout that, sir! I woz deep in thought is all."
Crono smiled sheepishly and forcefully as he asked about a room that he could rent for the night. The man smiled even broader at the prospect of more business opportunities, replying in the affirmative. "I have a nice room on the second floor. Mind you the maids have not straightened 'er out yet. It would be few minutes and you could have a drink on my behalf!" Crono nodded at the kind offer and the man slid a warm mug of apple cider in his direction. Crono drank it, deeply satisfied with the taste. For a moment he was happy to take his mind off his aching feet and sip the warm cider. He had ordered two more mugs before shuffling off to his room where he collapsed on the bed and slept deeply.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Evidently, morning had come too soon. It was a rare occasion when Crono did not oversleep, but of course, having constant nightmares about execution would do that to you. Even so, between the horrible dreams he had a comfortable sleep and he felt completely revitalized. He automatically assumed that it must have been the effect of such tasty apple cider and resolved that if he would ever visit this place again, that would be the first place he would go.
His blisters remained, but they already began to harden into calluses so that it did not bother him nearly as much as the day before. He cheerfully whistled to himself as he walked down the stairs and saw the innkeeper at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled broadly as he held out a letter to a confused Crono. He stood there for a moment before asking stupidly if it belonged to him. The innkeeper laughed and tossed it towards him, returning behind the counter to prepare for morning customers. Crono opened the letter, almost fearful of what its contents could possibly and from whom it came. He began to read it feverishly when he realized that he saw this handwriting numerous times before.
Dear Crono, I hope you find this letter. I have been looking for you since I got here.
I have been showing your picture to everyone in this town, hoping they might have seen you.
I showed your picture to the innkeeper and he said that you were here. He wouldn't let me up the stairs to wake you.
I heard that you have been accused of kidnapping the queen, and I am sure you are confused.
Even though that might be the case, remain calm. I will explain it all.
Stay where you are and I will eventually come back to the inn.
Your friend Lucca
Crono felt a surge of profound relief that his friend had arrived. He was very certain that no one would be seeking her out. At the same time he wondered how she could possibly be here. He had the pendant to travel through the portal, didn't he? A dark feeling went over him as he patted himself down, feeling every pocket and even exploring the side pack itself. It was gone! He must have been so frightened by the monsters that he did not even remember to search himself to see if it made it through the gate! He swore angrily at himself which attracted the attention of the innkeeper. "Is it bad news?" He asked politely.
"Huh? No, I just lost something. Any case, I need to stay a little longer."
"That's fine by me, just as long as you pay."
"Oh," Crono said, acting without another thought while he slammed a few coins onto the counter, "sorry about that. Here you go."
He began to walk up the stairs to his room. He was stopped by that gruff voice that belonged to the innkeeper, "Hey stranger! Come back down here!" Crono arched an eyebrow when he turned about and saw the innkeeper gnawing on a coin that he left for him. The innkeeper looked dubiously at the coin and then at Crono. "Is this play money? Is this really gold that you are giving me?"
"Why do you ask?" Crono replied.
"Because it is not like any other coin I have seen." The man said.
"What is so strange about it?" Crono asked.
"Well, it has the symbol of Guardia on it and all, but the design is completely different. Certainly you know what a regular coin looks like!" He held up one of the coins Crono gave him and another coin that came from his own stack. Crono's coin was well polished and shined brilliantly in the light while the other seemed dirty and corrupted, but the differences were obvious. He took a closer look and saw that the person on the innkeeper's coin looked exactly like the king that ruled this strange nation, but even stranger were the markings that surrounded him! They were all Guardian crests and symbols!
"What is this?" Crono asked, "Why does your country have our symbols on your coins?"
The innkeeper sounded indignant in his reply, "Well, why does your country use our symbols?"
Crono smirked, "Because I'm from Guardia."
The innkeeper gave him a rather queer look and said, "Well, where do you think you are now? We are in Guardia!"
A look of utter surprise overcame Crono at that moment. An odd silence ensued between the both of them with Crono wondering just what this place really was and the innkeeper wondering if Crono was a bit insane from his travels. Unwilling to pursue it any further, the innkeeper simply said, "You know what? Forget it, it is pure gold anyway and that is the important thing. I can just keep it as a collection. Go ahead and get some more rest." Crono obeyed, shooting confused glances at the innkeeper and the coins as he made his way up the stairs.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Her majesty has gone missing." said the counselor coldly.
It was a very grim assembly. There was a large group of people gathered together at a large table. Despite it being a very grim meeting, it was also very stately with all the power and dignity of a meeting that determined the life of a queen. Banners hung from the ceiling and gentle whispers of suggested action went amongst the group. Commanders in full uniform watched the grieving countenance of the king as the counselor went on to explain the circumstances of her majesty's disappearance. "The same man, who was said by our delirious queen to be her hero, was in fact, the very culprit who had kidnapped her in the first place. I can only thank god that he did not try to assassinate the king in his sleep, thanks to the quick response of a certain maid. I suggest that the entire force investigate the mountains and squash this insolence at once. Leave me and my soldiers here to guard the king. We will have the death of this criminal at all costs!"
"Excuse me counselor, but I have a question…" started a young soldier.
"There will be no questions!" the counselor hissed.
The king frowned at the counselor as he said, "Speak, captain."
The captain inclined his head in thanks before he addressed the others and the counselor himself. "Sir, I have actually talked to the maid herself. She said that she only saw the young man running by her. The queen was not with him. So how can you say for certain that he had kidnapped the majesty? Could it be possible that she escaped on her own accord?" Having said his piece, the captain sat down, leaving the counselor flustered and annoyed.
"I see that there is no requisite of intelligence to enter the role of captain! Have you considered that he is a Mystic? Have you considered that he knew some sort of spell? It is probable that you did not!"
The captain shook his head, "He was not an ogre, nor an imp, nor anything else. Besides, you say magic? Only the general Mystics know such parlor tricks!"
The king nodded in reply to the captain's point and faced the counselor. The counselor was breathing lividly between clenched teeth, glaring at the captain. His neck whipped around as the king agreed with the captain. "It is true. He has not the countenance of a Mystic and he certainly cannot use magic. Such power had been lost centuries ago. Also, I can feel it in me that there was no malice in that boy. Find him and inquire of him what had happened, and trouble him not."
"You are all fools!" The counselor shouted.
"Silence, counselor!" The king bellowed. "You forget your place!"
"It is no wonder why your kingdom is losing to the great Magus! You dare to let your own queen face certain destruction!" The counselor ranted madly, arms raised over his head. Little did he know that his ranting and raving had a different voice that was far different than the kind, creaky voice he had once had. This voice was loud, demonic, and full of hate. The counselor had lost his temper, and suddenly everything seemed clear as the bewildered king and anxious guards looked into the blazing red eyes of a demon which used to house elderly blue eyes.
"Great Magus? What is this change that has come over you? W-what is this?"
The counselor fumbled nervously as his burning red eyes were replaced with those same old eyes that were common on an old man. He looked at the entire assembly who had risen to their feet with hands on the hilts of their weapons. He stuttered nervously as he backed up against a wall, bumping into a window pane. He glanced out the window, only briefly, noting that he was high above a small common below. He looked back to the assembly and saw that he was surrounded. The king looked at the counselor with abject horror, "I see it now! This explains your attitude! I thought that you were only distressed by the absence of the queen, but I was wrong! You are a Mystic! You are responsible for my love's disappearance!"
There was a moment of silence as the assembly waited anxiously for a reply. The counselor only looked down at the floor, motionless, but suddenly his shoulders began to shake as he let out the most menacing and impish laugh any of the assembly had ever heard. He looked to the group of soldiers with burning red eyes, no longer wanting to be hidden. He looked directly at the king, and he no longer spoke in the voice of a kindly old man, but one of a devilish imp.
"Aye, so you finally have found me out, eh? Well, you are too late."
"You have kidnapped the queen again?" The king asked in a fit of outrage.
"You old fool. The girl was not your queen! The queen is still very much in my clutches waiting for a most painful dismemberment!" The devil cackled.
"You bastard! Return her to me, and I might ease your death!" The king ordered.
The monster in the shape of an elderly man eased towards the window pane as he laughed cruelly. He smiled sardonically as he said, with relish, "Aye! She shall be returned to you…in pieces!" The king roared as a wall of shields and swords came crashing down around the counselor, but it was too late. With a devil's strength he leapt out the window, him and the shards of glass soaring through the air.
"Infantry, step away from the window! Anyone with crossbows, have them at the ready!" The captain yelled.
Several more windows were broken as guards thrust the butt of their crossbows into the other window panes that flanked the side of the castle wall. The monster was still falling, the shards of glass glinting in the morning sun as they fell with him. "Aim where he falls!" The captain ordered. It was hard to aim from such a height, but the health of the queen depended on it. It is true that an elderly man cannot survive such a fall, but there were certain Mystics (or monsters if you will) that were exponentially endurable when it came to certain extremities. The monster had a longevity that would not allow such a high fall to kill him, but instead he landed on the ground below to the great surprise of anyone who happened to be in the commons. He felt great strain at such a feat, but it only slowed him to a certain degree. He began to run with the speed and the agility of a cheetah, but before he had even started a volley of arrows followed him.
He felt a few hit him, feeling the sharp tips piercing deeply into his skin. He howled, but the pain did not stop him as he darted for the forest. Within moments he was darting through the trees and he was lost among the evergreens and was off to his lair, wherever that may be, to exude his cruel nature on the frail queen. The king, who had been watching with great expectation, had fallen back into his chair, clasping his face with a single hand as he wept bitterly for the fate of his queen. And for a dark moment it all seemed as if victory belonged to the monster…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
At that moment when such a disastrous event occurred it was only natural that Crono was fast asleep. The sun was high in the sky and several shops closed for lunch. Meanwhile, a young woman dashed madly through the streets to a certain hotel where she had been before. She had been here for a while and had grown accustomed to the streets. It was a very useful thing indeed, considering that recent events had greatly shortened their time to accomplish their goals. The young woman was expecting to have more time to get information on the crises at hand, but this matter had become the priority of her concerns.
The hotel came into view and she burst through the double doors to the surprise of everyone in the tavern. That same innkeeper looked at her, knowing right away what she needed. She expected him to stop her at the door again, but instead he said, "I see that he knows ya. That was my only concern. Get up there now. Ye have my permission." She gratefully and immediately obeyed as she ran up the stairs two steps at a time.
She did not bother with such pleasantries as knocking, but she burst through the door and stared incredulously at the sleeping form of Crono. She laughed within herself as she went to his bedside and shook him violently by his shoulders. His eyelids leisurely opened and went wide as he realized who he was seeing. He shouted in joy as he hugged his best friend who could not have been a better sight for sore eyes, "Lucca!"
"Crono! You're alright! I thought you were hurt or something! I thought that the man didn't let me up because I would disturb you!"
"No! No! I'm alright! I'm just fine! Oh, it is so good to see someone I know!"
There were a few tears in her eyes at that moment, but she wiped them away quickly before Crono could see them. She was awfully bashful about showing any emotion that involved tears. Instead, she wore a huge smile, continuing to bear hug him until he informed her that he couldn't breathe. She let him go with a sigh of relief, taking a seat on the bed. Crono looked at her with great surprise as he said, "Why are you here? What have you come for?"
Lucca looked shocked and slightly agitated as she said, "Crono, you and that girl have been gone for more than a week!"
Crono laughed at a surprised Lucca, saying, "I think you are exaggerating quite a bit. It couldn't have been more than two days."
At that moment, Lucca rubbed her chin pensively as she muttered something to herself. Suddenly, she turned to Crono and said just as firmly, "No, you have been gone for a week. There is something going on that you don't know about." A moment of silence passed between the two and Crono wondered why she would defend something as ludicrous as how much time has passed since they have seen each other. There was no possible way they have been missing for a week, seeing that only two days have passed. However, he never known Lucca to be wrong about certain things before…
Crono looked at her and said, "Well, what is going on?"
"We have traveled back in time from the year 1000 A.D. to 600 A.D."
That was something he did not expect. He sniggered while Lucca remained to look deadly serious. He stopped laughing and looked at her incredulously, almost dubiously, "Wait, you cannot be serious."
"Look around you, Crono. This time, the way people live, and the similarity of this place to ours is too close and I imagine you have felt the same way."
Crono's look of doubt began to fade slowly, "I admit it, but you believe we have traveled through time?" Crono said.
"Think about it. Have you looked out to the castle yet? Look, you can see it from the window!" Lucca pointed to the window pane.
Crono sighed as he went to the window, still unable to comprehend such a story. He went to the window and for the first time he took a good look over this strange kingdom and was stunned at what he saw. It was almost exactly the same pattern of streets and type of buildings as his city. He could see a fountain in the distance that he could remember playing in; however the houses around it were not the same height as they were in his time. He also failed to notice the banners that had the same exact crests of his kingdom in his own time. Then, last of all, he saw the monolithic castle that shone in the sun like a beacon. Its white stone walls, seeming like ivory, were exactly identical to the castle in his country, except it seemed to be missing a few wings.
"What the hell is this?" His mind swam and he felt himself fall back onto his bed, overcome with shock.
"I have told you. We are in the past, and now that you believe me, we can move onto the next most important thing."
"Which is?" asked Crono, looking at her as she loomed over his head.
Instead of answering him straight out, her eyes shot open as if she suddenly remembered something important, "Where is your friend? Is she here?"
Crono bolted upright and suddenly the story concerning Marle's disappearance flowed from his mouth in a pile of gibberish, which Lucca was miraculously able to understand. When he reached the explanation about her absence, Lucca had a horrified look on her face which did little to calm Crono, who had become beside himself in the retelling of his story. Frantically, he asked her what could have possibly happened.
"This is not good, Crono." She said softly, sitting with him on the bed.
"What do you mean?" He said, tilting his head to the side.
"Do you know who she really is?" said Lucca.
"'Who she really is'? She is Marle, isn't she?"
Lucca slowly shook her head, "She is Marle, but that is not the name she is known by in our kingdom." She inhaled deeply as she did when she revealed the first shocking secret and let it out slowly, saying, "She is Marle Guardia. Or as her title dictates, Nadia Guardia."
Imagine the look on Crono's face when he realized that he had been escorting his very majesty around the historical Leene's Square. Of course he would not recognize her royalty under her common name, but when a woman of royal blood in Guardia is addressed in public; her name becomes a title that defines her status. The name Nadia had become somewhat a title ages before even this time. It all started when a royal woman felt that her name was far too plain to inspire awe among the populace, and her odd vanity lead to the creation of this name which she handed down to her children who kept it but made separate names for themselves until Nadia became a strange title. It was best to say that the name Nadia had become interchangeable with the title "queen". Even to this day, Marle Nadia Guardia carried this name but it was not revealed to Crono. When he came to this realization he wondered why he had not realized it sooner, having heard her name before and having her answer her questions the way she did.
It also explained the hesitation in explaining her name. Imagine living your whole being addressed by this name and introducing yourself to members of a royal court? Evidently, saying your real name from the title would be a little difficult once in a while. She could use whatever name suited her the most, and in this situation she chose to withhold her true identity from Crono. The reason why? That was something that neither Lucca nor Crono knew, but at this point it was of very little consequence. More shocking and horrible manifestations were about to come about as Lucca was about to prove.
"You know what year we are in. Do you remember what important events have happened in this century?" asked Lucca.
"Yeah," Crono said with a nod, "the battle with the warlock Magus had reached a climax."
"Even more specific than that." Lucca said, urging him on into another guess, "Why do you think they mistook Marle for the queen of this time?"
His eyes went wide open, "Because the real queen has been kidnapped and she looked just like her!"
Lucca clapped her hands as she exclaimed "Exactly!" She leaned forward, warning Crono to follow very closely because what she was about to explain was very complicated. He listened intently as she went on to explain about time and how it works. "As you know, the Guardia family has ruled our kingdom for hundreds of years and they pass their rule to their children, like any other monarchy. In the year 600 A.D. there was an incident where Queen Nadia (her real name being Leene) was kidnapped. History says that a hero came to her rescue and saved the bloodline. However, since they found Marle before they found Leene, they called off the search! And that means…"
"…It means that the real Queen has yet to be found!" Crono said, surprised by how much sense this had made.
Lucca nodded, pleased to see that he was understanding everything so well. However, her face became grim as she continued to say, "Now, just think for a minute, if the queen was never found? If she were murdered before she had any children that would mean that the entire bloodline would disappear, meaning that Marle, who is a Nadia, would disappear as well."
"Which means," Crono started darkly, "that was the reason why she had disappeared. The future had been altered to fit the changes."
Lucca jumped to her feet with a start as she said, "However, that doesn't mean she is dead yet! There is still time to change the future! But we need to get moving soon! Her disappearance shows that the queen's death is eminent! If we don't find the real queen soon, then our future will change and we have no idea what it will be like! For all we know, this could lead to Magus' victory!"
"How can we find her?" Crono said despairingly, "Where can we begin to look?"
"The cathedral!" Lucca said, pounding a fist into her opened hand, "History says that there was a fight at the cathedral connected to the abduction!"
"There can be a clue there! Let's go!" Crono said with a triumphant, hopeful smile.
Without another word the two ran down the stairs and past the confused innkeeper. The continued on, fast as they could towards the west, and towards the cathedral.
Author's Note: A certain reader pointed out to me that I made a few mistakes, which I am thankful for. Rage Colewell pointed out two facts which I missed. One is the girl's name which Crono escorted to the fair: She is supposed to be Elaine and not Claire. I couldn't remember her real name and that is the reason why I did so. Also, the part about Leene being called Nadia in the story…yeah, that was my bad too. I didn't mean to, so I made up something about it being a royal title. I will correct it one day, but the weird thing about my writing is that if I go back and correct it while I'm still writing the story I lose my focus. Sounds weird, huh? Anyway, I tried to cover my mistake by making Nadia a title. Thank you Rage for pointing that out and once I found out how to edit stories I will work on it. If there is anything else someone spots, please let me know.
-Paul
…Um…oh yeah, I forgot to point out (I think) the disclaimer, so I will say it for the first time if not again…Uh, Chrono Trigger is the creation of Square Enix. I'm not making any money on this, and it is painfully obvious. Thx.