Chapter III
The Heroes' Reunion
Crono sat back, finally satisfied. One got quite an appetite after even a small battle, and especially when you had to use magic. Even Nadia and Lucca seemed astonished at how much he had eaten, and they had known his stomach for practically all his life. The food had been absolutely delicious; the fried roast stuffed with garlic and mushrooms sautéed in meat sauce had been excellent, but the mash potatoes and biscuits with country gravy had been the best. That was the standard fair in the castle, but he supposed they had to do something to make up for living in such an unlovely, drafty, muggy place like this.
Then again, it could be that he was so hungry that boiled stone would have tasted like a banquet. An old saying his mother often told him popped into his head. Hunger is the best sauce, she would always say. That was always her excuse when he told he how good her cooking was.
Sighing, he straightened, brushed a few crumbs off his shirt, and stood up. He had all his energy back now, and was easily fit to deal with any more trouble that he might encounter, and so he decided he had better go back to tell his mother what was going on. She was a good natured woman, generally, but it was still probably wiser not to keep her out of the loop for to long. And besides, he wanted to get his Moon Armor, and other assorted items that would come in handy.
He looked carefully at his fiancée and best friend, who were talking idly. Occasionally, they would glance his way, probably waiting for him to make the first move. He knew this would start an argument almost immediately, but he couldn't see any way around it. All he could do was try and make sure he was involved in as little of it as possible. It all depended on how assertive Lucca was feeling today. Oh well, he'll try the go-fast-for-less-pain technique, not unlike what you do when taking off a band-aid. Trying to sound off-hand, he said "Gotta make a quick stop at my house, and grab some stuff,"
"Not alone, you're not," Nadia said flatly, one eyebrow twitching slightly. He groaned inwardly. He knew that look. "I'm going with you,"
Lucca shook her head. "You've got responsibilities here, Nadia. I'll go with him," Ah, good old Lucca.
"No way! I see how you took care of him last time. I'll go,"
"Hey, I probably saved his life, for your information--"
"Then why did he come back looking half-dead?"
"He did not come back looking half dead," Lucca shot back, "All he had were a few cuts and bruises, nothings serous,"
"Oh really? Is that so? Well I think I would know if--"
"If I may interject a comment," Crono interrupted calmly, "I believe I will decide who goes with me."
Both women glared at him for a moment, then abruptly realized that they had been acting like children. They looked very embarrassed indeed. All right! This was turning out better then he had a right to expect. "Now then," Crono said, clearing his throat, "Now that that's over, I think Lucca is right. You do have things to do and responsibilities to attend to, and Lucca doesn't have anything really important to do at the moment, so she will go with me," He wondered if he phrased that correctly. Nadia looked very sullen and a bit defiant, which was to be expected, but Lucca looked like she didn't know whether to be smug or insulted. Ah, well. He was just surprised he made it through that conversation without putting his whole leg in he mouth.
So, with that settled, they picked up their things and made ready to go. Just before Crono left, Nadia came running up to him, a look of grave concern forming a deep line between her eyebrows. "Promise me you'll be careful!" she burst out, hurling herself into his arms.
Crono smiled. "Ah, and I didn't think you cared,"
"Promise me!"
Crono laughed. "All right, I promise," he said fondly, slowly caressing her cheek. Softly, he kissed her. She hugged him tightly, almost not wanting to let go. "Be back in a flash," he whispered. She smiled slightly, and released him.
"See ya," she said with a little girl wave.
With a wry nod, he called, "Alright, Lucca. Let's get going."
And so Crono and Lucca set off for the village of Truce. They walked through the large castle gate, down the steep stone steps that descended the rocky outcropping, and went straight through the cleared field around the old fortress and started on the forest path. Everything seemed to be back to normal (except the blasted part they crossed midway though), but that did not stop Crono and Lucca from being on edge, ready for any danger. But, nevertheless, they journeyed without seeing hardly a soul, and were soon approaching the village of Truce. Crono idly wondered exactly how old his village was. It seemed to him the path had been there forever, but he guessed that that would seem so to every man who sees the familiar road leading to his home.
***
Lucca glanced around, looking very amused. She had done a lot of mischief before she had seen Crono dashing out of his house like a madman. Made people step over holes that weren't there, had carts vanish for the pleasure of seeing the owner look around furiously for his lost livelihood. Then, just when his back was turned, she made it reappear. She also made a large boulder see-through and rolled it right in the middle of a path that a lot of people used as a shortcut. It had been hilarious, the many different ways people could fall down. Thank goodness no older people had walked by, though. It wouldn't be nearly as funny if some grandmother stumbled over it and broke her hip.
Yes, that had been her favorite all day. In fact, that had been the last thing she was doing before she saw Crono. They were nearing his house, and she was aghast to realize that she had not yet un-invisiblized that bolder.
She tried to warn Crono, but the words didn't seem to come out fast enough. With a startled yelp, Crono toppled over the unseen obstruction, and promptly landed right on his head. Lucca fought hard to hold back her giggles, but it was a wasted effort. She burst out laughing, bending over and banging her knee hard with her fist. A slightly dazed and confused Crono became even more confused when he put his foot down on the invisible surface and found more than empty air. Then he remembered Lucca's newest invention, and glared at her sullenly.
"What'd you do that for?" he asked crossly, and Lucca had to take a moment to get her breath back to answer.
"It wasn't… meant for you," she explained, still gasping and giggling slightly. "I just did that for anyone that passed-to test out my invention," she added hastily, seeing the reproachful look on Crono's face.
"Right," he muttered sarcastically, but let the subject drop. Man, what a grouch.
So, after Lucca made the errant rock reappear so no one else would bite the dust, they continued on and were soon at Crono's house. They walked slowly across the green front yard, occasionally passing the massive forms of maple trees and cottonwoods. Crono had often used this place as his practice yard, and some of the trees showed it. He had carved himself a heavy oak mock-sword to practice with, and had used it every night ever since he was 13. Lucca had often thought he was just being silly, swinging his makeshift weapon around and hacking at the unoffending trees with abandon, but she supposed it had paid off in the end.
The house itself was not particularly impressive, with its solid wood roofing topping the stone structure, and a single chimney sticking up on the far side of the building. The familiar solid wood door stood before Crono, with it's simple arch overhead that welcomed him home.
He entered quietly, with Lucca following closely behind. His mother, sitting at the nearby table, immediately sprang to her feet and ran over to embrace her son, nearly toppling him. Ah, a Kodak moment. Wait a second, Lucca thought. What the heck is a Kodak moment? She wondered about that for a moment, but shrugged it off as something before her time. Or after.
"I'm alright, mom!" Crono yelled, struggling to escape. His mother seemed unconvinced, but nonetheless let him go.
"All right," she said briskly, changing roles in an instant, "What's going on? Why are you two armed again? Why were you acting so strange this morning?-And how'd you get your shirt ripped, Crono? You know I hate sewing." Lucca kept forgetting how weird Crono's mom was. She thought her mom would die it she went a single day without sewing something. Lucca was pretty sure this little conference would be very interesting.
Crono shook his head. He hadn't expected his mother to react this way. She usually took almost anything with surprising indifference. Could it be she was on edge because of the wedding? Women were strange that way. Preparing to be stubborn, he looked questioningly at Lucca for a moment, and to his slight surprise, she nodded.
"Alright, " Crono sighed, "Let's begin at the beginning, then." And so he told her. He told her of the reason he had run so abruptly from the house, how his suspicions were confirmed, of the name the little man had called him, and the strange creatures, and of the mistake in identity. Lucca piped in once more to tell how individual Crono looked (which earned her a offended look from the man himself) and the likelihood of an imposter. Marge just looked at her for a moment, and a struggle seemed to ensue within her. Finally, she nodded as if she had decided something.
"I think you two better sit down," she said, suddenly calm again, and promptly turned away and followed her own advice. Crono and Lucca looked at each other for a moment, and Crono shrugged his shoulders. Grudgingly, they took their seats. Marge just sat there a moment, a look of concentration on her face as she slowly gathered her thoughts. Finally, she looked up at them, determination burning in her eyes. She began.
"I know I should have told you this earlier, Crono, and I'm sorry, but something always held me back. I had planned to wait a little longer before telling you-the night before your wedding, in fact. But it looks as though events have caught up with me-us," she paused, and her eyes met Crono's. "It first began some years ago, when I was only 17. A man named Chronos got a job with some strangers that had arrived in the village. He was to accompany them on an expedition out into the islands to the east as a bodyguard. The expedition was attacked somewhere on the mainland of El Nido by thieves, and with the instrumental help of Chronos, the attempt was completely foiled.
"Needless to say, the head of the expedition was very grateful, and offered Chronos a deal. If he would come and escort his party once every year, he would pay him handsomely for it. That suited Chronos just fine, since he loved adventuring, and so he agreed. And so he did. They went on these journeys to the east three times, and Chronos never found out in all that time what exactly they were going out for. This bothered him tremendously, for he hated not knowing what he was getting himself into."
"Excuse me," Lucca interrupted "But what does this have to do with Crono? And how do you know all this? Did you meet this Chronos-or maybe you heard about him from someone?"
"Oh, I met him alright," Marge said smiling. "It was a little less than three years after he got that job that he asked me to marry him."
That drew a look of complete shock from Lucca, and Crono's was only slightly less so. There was a stunned silence for a moment, then Marge continued.
"And so, even though my mother disapproved because he was a bit older than I, we married. But, only a few months into our marriage, Chronos' employer came to take him to the east. And so, Chronos left because he felt it his duty to go one last time, so that they at least could be informed that he was quitting. So he went, despite my dire protest, and after a couple more months, he returned. But then, he seemed a little distant. Not the unfriendly distant or the uncaring distant, just kind of hiding within himself, hoping no one would notice he was hiding something. Needless to say, I noticed as soon as he got back. I told him to tell me what was going on, be he was adamant. He refused to say a word about it. It seemed he would remain in that mood forever, and it did remain until nearly a year later when Crono was born."
She smiled faintly, her mind gone off to times long ago. "He was so happy. It seemed almost immediately that he became his old self again, laughing and grinning, and being all-in-all mischievous. He wanted to name Crono after himself, because the two looked so alike, but I refused. It would be hard enough having those two look the same, but the same name would cause annoyances to no end. So, we decided on Crono, similar, but different enough for me. And soon after you were born, Crono, we decided that the little house we were living in was not large enough for a family, so we moved into this very house. For a while, we were very happy. And then, over a year and a half since he had last arrived, his employer, a man by the name of Santen, returned.
"I never liked that man," she scowled. "He was a puffed up, overly dressed fop with thick, golden hair and a long mustache. He wore far too many rings and gems, and his pointed nose always stuck up in the air. Apparently forgetting that Chronos had quit over a year ago, he demanded that he accompany him. At first, Chronos was polite, saying he had to be home with his family, and that Santen could find another bodyguard very easily.
"But Santen would not listen. His demands became more and more imperious, until Chronos had to bodily throw him out and warn him that, if he ever darkened our door again, he would make sure his corpse was sent to the royal guards. Then, Santen said something very strange. He said 'You will regret this day, aleia-leni! I swear it! I know you have discovered something!' And with that, he stalked off, leaving us both worried and me confused. Chronos told me that the name was just a nickname, that it didn't mean anything. He was about as horrible a liar as Crono is. Late the next day, he took his sword off the wall and began to pack.
"He said that he must go, and that he would return soon. I begged him not to go, but he would not listen. He told me to take care while he was gone, and that he would leave most of the money he had made here." She paused, and a single tear trickled down her face, years of grief barely held in check. "We shared our last kiss, long and sweet. Then he walked off into the setting sun, like a hero in a fairytale, and never returned."
She bowed her head, as if some great weight were on her shoulders. There was silence for a moment, a quiet instant where time seemed to stand still. Then, Crono stood, a measure of sureness returning to his face. "Mom, did my father know magic?"
"Why, no-I don't think so," she replied, somewhat confused. "Why do you ask that?"
Lucca, however, immediately caught on. "Remember when Crono told you about when he was ambushed? The suits those creatures were wearing? They were specifically for protection from Ice magic. And if they thought Crono was his father, doesn't it seem logical that they would be preparing to meet Chronos by equipping those to themselves?"
Marge nodded slowly, considering the information. "But why have they chosen to take revenge now, after all these years?"
Lucca shrugged. "That's what we have to figure out. Maybe they have done something with time, and so arrived in the future. I always guess that at least once, now. Or maybe they found him in El Nido, and didn't quite finish him off, and so have been searching for him since."
"Or maybe," Crono cut in, "It's because he's back."
Marge struggled to grasp the notion, and finally nodded at the possibility. Lucca looked slightly impressed, wondering how he had come up with the idea. Crono frowned in concentration, trying to put the pieces together. Finally, he shook his head. It was impossible to see the picture if you didn't even have half the puzzle. He had to find out more, and to find out more, he had to wait. Oh, how he hated to wait.
"Well, I guess we better go back and tell Nadia," Lucca said, and Crono nodded his agreement. They made their good byes to Crono's mother, and after Crono had gotten all the items that he had come for, they set off to Lucca's house. From there, they would return to Guardia Castle. There was much to be done, and they had to be ready. You never know what might happen.
***
Within fifty miles of where Crono and Lucca walked, Glenn stared impassively out the window. It was about dawn, and the sun was shining brightly through the trees of the nearby forest, a great backdrop against the magnificent view of the ocean on the far side. The Porre Inn was a fine place to rest, but despite the nice furnishings, Glenn wished to be on his way. Time was slipping by at an alarming rate, and he knew that he must get to his friends soon. You never knew what might happen, even in only a few days. But still, he must wait.
Magus had brought them to the outskirts of the forest last night, and had been so exhausted by the effort that he had had to be half-carried to the Inn. He assured Glenn that the effects would wear off by the morning, and it became easier every time he used the spell. Glenn hoped he was right. The stakes were too high to allow for mistakes, and he knew that Magus felt the same way. And so he waited.
Just then, Magus himself walked in the room, looking more than ready to leave. "Let's go," he said abruptly, as if it had been he that had been waiting, and Glenn nodded. He grabbed his pack, which had been readied hours ago, and they walked out. After telling the innkeeper they were leaving (much to his obvious relief. They were, after all, quite an odd looking pair) they set off. They had agreed even before they left the year 600 that they must go to Guardia Castle, because Crono and/or any of the others were likely to show up there eventually. Time was of the essence, and they hurried along the twisting dirt road, their eyes fixed on the horizon, and unaware that Crono and Lucca were heading the same direction about now. The stage is set for a reunion of heroes, and things begin slowly to fall into place. Many things have been revealed, and many, many more will yet be revealed. It's all a question of time, chance, and fate.
***
A cool gaze settled in on the two strange companions as they walked down the narrow path. They obviously were not your run-of-the-mill wandering adventurers. She could feel the aura of power around them. She wondered if they were in any way connected to her prey. Who were they? Why had they suddenly appeared on this continent? Were they sent to stop her? She almost laughed at the notion. No, the man called aleia-leni would die, and so would anyone that got in her way. Her full red lips curved slightly in anticipation, her delicate features and high cheek bones framing the eagerness on her stunning face. Her midnight hair wove a wreath of darkness around her face, and her jade green eyes shone brightly beneath fine arched eyebrows.
Looking around, she wondered briefly if anyone would notice a few discreet deaths. Where she was from, they never did, but here was a little different. Ah, well, her old playground was getting kind of boring anyway. All those islands and strait were all rather restrictive, and her influence had conquered them with relative ease. But, she had to do something while she waited for them to gather their forces. She wanted a challenge (that was for sure), but in the mean time, a little fun would do. Her heart quickened at the very thought. Each kill made her blood boil and her heart sing. It was the most exhilarating experience. The painful screams, the mindless blubbering, it all enthralled her no end. But even she grew tired of killing those that didn't have chance. The pleasure was over so quickly, that she found herself unsatisfied.
Then, as these thoughts chased one another in her mind, a man on horseback crossed her path. Her smile widened. Well, she'd settle for this, at least. After all, all work and no play… He was armed, a long saber at his side, but that meant little. She could only see the back part of his coat, but she could tell from it's make he was wealthy. Maybe she could make this out to be highway robbery. All she would have to do is take whatever the poor sap had on him and everyone would believe it nothing out of the ordinary. An unlucky man indeed.
Silent as death, she stalked after the oblivious man on his trotting horse. Every leap brought her closer, her movements in perfect grace and balance. Oh, she could almost taste the blood, the sweet blood. The distance closed rapidly, and drawing her crystal sword, she leaped with a tight twist that would have put the best acrobat to shame. Then she slashed the poor blind fool across the stomach in an easy sideways arc, spilling his intestines out in a most painful and gory manner. He screamed deliciously, toppling from his mount instantly, while the horse stopped abruptly at the sudden lack of weight on it's back. She bared her teeth with glee, her eyes flashing with excitement. A man could go for nearly two days with a wound like that, each instant in excruciating pain and suffering.
She bent over to examine her kill, and caught her breath. The man was a soldier, with a large lion on his chest, and silver working on his sleeves. He wore a stiff ceremonial helmet, and fine chain mail. A kings messenger. She cursed vehemently, and stabbed the screaming man in the guts again, causing another howl of agony. Normally, she would have enjoyed this, but right now, it just annoyed her. They were sure to be on guard when the kings royal messenger was killed, and she wanted them to be ready, but not know exactly what for. After the job with aleia-leni, her employer said that the kingdom would be a piece of cake to conquer, should she simply kill the king and princess.
The thought of that back-stabber almost made her want to vomit. And that fool man actually thought she would let him live now that he knew so much! He thought that all his money had bought him a free ticket to life. Fool. He should have met his end long ago.
But such idle thoughts concerned her little. Now they would know that someone was after the kingdom as well as aleia-leni, for even common thieves and highwayman know that to kill royal retainers means a tightening of soldier patrols and eventual execution. Only an enemy of the state would dare such an act. She wanted a personal battle, a grand melee of awesome destructive power. She didn't want any pathetic soldiers involved. She'd killed thousands of soldiers, and though she didn't mind the killing, it was so tedious, killing all those men when she wanted real fun. She loved the challenge of great foes much more. Their deaths were always much longer, more blood soaked, more sentimental. She loved the final look of despair on a great hero's face just before he succumbed. Now she would have to wait.
And now, by so easily defeating her sworn agragre and the old man, he had proved himself worthy of her attention. She had not faced anyone in a long time that could overcome forty of her little monsters without using magic. What they say about him not being able to use a sword very well must apparently not hinder him much. Not to mention he's nearing the end of his prime. But now she might not get the opportunity to face such a magnificent fighter, or at least it would take much longer.
Angered all the further, she stabbed one the soldier's eyes out. She couldn't believer her incompetence. She stormed about in an almost complete rage, occasionally hacking at the air. Her face was chillingly beautiful when she was enraged, looking like a little girl's temper tantrum. Then, in the blink of an eye, her mood changed. She sighed, sheathing the still bloody sword. Ah, well. At least now she could kill all she wanted to. She briefly considered getting her army to simply take a hold of large sections of the kingdom, so she could do all the dirty work herself. No, there was a better way. An all-out war was what these soldier men are trained for. She had something else in mind.
She would do it at complete random. There would be blood found in every village, hamlet and outskirt-even the castle, to make sure they could not find her. A reign of terror would ensue, and every man would be suspicious of his neighbor. Mobs and gangs would erupt into the streets, all the while fueled by the subtle influence of her trained firebrands. Her mood brightened a bit at the prospect. Maybe this was not such a bad thing after all. With a cheerful expression, she skipped away, as the dying man continued to thrash and shriek, gurgles of blood spitting from his mouth. She hummed a tune she had heard as a girl, her night-black hair swaying behind her in the cool spring breeze.
***
The clearing right before the castle was visible between the tree's, and the steep bluff face behind it, but Crono and Lucca still felt uneasy. It had all seemed far too easy. They had gone someplace, done what they had gone to do, come back, and no one had been there to try to snipe, ambush, assault, kill, kidnap or otherwise inconvenience them. Things were sure different than when they were fighting Lavos. The alien always seemed to find a way to make events fall into place so the evil sorcerer would just happen to have the item or information they needed to proceed, or blocking the path they wanted to take. It had seemed coincidence at first, but every time they had gotten on a possible lead, they always hit a snag. It made one wary after a while.
Nevertheless, they soon reached the drawbridge, and were admitted without comment past the castle gate. The guards stood at stiff attention as usual, their high-collared navy uniforms the same as always. Crono and Lucca walked down the large stone walkways, and up the flights of stairs. They passed the throne room, where the king was deep in conversation with the Chancellor. He paused briefly to nod at his future son-in-law. Without slowing pace, Crono responded in kind, and walked up the side of the room and into a second hallway. At the end of the hall was another arched doorway with two guards posted on ether side. They recognized him immediately, of course, and let him pass. Inside was another flight of stairs, which passed several odd rooms before reaching the top. At the top floor was another hall, which after a sharp right angle, finally came to Nadia's room.
As they walked in, Nadia herself was tapping a pen impatiently against her desk. Then she looked up and saw them, and in an instant she was up and across the room, squeezing Crono in a tight hug before he could say a word.
"I'd like to keep my ribs more or less intact, thank you," he gasped, trying to fend her off. Reluctantly, she released him, but immediately gave him a stern look.
"Alright, what happened?" she demanded, looking from him to Lucca. "Some trouble?
"Actually," Lucca replied mildly, "Everything went very smoothly. That is, we didn't have to fight anybody."
Nadia looked at her incredulously, as if she couldn't quite believe that that could possibly be true. She continued to look at her that way, and Lucca wondered briefly if Nadia thought she was going to crack under the pressure or something.
"Well…" Lucca began, and Nadia's look turned triumphant "We did learn stuff about Crono's dad,"
Nadia expression changed from surprise, to confusion, to interest so fast, Crono had to laugh. This earned him a dangerous look from his fiancée, and he stopped abruptly. Coughing slightly and clearing his throat, he said "Well, I…um… we, found out about some of the things that link together with my ambush, and how they got mixed up and thought I was someone else,"
And so they told her all Crono's mom had told them, which took a good twenty minutes or so. Nadia listened intently the whole time, occasionally nodding slightly to acknowledge what had been said. By the time they finished, you could almost see the wheals turning in her head, franticly trying to figure out everything at once. She was silent for a time, tapping the pen on the desk again and staring out the window slit. Then she turned back to them, and opened her mouth as if she was going to ask them a question. Then, there was a loud commotion below, and a large splash as if someone had been thrown into the moat.
She snapped her mouth shut again, and with Crono in the lead, they all hurried downstairs to see what the excitement was about. The guards were crowded at the castle gate, and seemed to be trying to block someone from coming in. Swiftly, the three armed themselves, ready for anything. They had almost gone three hours without trouble. Must be a new record, Crono thought glumly, and he braced himself to leap over the guards and face whatever was out there.
***
Barely lifting his hand, Magus contemptuously threw another castle guard into the nearby water. They were such fools. All they had said is that they needed to see the Princess immediately, and the morons had judged the two of them by their looks and ordered them detained. Right now they were futilely beating against a shield of water vapor Glenn had created (which Magus could have easily done himself) that blocked any progress for both sides. He could simple blow them to ash, and the prospect briefly tempted him, but he needed his allies too much right now to get things started off on the wrong foot. And so he waited until they caused enough disruption to bring Crono or the Princess. Which, were it left up to the soldiers, would probably take hours due to how incredibly slow-witted they were.
"WE ONLY WANT TO SEE CRONO OR NADIA!" Glenn shouted over the din, but no one seemed to be listening. They continued to beat senselessly at the barrier, but it appeared they learned slowly. Then all of a sudden, as one body, they staggered back in surprise. A figure in blue leapt over and landed right in front of the guards, slicing through the wall of water as he descended, his wild red hair flying backward with his forward momentum. Crono landed easily on his feet, his Rainbow Sword held surely in a double handed grip, blade pointing downward and ready. Then he saw who he was facing. He was so surprised that he barely noticed when Lucca and Nadia ran up beside him to face the "threat." They had similar reactions. After a moment of shocked silence, Crono relaxed. He blinked and sheathed his sword.
"Uh…" he said slowly "Hi."
Magus silently shook his head in disgust, and Glenn grinned broadly. This seemed to bring Crono back into the real world, and he returned the grin. Then he looked hesitantly back at Magus, who was cold and calm as ever, but nevertheless had his arms folded impatiently.
"You could have sent word or something, instead of scaring half the castle," Crono said quietly, sounding slightly annoyed. Magus didn't dignify that with a response.
"And as for you…" Crono continued, turning slightly to Glenn. "Well… oh well… well met anyway."
Then, to the horror of the guards, Crono extended his hand, which Glenn gladly took.
"Well met, indeed!" Glenn replied with a hearty shake. "Well met indeed,"
***
After they explained things to the soldiers (which involved some very fast talking on the part of Nadia and Lucca) they escorted their strange looking friends to the top floor of the castle. Whenever he visited this future incarnation of the place he knew very well, Glenn couldn't help but be glad of the feeling that he had insured that this kingdom would flourish for at least 400 or so more years from when he had had lived in it. True, some of the corridors were different, and Leene was not there to hail him with her usual greeting, and the old Knight Captain didn't stand stiffly close by in his burnished gold armor, but the old castle still seemed to convey the presence of the many generations of kings that had done their utmost to ensure peace in their kingdom. More than any other place in which Glenn had been, this place felt like home. And he was going to insure that this castle would stand with a new king to rule, one Glenn was certain would continue the Guardian line with honor.
When they finally ascended the stairs and came to Nadia's sitting room, Crono's curiosity was almost overwhelming. After all, when two hated enemies band together to come and see you, it's bound to be something very important. He had no idea how these two had met each other across thousands of years and decided to come here, but he had a hunch it just might shed some light on the troubles they were having now. He just hoped he liked what he saw in that light. Glancing slightly at Lucca behind him, Crono was sure she was thinking much the same thing.
"Alright," Nadia began briskly "Let's get down to business. This has obviously got to be something important, so let's have it,"
There was a slight glimmer in Magus's eye, which could probably be interpreted as "don't order me around". Nadia ignored him, and focused her attentions first on Glenn.
"Prithy, Magus, I believe I shall tell my side of the tale first. It was not many nights ago when, after retiring for bed, a dream overtook me…" And so he told them of the nightmare, of the sparkling clarity and frightening realty of it, of the deaths of his friends, and the enemy which had slain them. They listened intently to his every word, wrapped up in the horrific tale of the terrible dreams. When Glenn finished, there was a dead silence in the room, and it seemed that to break it would bring the calamity down upon them.
It was Lucca who spoke first, releasing them from their trance. "But," she said, sounding skeptical, "How can you be sure that it was not simply a dream?"
"Mine senses have served me long and well, and I can tell what be a dream and what be premonition. And beyond that, Magus's fit too closely to allow for coincidence."
"Indeed," Magus said softly, but his voice seemed to fill the entire room. He turned back toward them from the window, his long blue hair framing his pale hard face in the evening light. He seemed almost made of stone, save that his eyes burned with hidden emotion, and his hands were balled into fists beneath his cloak. And then, he too, told his tale. And then they knew for certain what the mage meant when he said the Black Wind howled. Nadia shivered and began to nod slowly, and Lucca, though still a little unsure, nodded her assent as well. Crono just look thoughtful, and slightly awestruck, at what he had just been told.
"Alright, then," Nadia breathed, "It looks like we have a story to tell you, too." And so they told them of what had happened to them so far, what they had discovered, and what they had speculated. Magus's brow furrowed in concentration. Yes, they had learned much, but how did it fit together? What did Crono's father have to do with that black-haired woman, and what did she have to do with Schala? Why did they seek in Guardia and the Zenen continent now for the lost master fighter, after so many years? And how had that man learned magic?
"Alright," Lucca began "Let's see what we know. We know that for some reason, perhaps to silence him as to what he may have discovered, or for some reason we don't know yet, someone is after Crono's father. Also, we can assume that Chronos also has the ability to use Ice magic. We don't know this for sure, but almost, judging from the fact that the people who ambushed Crono were ready to be protected from Ice.
"Also, we know that our enemies must be wealthy, or at least very resourceful, to have obtained such rare and expensive items such as Ice-protected chain mail and those extending weapons." She paused, frowned, and looked inquiringly at Glenn and Magus. "I've never heard of weapons like that, not in any of the ages I've been to. Have ether of you?"
Glenn shook his head immediately, but Magus cupped his chin and looked thoughtfully into the distance. "I seem to recall something like those, back in Zeal, but it's been so long I can barely remember. A good man to visit would be Melchior-he was far older than I at the time. I'm sure he would know, seeing as he deals much with weapons anyway. Wait... I can recall that these lengthening weapons might have been invented for Earthbound Ones control infantry units. Beyond that I can tell you nothing."
Lucca nodded slowly. "So, they also have a ready supply of Zeal time magic. Perhaps that is part of what they discovered down in El Nido. But you're quite right. Perhaps it would be a good idea to visit Melchior. But that's for later. Now, we have to concentrate on prevention."
Nadia nodded violently. "No more unprotected ambushes."
Lucca shook her head. "No, that's not quite what I had in mind," Glenn's eyes grew wide as he realized what she meant, but Nadia didn't like the sound of it at all.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU HAD IN MIND'! IF YOU THINK WE'RE GOING TO LET MY CRONO WANDER AROUND AS BAIT, YOU CAN JUST FORGET IT!"
Nadia huffed for a second, and everyone uncovered their ears. More than a little annoyed, Lucca glared at her loud-mouthed friend. "If, Princess, you'll let me tell you the plan first," she said very evenly, "then you can decide whether it's necessary to destroy our eardrums or not."
Nadia looked faintly embarrassed for a moment, but covered it quickly. With her most regal (and therefor obviously fake) expression, she mutely motioned Lucca to proceed.
"Thank you so much," Lucca responded ungraciously, and Crono had to work hard to keep from laughing. It would have been okay had this happened a couple of years ago, but now that Nadia was his fiancée, it would be a distinctly bad idea.
"Now then," Lucca continued. "What the plan really is, is sort of similar to what Nadia was dreading, except I plan to leave Crono far from alone. We could just go along with him to draw them out,"
"Prithy, Lucca," Glenn said sounding confused, "Will it not dissuade any attackers should Crono have an armed escort?"
"Yes, you're right, that normally would. But they won't see the escort,"
"And just how will you accomplish that" Magus said, and everyone jumped. "If you think I'm going to mask you all, you can forget it. It is a bothersome spell at best, and is so merely for one person for a short time, much less for a whole group for hours on end. No, you'd be a fool to try that,"
Lucca snorted. "I never planned on asking you, pointy ears. It just so happens that science can do the job just as well or better than magic," Crono's and Nadia's eyes widened, Glenn looked even more puzzled, and Magus just looked cold and unconcerned-as usual.
"What meanith these things?" Glenn said almost plaintively. In response, Lucca pulled out a little metal briefcase, detached a little cylinder, and pressed a little button on it. For a instant, she look like she was standing in shimmering heat waves, than she disappeared.
Glenn nodded in understanding, but he still looked apprehensively in the general direction of where Lucca had been seen last.
"Yep, they don't call me Lucca the Great for nothin'!" Lucca laughed. "I call this the Shifter. You see, it bends and shifts light around matter, making whatever I choose invisible for nearly as long as I want. We don't even have to take the main unit with us (except to recharge) and I have seven of these wands, so we can each be invisible when we want to. And, if we're desperate, they can be recharged by magic. The crystals inside reverberate at the presence of magic, and actual use of magic increases their energy. As it is, whenever I hold one of these things, it vibrates. And when I point it near someone of large magical power…"
Slowly, she pointed the wand at Magus, and it promptly began to shake violently, and gave of a very dim bluish light. "So," Nadia said "We can use them to see if someone or something that has magic is near?"
Lucca hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I suppose you can, but I haven't got that part of it down to a science yet. Some things in nature have a fair amount of magic in them, and we might get a lot of false alarms. Not to mention blue boy over there and the Masamune."
There was a moment of silence while the group considered things, only broken by the occasional sound of the wind among the parapets. Finally, it was Crono who spoke. "Then we all leave tomorrow at noon. " he said. Everyone nodded, looks of determination in their eyes. Everyone, that is, except for Magus. He continued to stare out the window into the mid-summer sky, unaware of anything else for a moment.
Suddenly, he shivered. The Black Wind cried in despair, the chilling sound of it cut the great Magus to the core. And as he looked into the darkening clouds on the horizon, he knew a storm was coming. A storm far more than one of weather. A storm of death. He tightened his resolve, his fist clenching silently in his cloak.. He would show them what the man called the Magus could do. The very gates of hell would not stand against him, not this time. His sister would be found and safe, and he would annihilate anyone who got in he way. He laughed softly into the howling wind, as thunder rumbled and lightning split the sky against the last rays of the evening sun.