A long time ago, in a universe far different than our own...
There was Aslan...
There was the White Witch...
And there was Narnia.
From the same lunatic who brought you Operation ArchAngel, Hellfire Paradox, and a lot of other fanfics, comes my first ever Chrono Trigger fanfic...
CHRONO TRIGGER: The Narnia Chronicles
Disclaimer: I don't own Crono, Marle, Lucca, Frog (I'm using his human name in this fic), Magus, Alya, Spekkio, or any of the other characters or concepts from the Chrono Trigger video game. I'll list those few characters that I do own, as well as who owns everything else, at the end of the fic.
Chapter 1- An Old Foe
It had been nearly five weeks since Magus, Crono, Marle, Lucca, Glenn, and their mysterious guide Evesca had set out aboard the Dawn Treader, headed for the uncharted lands of the White Witch. Five weeks proved to be a long time for even a large ship like the Dawn Treader to go without supplies. To everyone's relief, Lucca had quickly spotted a nearby group of large islands about two days before food rations ran out, and the Dawn Treader quickly made it's way towards the islands in search of food and fresh water supplies.
Upon arrival, though, the crew was shocked to discover-
"It's covered in snow!" Lucca exclaimed, looking through her telescope. "All the islands are totally white!"
"If we needed any more indication that we've entered the White Witch's territory," Evesca stated. "We just got it."
"What are the chances of our finding food upon these snow-ridden islands?" Glenn inquired.
"Well, let's put it this way." Lucca said, folding up her telescope. "It's not going to be the tropical fruits and bubbling streams that we were hoping for. We'll probably have to hunt for whatever we want to eat and then freeze-dry what we'll use for supplies, and boil water from frozen streams."
"Well, what choice do we have?" Marle stated. "It's better than starving to death."
The ship put down anchor just beyond the island's shore, and most everyone rowed to shore in a few small boats. Evesca, Marle, and a few of the dryads opted to stay on the Dawn Treader, and meanwhile everyone else went ashore. Just as Lucca had predicted, the islands were covered in snow and freezing winds to the point where Lucca had to Fire a path through the ice curtain that separated the ocean and the island's shores. When at last the rowboats did arrive ashore, everyone helped drag them all the way onto the snow-covered shore, in case the water would freeze around the boats and leave the landing parties stranded. Everyone wore heavy winter gear, except Magus, who stubbornly preferred to fight the cold on his own terms.
"We should split up into groups of two." Lucca suggested. "Each group should have at least one person with a long-range weapon, in case we spot any non-talking animals we can use for food." So she quickly divided the groups up: she and Magus would go in search of food, along with Glenn and Crono, two dwarf with crossbows serving as their hunting partners. The rest of the dwarfs and dryads would search for drinking water towards the center of the island while the hunting groups stayed halfway between the middle of the island and the shore. Magus stated that he'd much rather go on his own, but Lucca told a quick story about a man who froze to death because he didn't have a trail partner, and although Magus reluctantly agreed he also mentioned that it was an unnecessary precaution for someone as powerful as him. "OK, let's go." Lucca instructed. "Everyone meet back at the rowboats before sunset or we might get lost."
The groups parted ways in search of their various tasks and soon enough Lucca and Magus could only barely see the shore past the snow-whitened branches of the trees. Magus was silent most of the time, but not Lucca. She had questions to ask him.
"Hey Magus," She inquired suddenly. "I couldn't help but notice that... well... you look at Evesca a little different than the rest of us."
Magus decided to act like he hadn't heard that comment.
"You like her, don't you?"
Still silent.
"Aw, C'mon Magus. You can't kid a kidder; I've seen the way you look at her. So tell me, are you two an item or what?"
"She reminds me of Schala, that's all." Magus stated in a low voice.
"Well I don't believe that. I think you like her." Lucca pressed.
"Think what you want, it has no effect on me." Magus returned, turning and looking away from Lucca.
'I knew it!' Lucca thought to herself. 'He's blushing! He does like her! Wait till' I tell Crono and Marle about-"
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as five yellow spheres of energy plowed into the ground nearby, sending snow and ice flying as they exploded against the tundra. Magus and Lucca quickly turned to see a shadowed figure standing on the branch of a nearby pine, evidently the source of the exploding spheres. He was a little hard to make out under the shadows of the many pine branches over his head, but it was evident enough that he wore some kind of large cape that draped around to in front of his shoulders, covering his hands and arms.
Magus, however, was easily able to identify the figure.
"Dalton!!" He exclaimed, to Lucca's surprise. Magus whipped out his scythe as Lucca leveled her blaster.
"So, you finally came after me, have you prophet?" Dalton mused. With one leap he jumped off the thick branch he'd been standing on, his cape thrown about by wind as he fell through the dead, frozen air. He landed accompanied by a light crunching of snow. "Out to destroy me, the last of the royals of Zeal? Just like your accursed prophecies destroyed the Queen, the Ocean Palace, and my beautiful Blackbird? Well, you'll find that it'll take more than you to take me down, scum."
"You braindead idiot!" Magus mused with a slight smirk. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"
"What, that you have sworn to destroy Zeal to further your own powers? Well, you may have gotten the rest of the kingdom, but you won't get me without a fight."
"Excuse me, but do you have any clue where you are??" Lucca inquired.
"Dalton-Imperium island, where else?" Dalton stated scornfully.
"You are a capitol L loser." Lucca said blandly.
"Shut up and die!" Dalton shouted, dashing at Magus. Not the smartest thing he ever did; Magus quickly caught him in the chest with a kick, sending the ego-bent aviator into the snow.
"You're very clueless." Magus stated blandly. He walked over and yanked Dalton up by his hair, Dalton thrashing about in pain. "Time to set you straight, moron. To start with, I happen to be the grown-up version of Janus, but you can call me Magus. Second, you're not in our world anymore, you're on a planet named Narnia. Thirdly, I'd like to know just how you got here, if it's not an inconvenience to 'your royal highness'."
"Why you lying-!" Dalton shouted in rage, a sphere of yellow energy forming in one fist. He brought the blast to bear on Magus like a punch, slamming him square in the face and causing Magus to drop him to the ground. "You couldn't possibly be Janus, and what the heck is a Narnia? Not like it'll matter much once I get my revenge on you two and then all your little friends."
"Oh just shut up." Lucca said, tossing a Mega Bomb at Dalton. Dalton dodged, but the force of the bomb sent all the snow from the tree above him right down onto his head. Half buried in snow, Dalton quickly ceased to be a problem as Magus added an Ice 2 attack to the mix, yielding a very frustrated Dalton-on-ice. "That oughta chill that hot temper of yours, Dalton. Now, as a scientist, I can't help but wonder how you got here from our world in the first place."
"How do you think I got to this forsaken island?" He fumed, thrashing futilely against his arctic bonds. "I landed here after I got thrown off the Aero-Dalton Imperial, how else? Now let me go!"
"He means he was battling us for the Epoch when he got thrown off from calling up his own Golem Boss." Lucca added, and Magus nodded in understanding. Lucca rested her chin on her spare hand. "I wonder if somehow some interaction between the Epoch's time-warp fields and Dalton's powers caused a dimensional trans-warp rift of some type...?"
Dalton looked at her blankly.
"Mind saying that again, in English?"
"It means you're in another universe, moron." Magus stated. "Welcome to Narnia."
After much convincing and a demonstration of Magus's Dark Matter attack, Dalton agreed to lead the group to his meager, but 'royal', cave shelter. It was really well hidden; had they been looking for it without Dalton they'd likely never have found it to begin with. Dalton led them inside, then gave the grand tour: a bed made of animal skins, some food supplies, and a self-drawn portrait of himself with the Blackbird in the background. It looked like Rembrandt or Di Vinci could have drawn it. Magus muttered something about Dalton having too much free time on his hands, and Dalton returned that he was a masterful artist back in Zeal and deserved the picture "In memory of the Blackbird."
"Not bad." Lucca stated. "I'd swear it was an original Van Gogh." She turned from the picture and looked at the nearby racks of meat and food. "Dalton, you think you could help us get some supplies? The Dawn Treader ran out a few days ago."
"Why would I want to help the bunch of you?!" Dalton laughed, then got serious. "OK, so if I understand you right, we're in some other universe, and you're all headed westward to do... what?"
Magus and Lucca exchanged a brief look: 'Maybe it's better not to tell him about the Witch.'
"We're searching for Schala." Magus stated. "I have reason to believe she's still alive, and if she is I have to find her."
"Oh really?" Dalton waved it off. "Whatever. If you want me to help you, it's gonna cost you."
"Cost us what?" Lucca inquired.
"To start with, tell me everything about this Narnia place. After that, I'll need to think about the rest of the payments for a while."
"You can forget about getting the Epoch." Lucca inserted quickly.
"You can have your precious little toy. If this is another universe, there should be plenty else for me to occupy myself with." He grinned a little.
So Lucca sat down and told him about Narnia, Calormene, the Dawn Treader, Evesca, and also what little they knew about Aslan. Dalton listened in silent thought, his hand rested on his chin. Magus stood in a corner, one hand ever on his scythe should Dalton make one false movement. Lucca expertly avoided any mention of the White Witch, just in case, and Dalton never suspected that she was hiding anything from him. When she was done filling Dalton in, he stood up and turned to look out the cave entrance at the barren snowy wasteland that stretched to the island's limits.
"Civilization..." He thought out loud. "Somewhere free of this bleak barrenness. For months I've been trying to find a way to get off this island, but I didn't know if there was anywhere left to go to." He spun around quickly, slight desperation visible in his expression despite the patch over his left eye. "Alright, let's make a deal. I'll show you where I get my food supplies and fresh water if you'll agree to take me with you on your journey."
"You mean you'll help us?" Lucca asked.
"If we're gonna be on the same ship, then your survival is my survival." Dalton stated. "Of course I'm gonna help you, but once we find out about Schala, you drop me off at that Narnia place. Agreed?"
"And what would you do when you got there?" Magus questioned.
"How should I know?? All I wanna do is get off this snowball; I've had as much winter as I can stand!!!"
Lucca and Magus exchanged another short glance. Dalton was being truthful, that much was obvious.
"Agreed." Lucca stated.
The next three days was filled with activity. Dalton led the groups to special spots on the island where the hunting was best, mostly fishing spots where strange Narnian varieties that radiated gentle heat swam through the half-ice waters and streams, and showed them a freshwater spring buried in the middle of a frozen over lake. Lucca proved to be especially skilled at catching what few animals roamed the island, mostly birds that she shot down with special darts, but found herself outdone when Magus used Ice 2 to freeze and entire flock of birds in mid-flight. Crono and Glenn proved to be pretty good fishers, and after a while Magus started to tease Glenn about 'fishing for other amphibians'. After three days of hard work, the landing parties had brought aboard so much food that it would probably last the Dawn Treader the rest of the journey. Dalton's knowledge of the island's resources had proved to be an invaluable asset, and even though Crono warned everyone in private that he was not to be completely trusted under any circumstances, it seemed for the most part that living alone on a snow-plagued island for months all alone had made Dalton truly desperate for any kind of civilization.
"So, you're Evesca." Dalton said as Glenn introduced the two. "Strange I don't remember you from Zeal."
"As I recall it, you never accepted my father's invitation to meet me on several different occasions." Evesca stated promptly, cutting Dalton to the quick. "Yet who in Zeal didn't know about Dalton and his Blackbird." She turned his back to him. "And as I remember correctly, it was you who imprisoned my father."
Dalton, blushing from embarrassment, decided that was definitely a good moment to go check the cargo holds. Evesca watched him go from over her shoulder. Magus stood nearby, glaring at Dalton in similar fashion.
So after three days, the Dawn Treader was on the move once again, and this time with a brand new crew member.
It would only be a matter of time before they reached the kingdoms of the White Witch.
Chapter 2- Surprise Attack
Days and weeks passed without event, the Dawn Treader sailing over steel-blue waves beneath cold grey skies. Magus still handled the night watch solo, occasionally joined by Evesca. Dalton, if you ignored his pride, turned out to be rather useful, helping Lucca to chart the areas they'd encountered so far for later mapmaking. Which freed Lucca up to do her most recent set of experiments: testing the different members of the team's powers and charting the increase in energy output over time. After about six more weeks of sailing, the Dryads began to get worried, but most of the dwarfs remained unemotional through most of the trip.
Then the storm hit.
Hurricane winds crashed down upon the Dawn Treader mercilessly from all directions, throwing bullets of rain down with it. The waves beneath the Dawn Treader crashed upon it's sides with the force of comets, sending sprays of water across the deck. Lightning flashed, once off in the distance, then up so close that Magus had to shield his eyes from it's brightness. Everyone rushed around on deck, panic-stricken, as the sails were lowered and the anchor dropped. It had all come out of practically nowhere, and it seemed like the storm just continued to get stronger and more violent.
But Magus could feel something about the storm that no one else on the ship could. He knew this feeling, knew it well, although it had never ever come on this strong...
"It's the dark wind!!" Magus shouted to everyone nearby, bracing himself against the rail on the side of the ship, his cape thrown violently about behind him. "I've never felt it this powerful; this is no ordinary storm!!"
"It must be the White Witch!!" Evesca shouted in reply. "Only she could call this up!!"
"But how do we stop it?!!" Crono shouted, trying hard to be heard over the sheering winds.
"... We only have one hope!!" Magus shouted in reply after a moment's silence. "Throw everything we can at it!! Maybe that will stop it!!"
"But then we'll be blown into the storm too!!" Lucca shouted, emerging from below deck.
"We don't have a choice!!!" Magus shouted as the winds intensified even further. "Fine!!! If you're all too cowardly, I'll have to do it myself!!"
"Janus, no!!!!" Evesca exclaimed in desperation as Magus let go of the rail and was instantly picked up and thrown skyward, grabbing the corners of his cape and using it to catch the wind like a parachute.
"Magus!!!!" Glenn exclaimed as Magus vanished from view.
"Is he crazy?!!" Crono exclaimed out loud.
Long moments passed, the wind and rain and waves still smashing forcefully against the ship and crew. Then suddenly, to everyone's instant surprise, the wind switched directions, nearly tearing everyone from their handholds. Half a second later, both the clouds and some parts of the far-off sheets of rain all began to be sucked together towards one single dot in the distance... as if drawn in by some kind of...
...Black Hole.
"He is crazy." Crono laughed. "Thank God."
Suddenly, a hundred shadowed, winged forms emerged from the quickly disappearing layers of clouds. Everyone gasped in surprise; were these creatures responsible for creating that storm??!
"What the-!" Marle exclaimed, moments before one of the creatures hurtled a lightning bolt from it's hands downwards at the Dawn Treader. The surge of pure power struck with precision accuracy, punching a pencil-think hole through the hull of the ship and causing a small geyser to erupt up through the hole. Crono and Glenn instantly drew their swords, Lucca pulled out her blaster, and Marle leveled and loaded her crossbow. More lightning bolts began raining down, but to everyone's sudden surprise Evesca rushed to the front of the ship and threw her arms wide, sending out an invisible energy shield that sent the bolts bouncing harmlessly away.
"Evesca?! How did you-" Lucca exclaimed, but Crono cut her off.
"We can ask her later!" Crono instructed. Lucca nodded, and with a glance of silent communication Crono, Marle, and Lucca unleashed the power of their Delta Force attack, forming a glowing yellow, blue, and red triangle in-between them that erupted out searing blasts of energy into the sky eliminating nearly half the black gargoyles before their energy ran out. Glenn leapt to the offensive, and as more lightning bolts and blasts of ice and water exploded violently against Evesca's shield barrier he unleashed a Water 2, sending up huge geysers of water from all across the nearby ocean to strike the gargoyles with intense aquatic fury. Crono, regaining his strength for a moment, let loose a Lightning 2 attack that knocked out most of the rest. As the remains of the massive army of gargoyles fled into the distance, Evesca's hands dropped and the rest of her followed shortly after, collapsing to the deck in sheer exhaustion. Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Glenn, as well as a few Dryads and Dwarfs who weren't busy trying to repair lightning damage immediately rushed over to Evesca as she struggled just to be able to breathe.
"Evesca?! What's wrong? Are you OK?" Marle exclaimed.
"Does she look OK to you?" Inquired a voice from the opposite side of the ship. Crono turned to see Magus materialize near the opposite rail, then quickly rush over to Evesca. "Her energy's exhausted; she put everything she had into protecting the ship from sinking. We should get her below deck and give her a chance to rest."
"How do you know that??" Lucca asked.
"Because," Magus said, hoisting Evesca up using his shoulder. "My sister used it once to protect an Earthbound village from an avalanche. Now could somebody help me carry her down below?"
Lucca quickly lifted Evesca's other side on her shoulder, and the two began to carry Evesca towards the below-deck rooms.
Suddenly, their task was interrupted as an ear-shattering shriek erupted from below the waves. Everyone spun in surprise and shock to see a massive creature, long like a cobra or an anaconda, with small fins that were by comparison like the legs of a centipede jutting out all over it's body, burst out of the surface of the ocean with a huge spray of water. For a minute it glowered down at the ship, then threw it's head towards the sky and roared, showing it's razor-sharp lines of teeth. Then, in one fluent motion, it lunged downward at the ship, it's mouth open wide. No one even had time to brace for impact as it shot like a bullet down at the Dawn Treader.
Suddenly, an object like a giant metallic sphere crashed down from above, nailing the sea serpent square between the eyes and sending it crashing back into the ocean harmlessly, except for a spray of water which washed over the deck. All eyes spun to see Dalton standing nearby, arms folded stubbornly and a smirk on his face.
"So, do I at least get a thank-you for saving your lives?" He inquired pridefully, his ego drastically showing.
Crono decided to ignore him for the moment, sending a Lightning 2 attack surging into the water below. Not seconds later, a muffled, bubbled sound emerged from the deep, accompanied by a rush of bubbles and foam from far below the surface. Everyone sheathed their weapons as Dalton continued to smirk at his own cleverness.
After about two hours, Evesca slowly opened her eyes. Magus was sitting nearby, along with Marle and Dalton. She groaned as she felt an intense pounding in her head, and as she began to sit up she recognized a moist cloth draped over her forehead. Magus and Marle quickly looked over when they heard her groan, wheras Dalton turned his head only just enough to display an obnoxious smirk.
"Don't move too quickly." Marle instructed, walking over to her side. "You collapsed back there and we brought you in here so you could rest."
"The ship... the storm..." She sat up slightly. "What happened?"
"You've been out for four hours." Marle stated. "We've all been really worried about you."
"Your energy barrier protected the ship." Magus added. "The damages have been repaired."
"Hey, don't *I* get a little credit here?" Dalton gloated. "I mean, if not for my split-second timing and impressive powers, that sea serpent would've-"
"Could you put a cork in it?" Marle grumbled under her breath. "All you've done since coming aboard is gloat, gloat, gloat. Do you EVER think about somebody besides yourself??"
"Is THAT the thanks I get for saving both the ship and your lives???"
"Put a cork in it already." Marle and Evesca grumbled at the same time.
"Sheesh!" Dalton muttered, standing up and heading for the door. "If any of you ingrates need me, I'll be on deck, watching out for other sea dragons."
He slammed the door closed behind him, much to everyone's relief. Magus and Marle turned their attention back to Evesca, Marle taking the damp cloth and submerging it in a bowl of nearby cold water before reapplying it.
"You want something to eat? You're probably famished." Marle inquired.
"Thanks, that would be nice." Evesca smiled weakly.
Marle nodded, then stood up and left. Evesca looked into Magus's face and, for the first time, saw slight confusion and inquiry in his usually-cold features. He almost seemed to be... no, she told herself, he couldn't possibly know. But as she looked into those ever-familiar eyes, she couldn't help but wonder. Finally, after a long moment, Magus turned his back and looked out the open door up to on deck.
"...There's something troubling you, Janus?" She inquired.
Magus sighed deeply, then closed the door.
"How did you know that technique?" He inquired, not making eye contact.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm saying you're not all you've been letting on." He spun to face her. "You may be a Zealean, and you may even have been related to the Gurus, . . . but only one person I've ever encountered knows how to use Moonlight Barrier." His eyes, for the first time she'd ever seen, showed an emotion that seemed altogether out of place on his features. The unmistakable expression of shattered trust. "Who... and what... are you really? Don't lie to me, Evesca. . . . if that is your real name."
She looked into his eyes until his gaze forced a tear from her eyes. She looked away in disappointment, upset and distraught at the pain she'd caused him. And by the secret she carried.
"I'm sorry, Prince Janus. I cannot tell you that."
"Why??" He demanded, shattered emotions combined with anger. "What secret are you hiding, Evesca??? Tell me, what's so important! If you do think I'm some kind of prince, then tell me!!"
"I wish I could, but I can't!!!" She shouted, tears streaming from her eyes. "It would only put both of us in danger! Please, you must believe me, Janus!"
There was another long moment of unbearable silence. Then Magus turned and opened the door, stopping and looking at her over his shoulder halfway through the doorway.
"Why should I?" Magus retorted sharply. He walked quickly out of sight, pushing past Marle as she returned with a bowl of soup.
"What was that all about?" Marle inquired as she stood in the doorway.
Evesca could only cry in response, tears streaming down her face.
Magus looked out at the night-set ocean, a deeply troubled expression visible on his features. Here, in the White Witch's side of the world, the ocean at night no longer had that breathtaking, gem-like luster to it; now it had become an endless current of off-grey, and the Narnian stars hidden behind a perpetually darkened sky, like as if someone had put a black barrier in-between the Dawn Treader and the sky above. Both of these factors, plus the frigid temperatures, made this part of Narnia unbearably cold and dead-looking. But Magus didn't care.
For the first time in his life, for the first time since Zeal fell, he'd felt that he'd actually found someone he could confide in, someone he could open up to even if just the slightest bit. But that illusion was shattered. 'Evesca,' He thought to himself. 'Why? Why won't you just tell me??'
She hadn't done any wrong to him, he knew that to be true. She had only used her powers to protect the ship, . . . but just the fact that she could use Moonlight Barrier . . . try as he might, Magus couldn't even explain it to himself. When he'd felt the energy from it, he'd instantly jumped to the conclusion that Schala had used it. In a rush of hope he'd used his powers to teleport him back aboard the ship, only to find that it had been Evesca, not Schala, who had used the power. What went through his mind at that moment not even he could fully explain or understand, . . . he knew it didn't make sense, but he'd almost felt as if . . . Evesca was trying to somehow take Schala's place by becoming her,... or something. His thoughts hadn't been rational, and he realized now that he'd hurt her feelings for what was probably no good reason . . . but now that she'd acknowledged that she was hiding something, should he trust her? He sighed deeply as he looked down into the monotone oceans.
"Magus?"
He looked over his shoulder to see Lucca and Marle standing behind him, both looking like they wanted to talk to him. 'It's about Evesca.' He guessed, and with a slight sigh he turned and looked at them.
"What do you want?" He asked bruskly, trying to sound annoyed to hide what he was really thinking about.
"What do you think??!!" Marle returned, hiding no tone of irritated anger. "I don't know what you said to Evesca, but she's been in there crying on and off for hours!!"
"That's none of your business." He replied. "Now I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone."
"Oh no, you're not getting off that easy!" Marle demanded. "You'd better start talking, Magus, or I'll-"
"You'll what?" Magus returned, spinning to face them. "Did it occur to you just who you're talking to?"
"I'm not scared of you, Magus." Marle replied, fists glowing lightly with neon blue light. "Now what did you say to Evesca?!"
Lucca gently tapped Marle on the shoulder.
"Perhaps I should handle this." Lucca suggested. "Fighting won't solve anything, and besides which you might sink the ship. That would be a real shame, considering the length to which Evesca went to protect it."
Marle, suddenly seeing that Lucca had a good point, gave Magus a brief look and then walked away.
"You owe her an apology, Magus!" Marle shouted as she went below deck.
Magus turned and looked back out at the ocean. Lucca came up quietly alongside him.
"She's right you know." She stated. "She may have a violent way of saying it, but-"
"Evesca is not to be trusted." Magus interrupted. That statement seemed to stun Lucca somewhat, confusion showing behind her large reflective glasses.
"Why do you say that?"
"It's complicated. Besides, I thought I made it clear I didn't want to talk to anyone right now."
"Well, you at least owe us some kind of explanation." Lucca stated, arms folded stubbornly. "You can't just leave her crying herself to sleep and not tell us why."
"I see no reason why not."
". . . If you'd said that to me even just three months ago, I might have believed you." Lucca stated. "But during this trip, even despite your consistent silences and cold shouldering, I've seen a side of you that I never thought I'd see." She was silent for a long moment. "It's not hard to tell that she likes you, Magus, although when you treat her like this I can't for the life of me figure out why. Why can't you just show her that you care too?"
"You think this happened because of romance?" Magus almost seemed to laugh at the idea.
"Or lack thereof." Lucca muttered.
"... Fine, if you're going to be stubborn about it." Magus took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. "The attack she used to protect the Dawn Treader is called Moonlight Barrier. The only person in Zeal who knew that was my sister Schala; not even my mother could use it." He paused again for a moment. "When I confronted her about it, I found out she's hiding something from us."
"What? What could she possibly be hiding?"
"She wouldn't tell me. She said it would only put us both in danger." He sighed deeply. "What is she hiding from us? Why?"
Lucca turned and looked into his face. His eyes revealed several emotions all at once: he was deeply troubled, confused, betrayed somehow,... and something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Chapter 3- Landing
Almost seven weeks after leaving Narnia, the Dawn Treader at last arrived upon the mainland shores of the White Witch's land. Everything for as far as the eye could see was bleak, barren white, and a continual wind howled in from the west, nearly forcing the Dawn Treader from being able to make landfall. As the rowboats landed ashore, everyone was stunned anew with the dead, coldness of the arctic-like wasteland. Even the ground was flat as far out as the horizon, creating an otherworldly effect that not even Magus could completely shake free of.
And there was something else Magus couldn't ignore, too.
"The black wind..." He suddenly stated out loud. "It's practically everywhere, the whole continent. And it feels even stronger towards the northwest."
"I feel it too." Evesca stated, shaking slightly. "There's no questioning it; we're in the White Witch's realm now."
"The very snow doth wreak of evil enchantments." Glenn stated. "And such cold! I've never felt the equal."
"Black wind? What are you talking about?" Dalton inquired.
"Magus's way of saying he's picking up dark energy." Lucca explained, clutching her heavy fur cloak tight. "Or something like that anyway."
"Whatever." Dalton waved it off. "Quick question, though. Who's this White Witch?"
Magus and Lucca exchanged glances.
"The cruelest, backstabbing tyrant that ever lived." Schala replied. "She sent that storm that nearly destroyed the Dawn Treader."
"Oh." Was Dalton's reply.
"Come on. She's likely towards the northwest." Magus stated.
"Yeah, but let's keep our guard up." Crono stated. "There's no telling what she- what the heck-!!"
Suddenly, the ground began to shake and a fierce gust began to kick up snow everywhere in random spirals and pillars. Not moments later, only seconds from the beginning of the earthquake, six huge, thick pillars of snow erupted nearby with a sound like an explosion. Magus shielded his eyes with his cape, scythe ready in his other hand. Then suddenly his eyes went wide.
Sudenly, the black wind changed. He knew this feeling. He knew what would, moments later, erupt out of the tundra where those pillars of explosion now stood. He knew what would, with one look at him and the others, send huge poisonous spears spiraling down on them from above like rain.
Lavos Spawns.
(To be continued . . . don'tcha just love cliffhangers?)
The characters I own!
Evesca
Who owns everything else!
C.S. Lewis:
Narnia
Aslan
The White Witch
King Rilian
The Dawn Treader
Calormene
Squaresoft:
Crono
Marle
Lucca
Glenn
Magus
Lavos
The Masamune
Schala
Author's entry:
Houston, we have a problem! Run and hide!! Brace for impact!! The next part of Chrono Trigger: The Narnia Chronicles takes our heroes into the heartland of the White Witch's territory, and it ain't gonna be easy to stay alive for long. What is Evesca's secret? What will it take to defeat both Lavos and the White Witch? (Hehehe!) You'll just have to wait around until part 3 comes out if you wanna find out. In the meantime, I highly recommend you check out this awesome site www.eternalstudios.com. I think you'll be amazed. Anyway, (takes a bow) until part 3, ladies and gents! So long!