Chapter 5: Horses and Hero Worship
The three of them were gathered together in the room that Marle and Lucca would be sharing for the night. They were having a discussion of sorts.
"They like each other. It's so obvious," Marle declared. She was lying on her stomach on the bed, her arms crossed on the headboard and her chin propped on them. "Can't you tell?"
Lucca, who was too logical-minded to understand romance (she basically thought of it as an aid to the continuation of the human species), shook her head. "What makes you think so?"
"Well, come on. Didn't you see how they were looking at each other?" Marle looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "They'd make a good couple."
Crono chuckled from where he was leaning, arms crossed, against the wall. "To be honest, I can't see either of them in a couple with anybody. Especially not Jack."
"I second that," Lucca declared.
"It's just that…" Marle's brow furrowed. "They don't know that they like each other."
Crono was doubtful. "How can they not know that? Wouldn't it be kind of obvious?"
"Some people," Marle said sagely, "Have trouble understanding and accepting their true feelings." She grinned. "It's sort of cute. They're both too shy to admit it. Maybe we could try to…"
"No!!!" Crono and Lucca interrupted in unison. Marle shrugged.
"Fine. I won't. They'll probably work it out on their own anyway."
~***~
The next morning started badly for Crono. First, he got the usual rude wake-up call from Marle, who chose to bounce on him. When he got his wits about him, he noticed that it was raining outside. When they went to the mess hall to eat breakfast, he found out that it was a very chilly rain. They were supposed to be traveling today – he hoped that their departure would be delayed until the rain was over. Marle had told him that they would be traveling on horseback. The prospect of riding horses was bad enough, but doing it in the rain was infinitely worse.
Ketiya stood up and waved to them when they entered the mess hall. She and Jack were sitting across from each other at one of the long tables. Crono, Marle and Lucca went to join them.
"Good morning!" Marle said pleasantly. "How are you today?"
"Great, thanks."
"Very well, thank you. Did you sleep well?"
Marle nodded. She looked around and noticed the sideboard where the food was laid out. "Oooh, breakfast! I'm starved!" she giggled and trotted off to get something to eat.
Crono loved Marle, but she was way too much of a morning person. He had to keep telling himself that he would get used to it eventually.
Lucca went off to get breakfast too, but Crono didn't join them immediately. "Are we still on for today?" he asked.
"You mean traveling? Yes," Ketiya answered. Crono felt quite miserable. "It's an awful day, I know, but we need to get there quick. And it won't be so bad, you'll be riding this time." Crono didn't think it would be nice to tell her that he'd rather walk, no matter how far or how rough the terrain.
Breakfast that morning was milk, porridge and fruit. Crono barely tasted it. All he could think about was how wet and chilly he was going to get, and how sore he would be after hours on a horse.
Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time they were done with breakfast, so it was just chilly and overcast. Crono, Marle, Lucca and Jack gathered by the gate while Ketiya went to get their horses. The captain of the fort bid them farewell and gave them her good wishes. Then it was time to be off.
Marle and Ketiya sprang into their respective saddles with the skill of much practice. Lucca didn't have too much trouble either. Crono hadn't been able to imagine Jack riding a horse, but once the warrior was on horseback he seemed to fit there perfectly. With a sigh, Crono put one foot in the horse's stirrup and his hands on the saddle, then hauled himself up and nearly fell over the opposite side of the horse. He was now more or less folded over it, bent at the waist with his head near one stirrup and his feet near the other and no idea how to get himself sorted out.
Jack rode up to him and gently but efficiently maneuvered Crono into the proper sitting position. Crono, red-faced with embarrassment, thanked him, got his feet in the stirrups and took hold of the reins. The gates opened and Ketiya led the way out on her gray mare. The soldiers waved to them and called their goodbyes – Marle, Lucca and Ketiya waved back to them, and Jack saluted, but Crono was too worried about falling off the horse to make any unnecessary moves.
Ketiya brought them around the outer wall of the fort to another path, somewhat wider than the one they had come in by. Then they were back among the trees, and Crono felt the eyes on him again. Between the horse and the watching woods, he was feeling more embarrassed than he had ever imagined possible.
"Loosen up a little, Crono," Marle advised. He looked to his left, where she was riding alongside him. He'd been too preoccupied to notice.
"Easy for you to say," he grumbled. "It's not your first time on a horse."
Marle looked consternated. "Oh…I'm sorry, Crono. I didn't know. Umm…I'd give you a lesson, but it's not really a good time…" She looked at him sympathetically, then reached out and patted his shoulder comfortingly. He felt a little better.
Jack, who was riding just behind Crono, spoke up. "She is right. You will find it much easier if you relax."
Crono would have turned to look at the samurai, but turning his head sideways a bit was all he dared to do. "What?"
"Close your eyes for a few moments." Crono was a little doubtful about this bit of advice. "Trust me. This is how I first learned to ride."
All right, I'll give it a try, Crono thought, resigning himself. It was better than nothing. He closed his eyes.
"Now," he heard Jack say, "Feel how the horse is moving. If you move with it, you will feel more comfortable."
Crono didn't understand how that was supposed to work. But he did it anyway, listening to his horse's hoofbeats, feeling how it swayed slightly with each step. How it all fit together. He was surprised that he hadn't noticed it before. Now he understood why he was having such difficulty – although it was not a revelation that he could describe with words. The horse didn't feel so unbalanced anymore. Crono opened his eyes and smiled at Marle, who grinned back at him.
"All right! Now you've got it!" she congratulated him. Crono turned – carefully, because he still wasn't used to this whole riding business – and gave Jack the thumbs-up sign. Jack nodded sagely, with a little smile of satisfaction.
But Crono's elation was short-lived, because just then there was a rumble of thunder from the clouds above. A few moments later, the drizzle of earlier that morning started coming down again. Crono sighed and put up the hood of his cloak against the rain.
~***~
Over the walled town called Exan's Creek, the clouds were clearing out of the sky, revealing a majestic red sunset on the horizon. From the tops of the rune-carved stone walls, sentries watched the forest and the roads. One of them noticed a group of five riders coming up the road from the south; the one at the head of the group was dressed in a Ranger uniform. She had been here not long before, and the guards were expecting her, so the travelers did not have to wait long before the gates were opened to allow them in.
As soon as they entered, they became the center of attention for just about everyone on the street. Rangers were always objects of interest for imaginative children and ambitious youths, and the one leading this group was a human – the only human in history to serve among the Rangers. Her companions were also human, which was very unusual, for most of the people of Exan's Creek had never seen more than one or two non-aiewan at a time, if that. And the most interesting thing of all was the rider at the end of the group, who was wearing a white robe and sandals and wore an odd-looking sword sheathed at his hip. There were whisperings and mutterings in the crowd.
A little girl was the first to make the announcement. "It's Samurai Jack! It really is!" The mutterings and whisperings rose in volume. People began to cluster in around the horses – more specifically, the horse that the Samurai was riding. The Ranger and her companions were unable to make any progress through the crowd. One of the riders, a slender blonde-haired girl, laughed and whispered something to the red-headed boy beside her. He chuckled, grinned and nodded in response.
The little girl who had heralded Jack's arrival squeezed through the crowd and tugged on the hem of the warrior's robe. He was obviously quite uncomfortable already, and this had the effect of startling him. He looked down at the girl, who gazed right back up at him with adoration in her eyes. "You're my favoritest hero," she declared. The two regarded each other awkwardly for a few moments; then Jack smiled and reached down to pat the girl on the head. She grinned up at him.
It was then that the town guards came through and started pushing the crowds away from the riders. They arranged themselves around the column, so the whole affair took on the feel of a parade or military procession. The group was able to make its way down the street, until they reached the inn where the travelers were to spend the night.
Most of the townspeople went back to their tasks after a quarter of an hour (although gossip, speculation and rumor were rife now), except for the little girl, who stood at the opposite side of the street from the inn, peering at the second-story windows, hoping for a last glimpse of her favoritest hero. But even she departed not long after, when her mother found her just after sundown and took her back home, scolding all the way.
~***~
The inn was the best one in Exan's Creek. Ketiya, Jack and the three youngsters were the only guests tonight – Ketiya and the captain of the town's garrison, who had anticipated that Jack would attract a lot of attention, had arranged it beforehand. The travelers rode into the inn's courtyard, after which the great wooden doors were shut behind them, blocking out the crowd on the street.
Ketiya got off her horse and gave the reins to a stableboy to lead the animal away. She heard the clok of Jack's wooden sandals on the flagstones as he dismounted, then the sounds of Marle and Lucca jumping to the ground. Shortly thereafter she heard the unmistakable sound of someone falling to the ground in a heap – Crono. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, then turned around to see Marle and Lucca helping their friend to his feet.
"You should have waited for us to help you," Lucca admonished him. "I told you something like this would happen." Crono responded with a wince.
Some more stableboys rushed up to take the horses away. Ketiya turned to address the group. "All right, everyone. There's food and hot baths waiting for you inside. I have to report at the garrison. Try to stay out of trouble," she concluded with a grin. Jack nodded at her and Marle waved. Ketiya found the innkeeper as he was entering the courtyard and, with his help, found a side door leading onto an alley and exited that way, to avoid the crowd out front.
After what had happened on the way into the town, she was a little worried about how they were going to get out tomorrow morning. They would probably have to have an escort again. Getting out of enemy territory, she reflected, was always a problem, but she had never realized how difficult it could be to get out of friendly territory!
~***~
Although the sky was dark, the inn courtyard was well-lit by mirror-backed lanterns hung on the pillars. Most of the inn's staff were peeking out of the second-floor windows or watching from the courtyard's edges. Lucca was one of the former group, so she had a good view of what was going on.
Crono and Jack, each armed with a practice sword made from a bundle of wooden lathes, were dueling on the flagstones below. When the mock fight had begun five minutes ago, everyone had been certain that Jack would trounce his opponent in under a minute. But Crono was holding out surprisingly well, and now people were starting to lay bets on one or the other of the two combatants.
Lucca wasn't sure who would win this fight. Crono had started training with a sword at age six, and had won the National Junior Kendo Championship for two years running back home. And, as Lucca well knew, he was excellent at using a sword in combat as well. But Jack was by and large the more experienced of the two, and this wasn't a fencing match – they were fighting it out like a genuine life-or-death duel.
Most of the spectators were comparing the fighting styles of the respective duelists. The two young maids watching from the window adjacent to Lucca's were also making comparisons, but of a different sort.
"He doesn't look much like how I imagined," the shorter of the two said.
"What do you mean?" her companion asked.
"I mean he's a lot handsomer than I expected. I didn't think it was possible for a human man to be that attractive."
"Neither did I. But he's cuter than most of our men!" The two of them broke into a fit of giggles.
"The other one – Crono, right?" Her friend nodded. "He's pretty cute himself." If anyone had been looking at Lucca, they would have seen her eyes bug out at this. She hoped that Marle wasn't anywhere nearby, or there would be Trouble.
"You think so?" There was a pause. "Hmm. You're right." The two of them started giggling again.
"Think I could convince him to…"
"Don't even think about it." Lucca turned away from the window to look at the top of the stairs, where Marle was standing, glaring at the two maids. Lucca couldn't decide whether her tone of voice had been cold enough to freeze a steak or hot enough to cook it. Either way, it scared the color out of the maids' faces. They mumbled about having chores to do and made a hasty exit down the stairs, with Marle glaring scathingly after them.
"Who's winning?" Lucca was startled by Ketiya's voice – the Ranger had appeared, as if out of nowhere, at her left elbow.
"Hard to tell," Lucca answered, turning her attention to the fight again. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Marle walk over and take up a position on her other side.
"He looks like he's having a tough time," Marle remarked sympathetically as Crono barely dodged a downwards swipe.
"Hah!" Lucca exclaimed. "Are you kidding? He's as happy as a little kid in a candy store!" She perceived that Marle was looking at her oddly, so she turned towards her to explain. "Some kids play baseball or soccer for fun. Crono," she gestured in his direction, "Does this."
Marle looked out the window again with a thoughtful expression. In the courtyard below, things were starting to get very interesting indeed.
Jack and Crono spun away from each other and ended up on opposite sides of the courtyard. They stopped suddenly and faced one another, both in a crouch, each with his weapon at the ready. Lucca could see every detail – the way their shoulders heaved with exertion, the way the lamplight glistened on the trickles of sweat running down their faces, the same steely glint in Crono's green eyes and Jack's brown ones. The only sounds to be heard were the wind and her own blood pounding in her ears.
A short eternity passed; then the two duelists rushed at each other with loud battle cries that made Lucca jump in her skin. They met at the center of the courtyard and fought with renewed intensity, their practice swords moving too fast to follow. Crono seemed to gain the upper hand for a few moments, forcing Jack to retreat across the courtyard, but then the two of them ground to a halt and, slowly but inevitably, Jack began driving Crono backward.
"I think Jack's holding back on him," Ketiya commented. This got her a nasty glare from Marle, but as it turned out, she was right.
Crono tried to slash at Jack's legs, but he missed – without even jumping, it seemed, Jack had ended up in midair above Crono's head, his sword raised to strike when he came down. But Crono was not surprised. He brought his weapon up over his head just in time to block Jack's sword in mid-hack, then darted backward before his opponent could land. Marle crossed her arms and made a curt, satisfied nod. Ketiya whistled appreciatively.
As soon as Jack hit the ground, Crono brought his sword around in a slash, which Jack deflected. The samurai tried to stab at Crono, but his opponent dodged and he missed. Crono responded with a stab of his own, which turned out to be a mistake.
With a flick of his sword, Jack disarmed his opponent. Crono's weapon hit the ground and spun away. The tip of Jack's own practice sword was but an inch from his throat.
Then Jack withdrew his weapon and bowed, to the enthusiastic cheers of the audience. Crono returned his bow respectfully. Marle was already rushing down the stairs, so Lucca went to follow her. Down the stairs they went, past the tables in the common room, and right to the door, through which Marle bolted at a dangerous velocity. Lucca almost got hit by the door when it rebounded, and she went out more cautiously.
Marle pounced on Crono with affectionate enthusiasm and planted a kiss on his cheek. It didn't matter that he'd lost the duel – he'd put up one heck of a good fight, which was enough. He returned her embrace with a big smile, then saw Lucca and beckoned for her to come over, which she did. They shared a group hug together, lost their balance and ended up staggering around and giggling.
Lucca looked over her shoulder and saw Ketiya approach Jack. She smiled kindly and said something to him, but Lucca couldn't hear what it was. Jack nodded to his friend and they strolled to the door of the common room.
The three friends stepped back from each other. "That was great!" Marle exclaimed with a radiant smile. "I thought fights that good only happened in stories and stuff."