Disclaimer: Crono Trigger is *gasp!*....not mine. If it were, this wouldn't be fanfiction, now would it?
A/N: AAAAAHHHHH!!! I'm SO sorry! I haven't updated in like three months! *Hides* Please don't hurt me! I would give excuses, but they'd mostly consist of being kidnapped by rabid college applications so....you probably wouldn't believe me anyways. Just pretend I'm Glenn in the beginning here, talking to all of my readers, instead of Marle, okay? Glenn=me, the author. Marle=you, the WONDERFUL reader. Got that? Good. Now onto Chapter Twelve! Until next time! ~CronoCat =^_^=
~~What Happened Last~~
--Magus sighed deeply. "I regret this most deeply. But if the two of you won't cooperate..." He muttered a few strange words and suddenly, Crono and Marle found themselves bound together by some invisible bonds. Back-to-back, they stood, barely balancing, leaning against the table. With another wave of his hand, Magus gagged the two. Lucca watched, emotionless, apparently oblivious to the great betrayal her friends felt deeply.
"Come, Lucca," Magus said simply. "With these two out of the way, I may finally carry out what was started so many chapters ago."
With that, they turned and left the dining hall.
~~~
Chapter Twelve: Not THIS Again!!
As soon as Magus had exited with Lucca, Glenn dashed into the dining hall. With a wail of despair, he threw himself at Marle's feet. "Forgive me, milady!" He cried, from where he was lying prostrate on the ground. "I hath failed to protect Your Majesty yet again! 'Twould be best mayhap, if thou didst banish me into exile. I am nary a hero. Perish the thought! Shall I impale myself upon mine own sword?" He reached for it and let out another long cry of despair. "I did forget. I hath lost mine precious sword! Nary, nary a hero am I. I dost not deserve thy grace and goodwill. I should die a thousand deaths from the shame I hath brought to thy good name."
Marle blinked. "Glenn? Is it...really you? Oh, Crono!" She squealed, "We found Glenn! Won't Lucca be prou--" Marle stopped abruptly, remembering that now Lucca was marrying Magus. They couldn't be best friends anymore. Lucca had even tried to stop Magus from tying them up. A sob escaped her lips.
"There, there," Crono said, as comfortingly as he could, despite his inability to move.
"I shall never forgive myself! I hath let my guard down and let that blue-haired CRETIN kidnap me! Oh, I am so ashamed!" Glenn went on pitifully.
"Say, Glenn... I know how you could make it up to us," Crono said gently.
Glenn looked up tearfully. "How?"
"Well," Crono took a deep breath. "SAVE US, YOU BLUBBERING MORON!!"
Glenn wiped his face, saluted and promptly set to work, tugging with all his might at the magic, invisible ropes that held his friends captive.
***
In the cells that lay almost directly below our three heroes, Ganondorf lay in complete darkness. Still stunned by this sudden turn of events that had led to him being kept captive, he stared wistfully out into the dungeon.
"Magus? Are you out there?" He called cautiously. No one answered. In fact, there was no sound at all, save for the unsteady dripping of water from somewhere. "Damn plumbing! I'll have to get that fixed..." he muttered to himself.
He rattled the bars, softly at first, and then grew braver and began banging on them for all he was worth. "Hello? HELLO!" he yelled impatiently. Sighing dejectedly, Ganondorf threw himself down on the floor. "Don't they ever feed us in this joint? I'm starved! It's been years since I ate!" he cried dramatically, clutching his stomach and groaning, despite that fact that he had been locked up for only about twenty minutes. He continued putting on his theatrical production of groaning and murmuring that he was about die in case someone was standing nearby silently with food. Eventually, he promised himself, they would have to give in and feed him!
***
"Did you hear something?" Crono asked, holding out his one freed hand to motion that everyone should remain silent.
Marle tipped her head, listening. "No..."
"I did not," Glenn said, decidedly. He continued yanking Crono's other arm free.
Crono looked worried. "Really? I--ouch!" he cried, as Glenn gave his arm a particularly vicious yank.
"Just a bit farther," Glenn exclaimed, pulling with all his might. With a shout, Crono tumbled free and fell onto Glenn. The two warriors crashed to the ground, groaning in pain, but free at last.
"My, Glenn, what lovely eyes you have," Crono commented wryly, having landed directly on Glenn's chest.
Glenn smacked him away. "Get out of my face, knave, or thou shalt never see the light of day again!"
"Stop playing around and save me!" Marle hissed.
They both jumped up immediately and within minutes, Marle, too, was free.
"Well...what now?"
Marle pushed Crono aside. "Now we go and rescue Lucca, stupid!"
"But... What if Lucca actually wants to marry Magus?" Crono asked hesitantly.
"What?! Marry that creep?!" Marle screeched. With a smirk, she adjusted her crossbow. "You can't be serious. Lucca would never do that, never in a million years! Never, even if she was the last woman in this world--or any other world--and Magus were--"
"Okay, okay! I get the point!" Crono cried.
Glenn cleared his throat importantly. "If I may....?"
"Go ahead," Marle said with an impatient nod.
With that, Glenn proceeded to explain how he had been hiding and seen the whole thing. "Lucca had the sacred Masamune strapped to her back!" he went on sadly. "Oh, my beautiful sword! I shall rescue thee!"
Marle shook her head, confused. "But why would Lucca have the Masamune? She didn't take it from you, did she?"
"No, of course not! 'Twas that foul, blue-haired cretin, Magus. Of this, I am sure. But wait! I hath more strange things to tell thee. It came to me that Lucca had never seen the two of you...erm...together. 'Tis strange then, is it not, for her to say something about this?"
"Oh! Good point! You're a regular Sherlock Holmes, Glenn!" Crono cried jovially.
"Sherlock Holmes?" Glenn repeated. "Never mind. I have no time for thy stupidity and Peter Pan tales. 'tis best we went after our sworn enemy and stop him before it 'tis too late!" With a cry of, "we shan't let you escape this time, Magus! Oh, enemies of the heir, beware!" Glenn strode quickly out of the room.
"Crono, c'mon!" Marle yelped, grabbing his sleeve.
"Stupidity and Peter Pan indeed!" Crono grumbled, letting Marle drag him out of the grand dining hall.
***
The darkness of the room just beyond was overwhelming. Crono bumped into Glenn, letting out a quiet yelp of surprise. He was quickly shushed by both friends.
"Listen," Glenn commanded in a whisper.
In the distance, they could hear a faint sound.
"What is it?" Crono asked after a moment.
Marle took a step forward. "Won't know until we go and see, now will we?"
"Quite right," Glenn agreed, following her.
Crono found the back of Glenn's tunic in the dark. Holding on to it, he murmured, "do you suppose this is what it's like to be blind?"
"I can't see anything! Can't you sort of tell where light is coming from, even if you're blind?" Marle asked.
"Speaking of light..." Glenn said in a low voice. Ahead of them, one light on either side had switched on.
"Somehow, this makes it even eerier," Marle shuddered, grabbing Crono's arm.
The party moved slowly forward, the lights illuminating the way with every step.
Glenn scratched his head. "Something about this seems vaguely familiar, does it not?"
Crono readied his sword. "Is there some sort of path in the castle? How strange!"
"Listen!" Marle gasped, stopping in her tracks. The sound in the distance was growing louder.
"A...chant?" Crono asked curiously.
"Very familiar," Glenn said grimly. "Ah, if only I could remember!"
They resumed their cautious pace in silence. As Glenn wracked his brain in despair, the chanting grew louder.
"It's Magus," Crono announced suddenly, with great certainty.
Glenn shook his head, "I know I should remember!"
"But it doesn't sound like Magus...." Marle put in, ignoring Glenn.
They all listened for a moment. Then Crono nodded, "quite right, Marle. Quite right. Not to echo you, Glenn, old buddy, but I feel I should recognize that voice."
"Well, if it's not Magus, then who?" Marle asked quietly. "It does sound feminine, don't you agree?"
Glenn stopped dead in his tracks, causing the other two to stumble into him. He held up his hand, cutting off their complaints. "Dear Lord," he said, almost reverently, "it's Lucca! I'd know that voice anywhere!"
The wavering shadows cast a strange, eerie light on Glenn's features, revealing his shocked expression and open mouth frozen into a rather grotesque look. Crono's hair glowed neon orange, the fire reflected in his disbelieving eyes. Marle looked back and forth between her two friends, her eyes illuminated by unshed tears.
"L...Lucca?" she managed, blinking rapidly to hide her distress.
Glenn put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but words failed him. Even Crono remained silent, shaking his head
"I refuse to believe this!" Marle said fiercely, shaking Glenn's hand off and striding forward. The two warriors hurried after her, a step behind as a circle of lights on the floor lit up. Illuminated in the middle, hands raised up high, back turned on the stunned heroes, was Magus. For a moment, it was dead silent in the hall. Magus's cape fluttered.
Then...
"I knew it!" Glenn cried. "I knew this was too familiar to be a coincidence. You knave! You foul cretin!"
"You are mistaken," Magus said calmly, with a slight smirk. "I am not doing anything..." he stepped aside to reveal--
"LUCCA!!" Crono and Marle cried. She was facing the opposite direction, and did not turn when she heard her name called. She was, for perhaps the first time in years, not wearing her trademark helmet. Her friends had never seen her without it. But even more distressing was the hard glint of the Masamune's sharp tip, which was pointed straight up, and Lucca's two hands wrapped firmly around the hilt. Unmoving and unresponsive, she held it above her head.
"Carry on," Magus said, most definitely smirking now.
Lucca began to chant again, in that strange voice her friends didn't recognize.
"Lucca! What are you doing?" Crono cried, feeling a surge of panic that he couldn't explain.
All of a sudden, the ground began to shake. There was a loud rumbling noise and the very walls of the fortress seemed to sway.
"LUCCA!" Marle screamed, clutching Crono's arm for support.
Magus laughed manically. "Go ahead. Yell all you want!" he called above the noise. "She can't hear you now! Bwhahahahahahaha!"
"Stop her, Magus! Dost thou intend to bring this fortress and possibly this entire world to ruin just for the purpose of thy twisted need for revenge?!"
He turned on Glenn, fire in his eyes. "Surely you don't pretend to have no understanding of the feeling? It's too late, Glenn. You can't stop me now!"
"What's going on?" yelled the ever clueless Crono.
"I am feeling a most primal urge to sink to this foul mage's level, and carve his heart out with a spoon!" Glenn cried back.
"Oh." Crono blinked. "Thanks, Glenn. I guess that just about clears things up..."
"Unfortunately, I am out of spoons!" Glenn went on, ignoring him.
Marle rolled her eyes. "Very funny. For your information, Crono, I believe Magus is referring to Cyrus."
Glenn gritted his teeth angrily. "Ooh!" Crono said, finally beginning to understand. "But what is Lucca doing?"
Magus threw back his head, laughing even harder. "It's a shame you'll all die soon. You're stupidity amuses me," he gasped, pointing at Crono between fits of laughter.
"Oh yeah? Come over here and say that!" Crono cried.
Before the two could begin to fight, the ground rumbled again. A large space in front of Lucca began to glow blood-red. It was as if the very air were pulsating with energy and magic.
"It's as if...something big were trying to force its way through the fabric of this world," Marle gasped in Glenn's ear.
"Exactly," he said grimly.
Suddenly, everything fell into place for Crono. "Lavos," he said slowly.
Marle caught his eye, and sighed loudly. "Not this again!"
"Oh yes! And this time, I'll kill him forever! Come on, Lavos, old friend! I've been waiting a long time for this day!" Magus cried, readying his scythe. All attention turned to the crackling spot in the air. The light spilled through the cracks, bathing them all a blood-red hue. The three warriors watched apprehensively, as there was a resounding boom that echoed through that halls, and then a shape began to form more clearly in the middle. The summoning had worked and there in the light stood---
A/N: hehe...that was evil. *ducks flying vegetables* I've never done such a mean cliffhanger before. Don't hurt me! Now it's time for the final battle and I've got lots planned. Don't forget to review, and I won't forget to update!! I'm thinking I'll have that next chapter out by the beginning of next week. (Unbelievable, eh?) Oh, and the line about cutting people's hearts out with spoons was inspired by the movie Robinhood...you know, the serious one. The villains are so, well...flamboyant. Anyway, happy Thanksgiving everyone! ~CronoCat =^_^=
