Chrono Trigger

CHAPTER 1

THE MILLENNIAL FAIR

The flock of seagulls flew through the sky, as they peered down at the shoreline below them. The waves crashed against the cliffs, sending a gentle spray of seawater into the air. This was the shoreline of northern Zenan, home of the kingdom of Guardia. The northern continent was still full of lush forests, and as hard as it was to believe it used to have even more forested land. Guardia Castle lay in the northwest of northern Zenan, surrounded by Guardia Forest. Tall mountains rose up out of all of northern Zenan, towering above the castle and the town of Truce, which was in the southeast of northern Zenan. Zenan Bridge, the hundreds of years old bridge, connected northern Zenan to the comparatively featureless southern Zenan.

Long ago, much of southern Zenan had become desert. Most humans placed the blame on the demon like mystics, but most mystics placed the blame on the careless humans. It was clear that tensions still remained from the war between mystics and humans that had taken place 400 years ago.

But little of this was on the mind of the humans now, for this day was the beginning of the Millennial Fair. The year was 1000 AD, and the humans were celebrating another thousand years of life. Truce was the center of activity now, as people from all over the world came there to celebrate. Being the most prosperous human territory, it was the one to hold this special event. The town usually enjoyed a peaceful way of life, as travel between villages was rare since they were so far apart and so little civilization lay between them. Between Truce and Porre, there was the vast Zenan Desert, and the wildlands of Guardia that lay by the castle and Truce. And they were the second closest towns in the world too, beaten only by Arni and Termina, in the very small El Nido Archipelago.

Now in the village of Truce, people were milling through the streets, and merchants from other territories peddled their wares, much to the annoyance of the locals. The town would see much activity for the whole time the fair was going on. The inn was full of laughter and song, and the docks were bustling with incoming ships, bringing travelers from as far as distant Choras. Guardian soldiers struggled to keep things in order, as the festivities attracted many troublemakers as well. All in all the town was extremely busy, and not many of the local villagers liked it much. All troubles were forgotten at the fair itself though, which was being held to the north of Truce, in a very large clearing at the foot of the mountain called Leene Square, that used to lead into Truce Canyon, which was now no longer there.

While many villagers woke up early to beat the foreign merchants from taking the best spots, one particular boy was largely unconcerned about the whole mess. And he currently had his face buried in his pillow, as his muffled snores came out surprisingly loud. So loud that they almost drowned out the distant bang of firecrackers at the fair, and then the ringing of Leene's Bell, which was at the center of the fair. However, not even this woke up the slumbering boy, who was very tired from practicing his sword fighting skills the night before. All he had right now to practice with was a wooden sword, but he hoped to one day acquire a real one and become a Guardian soldier.

His mother came up the stairs, and smiled warmly as she looked at her teenage son lying peacefully in bed. She walked over to his bed and bent down slightly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Crono..." she said. "Crono! Good morning, Crono."

She walked over to the curtains of his room and opened them, letting the sunlight stream into the room. Crono grumbled and turned over in bed to face the wall, so that the light wouldn't disturb him so much.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," his mom said. "The fair starts today, remember? Get an early start!"

She walked down the stairs as he turned back over in bed and got up, stretching his arms. He ran his hand through his red hair, which stuck out in all directions. Just the way he liked it. He reluctantly got out of bed, which was actually much easier to do on a day that he knew would be full of nothing but fun at the fair, instead of "fun" at school.

He pulled on his usual clothes; a green shirt, white loose fitting pants, a blue gi, and a white bandanna around his forehead. He also pulled on his blue shoes and tied a sack around his belt. He also picked up his sheathed wooden sword, and headed downstairs. He was greeted by the smell of breakfast, as well as his mom and cat.

"Finally," his mom said, smiling. "Breakfast is ready, so eat up. And don't forget that Lucca asked you to stop by her presentation at the fair. She's unveiling her newest invention there."

"I remember," Crono said. "And I'll remember to bring a helmet," he said, laughing.

"Now Crono," his mom said, serving him some orange juice as he sat down to eat. "You should be more supportive of your friend. Besides, she DID make that robot, right? What was its name again...?"

"Oh yeah!" Crono said, his mouth still full. He gulped it down quickly, getting a stern look from his mom. "His name's Gato. The battle-training robot she made for me, to help with my sword fighting. I think she said he'd be at the fair too. I ought to try him out!"

"Crono!" His mom said, as he started eating faster, being eager to get to the fair more than ever now. "Give yourself time to breathe!"

He smiled as he swallowed the last of his breakfast, and kissed his mom on the cheek before heading quickly for the door.

"See ya mom!" Crono said, waving as he went out the door.

"Bye, sweetie!" His mom said, waving back and smiling. "Oh, wait!" She said, running to catch him before he left completely.

"What's up?" Crono asked.

"Don't forget your allowance, dear," she said, handing him some gold coins. "Have fun at the fair!"

"Thanks!" Crono said, pocketing the money. "Bye, mom!"

His mom smiled as she watched him run down the path, and sighed as she remembered his father. "So much like him when he was young," she said. She then went back into the house to clean up Crono's room.

Crono walked through the streets of Truce, passing all the merchants with booths there, both foreign and local. He had grown accustomed to them by now, and was good at ignoring all their calls out to the passing crowds. He looked around, seeing many foreigners getting talked into buying things they surely had no intention of buying prior to coming here. Merchants were good at getting people to do that.

Crono picked out the stand he was looking for, and walked over to it. Barrels, full of various drinks, were displayed at the stand, and Crono eagerly looked for one in particular, hoping it was still in stock today. He spotted it, and his spirits lifted. He slammed some money down on the stand, which surprised and frightened the merchant running it.

"What's the matter with you?" The merchant yelled.

"One canteen of lemonade please!" Crono said, a big grin on his face.

The merchant blinked, and then laughed. "Oh, it's you Crono! Didn't recognize you! Alright, hold on, let me get you your drink."

He turned around and twisted a spigot on one of the barrels, letting lemonade flow down into a canteen he was holding beneath it. Crono watched, practically feeling his lips become dryer as he anticipated drinking the wonderful beverage. Lemonade was practically the national beverage of Guardia. Guardian lemonade was famous throughout the world, and the majority of the adult population favored an alcoholic version of the lemonade to beer or wine. It was rivaled only by Choras' famed soda, which held its own dominance over beer and wine.

The merchant handed Crono the canteen, and Crono immediately started gulping the lemonade down.

"Gah!" The merchant said. "You have to make that last the entire day, Crono! Don't go downing it all right now!"

"Oh, right," Crono said, corking the canteen. "Well, I'll be heading to the fair now. Will you be there at all?"

"Of course!" The merchant said. "This fair only happens once every thousand years!"

"Hope to see you there, then!" Crono said, waving as he left.

As Crono got closer to the fair, the crowd thickened, making it harder for him to find his way through it. He looked up at the sky, and knew he was getting closer, as he saw a number of balloons floating up into the sky. They were to be released the entire duration of the fair, all of them containing wishes for the new millenium, written down by various people on pieces of paper and stuck into the balloons. It was said that if someone's wish drifted back to them on the wind, it would come true.

"How about that latest earthquake?" He heard a man say, as he made his way through the crowds.

"Oh, yeah!" The man's friend said. "Scary stuff. We've been getting more and more as the years go by."

"It makes you wonder," the man said. "I wonder if...the big one is coming."

Crono thought about the earthquake that had hit the other day. It was true that earthquakes had been occurring more and more frequently as the years passed, but they were really still too far apart to actually worry about. If "the big one" were coming, it probably wouldn't happen for a thousand years, or even more. No one with any sense got themselves concerned about it now.

But these thoughts left his mind as he found himself at the entrance to the fair. He reached for his pouch but stopped as he realized that admission to the fair was free for all, fully paid for by King Guardia. King Guardia, known as "Guardia the Grim" ever since Queen Aliza had died. He'd been noticeably less active and public these days, and the few commoners who got into the castle reported him as being noticeably more grim now. However, he still maintained much of his former charity that had existed when the Queen had still been alive, and so he had announced that he would be paying for the whole fair.

As he entered the gates to the fair, an old man smiled and greeted him.

"Welcome to the Millennial Fair!" The old man said. "Have fun!"

"Do you know where I can find Lucca Ashtear's presentation?" Crono asked the old man.

"Ah yes," the old man said. "You can find Miss Lucca's presentation at the far end of the square, at the edge of the woods. We had to have her at a certain distance from the rest of the fair due to the uh...volatile nature her inventions tend to have sometimes."

Crono thanked the old man, and went further into the fair, heading past various stands and tents for Lucca's invention. The square was very large, holding a gigantic amount of people. This had to be the most noise that Crono had ever heard in his life. On a large stage a band was playing festive music, which helped bring the mood of the fair to an all-time high. Crono had to jump back quickly, as he suddenly found himself on a racetrack and in the path of the strangest assortment of racers he had ever seen. How could someone in a full suit of armor run that fast?

Still peering back at the race as he walked up the steps to the center area of Leene Square, Crono failed to notice the girl running towards him, who also had her attention directed elsewhere. Before they knew it, they both had ran right into each other, and fell to the ground.

"Ugh..." the girl said, rubbing her head as she got up. Leene's Bell rang as the girl walked over to Crono and knelt by him. "Are you ok?" She asked. "I'm so sorry!" As she apologized, her hand wandered to her neck, and she felt around frantically as a startled expression came upon her face.

Crono sat up, rubbing his head in turn. "Nah, it's ok," he said. "...hey, what's wrong?"

Suddenly he paused as he now got a better look at her. She was really pretty, wearing a white outfit with what looked like a gold belt. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail, and she wore sandals on her feet. He also noticed a quiver of arrows and a crossbow slung over her shoulder.

"My pendant...," she replied. "It's gone! It's a really valuable family heirloom, too." She had a sad and worried look on her face. "Hey, uh...do you think you could help me look for it?" She asked.

"Uhh, well I'm supposed to be meeting someone, but...sure, why not?" Crono said, smiling and getting up.

"Thanks!" The girl said. "Ok, the pendant is a round blue jewel on a string necklace."

"Alright," Crono said, and they both started looking around.

It was hard to look for it. There were a lot of people milling around the square, and it was very likely that someone could've seen it and taken it for themselves. Crono peered carefully at the ground, it being obscured by so many moving feet. Suddenly something caught his eye, and he looked closer at where he thought he had seen it. Sure enough, being kicked around by people not noticing it, was a blue jewel on a string necklace. It had to be the girl's pendant.

Crono rushed over through the crowd and picked it up, looking at it as he held it in his hand. It really was a beautiful pendant. It was very lucky that it hadn't been taken with so many people walking around. This fair was a paradise for pickpockets and thieves. Crono looked through the crowd for the girl, and finally spotted her with an increasingly worried look on her face.

"Hey!" Crono said to her. "I've found your pendant, I think."

He held out his hand, the pendant in it, and her whole face brightened. She immediately hugged him. He was surprised how tight the hug was, almost too much for him to bear.

"Thank you so much!" She said, grabbing the pendant and holding it tightly in her hand. She released her tight grip on it and inspected it. "Hmm," she said. "Darn it, I was afraid of that. The string broke, I'll have to hold it." Her attention was again directed at him. "So what's your name?"

"I'm Crono," he said. "What's yours?"

"My name?" She asked, surprised. "Oh, uh...it's Marle. Thanks again for helping me, Crono."

"No problem," Crono said, smiling. "Hey, I don't think I've seen you in Truce before. Are you from here?"

"No, I'm from somewhere else," she said.

"Yeah, I thought so," Crono said. "I'd remember a face like that." He caught himself and blushed. "Uh, sorry," he said, chuckling a bit.

Marle giggled. "It's ok," she said. "I'm actually not used to that. It's nice to hear. Say, listen...think you could show me around the fair?"

Crono scratched his head. "Well, I don't know how good I'd be at that," he said. "This is my first time here too. But why not, let's hang out."

"Great!" She said. "Lead the way!"

Crono remembered suddenly that he had been on his way to see Lucca's invention. He hoped he wasn't late to its unveiling, he had forgotten to ask her when it was going to be.

"Alright, follow me," he said. "A friend of mine is here unveiling her new invention."

Marle nodded, smiling. They walked ahead, past Leene's Bell, and arrived at the entrance to the far side of the square. There were already a few people waiting outside the entrance, and two Guardian soldiers were standing guard. Crono walked up to them, followed closely by Marle.

"Hey, is Lucca ready yet?" Crono asked them.

"No sir," one of the soldiers said. "I am afraid Miss Ashtear's invention is not ready for unveiling yet at this time. Please wait here or pass time at one of the many attractions here at our wonderful fair."

"Well I'm a friend of hers," Crono said. "So do you think I could get in now?"

"I'm sorry sir," the soldier said. "But due to security reasons, we can not allow anyone into the area until her invention is ready to be presented to the public."

"Oh well," Crono said.

He turned to Marle, a concerned look on his face. "Well, I'm afraid I don't really know what to do until the invention is ready," he said. "Did you see anything good yet, here?"

Marle folded her arms and looked down, thinking. "Well...oh!" She said, perking up again. "I know exactly what I want to do! C'mon, follow me!"

She took Crono by his hand and led him away through the fair, back down the steps to the main plaza. They rushed through the ever-thickening crowd and arrived at a large strength tester, a mallet lying by the bottom of it.

"Let's see how strong you are!" Marle said, handing Crono the mallet. The owner of the strength tester looked with interest at Crono, noting how well in shape he was.

"Aw man," the owner thought. "I sure hope he don't win, I forgot all my prizes at home."

Crono prepared himself, then lifted the hammer as he ran for the machine, and brought it down hard on the button, rocketing the ball straight up to the bell, ringing it so hard that the whole machine vibrated, almost making the bell fall right off. The owner stared in shock, and Marle cheered.

"Uh, congratulations!" The owner said. "You win..." he searched through his pockets frantically. "Uh...one silver point!" He said, bringing out a silver coin and handing it to Crono.

"Silver point...?" Crono asked, looking quizzically at the man.

"Yeah, ain't the guys at the entrance to the fair tell ya? That's the currency of the fair. You can spend that at our main attraction, Norstein Bekkler's Lab."

"Oh," Crono said. "Well, thanks then!"

"...you think it's a good prize?" The man said under his breath. "Uh, well, you're welcome then! Have a great time with the rest of the fair, kid!"

Crono and Marle made their way to the center of the main plaza, and sat down on a bench next to the fountain. Marle placed her hands on her knees and looked up at the sky, as Crono looked around with interest at all the things going on in the fair.

"So, Crono," Marle said. "You live in Truce, then?"

Crono snapped his attention away from the goings on of the fair, and back to Marle. "Oh, yeah," he said. "All my life."

"What's life like in the village?" She asked.

"It's great," he said. "I can do whatever I want, mostly. Fish, walk in the forest, and spend time with my friends. But what I like doing most of all is practicing my sword fighting."

"Sounds great," she said, smiling. But her smile seemed almost sad.

"What?" He asked. "Can't you do that stuff in your village?"

She shrugged, a sad look in her eyes. "My dad is kind of strict with me," she said. "He never lets me go out and do what I want. He always makes me stay at home, saying that someone like me shouldn't be going out and doing the stuff I wanna do."

"Well, he let you come here at least," Crono said.

She laughed a little bit. "No," she said. "He didn't."

"What?" Crono asked, startled. "He wouldn't let you come to the Millennial Fair? That only happens once every thousand years!"

"I know," she said. "Ridiculous, right?"

"Wait a second," Crono said, getting worried. "Are you running away?"

"Oh no no no," she said quickly. "I couldn't leave him. Yeah, he's a little too protective, but I don't entirely blame him. He has his reasons..."

"I guess so...," Crono said. His eyes wandered over to a sword stand, and he immediately stood up. He took Marle by the hand. "Come on!" He said. She smiled, and let him lead her away.

They arrived at the stand, Crono looking eagerly at all the swords on display. An elderly man, short of stature and wearing rather strange clothes and sunglasses, took notice of Crono and Marle. He walked over to them, a smile on his face.

"An admirer of swords, I see," he said to Crono.

"Yeah, I wish I could have my own real one," Crono said, tapping his sheathed wooden sword. "But my mom doesn't want me getting one until I'm able to join the Guardian army."

"Ah, yes," the swordsmith said. "Your mother is a wise woman. Swords should not be taken lightly, as they are not to be used lightly. Holding a sword is holding lives in your hand. Tell me boy, have you-"he paused, his eyes setting on the pendant in Marle's hand. "My dear," he said to Marle. "May I have a better look at that pendant you are carrying?"

Marle obliged him, holding the pendant up for him to see. He stared at it, seeming to be in awe of it, and yet he also seemed a bit disturbed at the sight of it.

"The pendant!" He said.

"Pardon?" Marle asked, clutching the pendant to her chest.

"Oh..." The swordsmith said. "Forgive me. Young lady, be sure to keep that pendant safe. It seems very valuable."

"Oh, of course," Marle said, smiling. "You can be sure I will."

They took their leave of the swordsmith, pondering his reaction to her pendant. However, they soon forgot again as they walked through the fair, taking in the various sights and sounds. The band was still going, and it was noon by now. And with noon came an abundance of smells from the food stands, causing Crono's stomach to grumble fiercely. They walked over to the food area of the fair, and looked for something good to eat.

Seeing a roast chicken stand, Crono licked his lips and dug into his pocket. He felt around for his money, but strangely it wasn't there.

"Aw man!" Crono said. "Someone stole my money!"

"Oh no!" Marle said. "I can't believe someone would do that! Is this common?"

"At big events like this?" Crono said. "Unfortunately, yes."

Suddenly Crono spotted a large unguarded sack of food on a nearby table. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone near who it could belong to. Could it be...? Had someone just left it there?

"Wait here," Crono told Marle.

He walked over to the table, looking around.

"Hey," he said to some people nearby. "Does this belong to any of you?" He asked them.

"Oh yeah," one of them said. "That's mine, but I really don't have any room for it. You can have it if you want."

"Really?" Crono asked. "Thanks!"

He eagerly grabbed the sack of food and walked back to Marle, the people he had asked smiling and laughing behind his back. Crono offered some to Marle, who claimed she wasn't hungry. He quickly scarfed the food down, soon feeling full once again. Satisfied, he patted his belly.

"Well, I bet your friend is ready by now," Marle said. "Let's get going, ok?"

"Right," Crono said, nodding.

They walked back to the center square and proceeded towards the area in the back where Lucca's presentation was supposed to be held. They arrived at the entrance again, and found the two guards standing to the side of it this time.

"Is Lucca's presentation ready?" Crono asked them.

"Yes sir," one of them replied. "She is going to begin it very soon."

"Oh, hold on Crono!" Marle said. "I see some candy over there, let me get some real quick."

"Aw c'mon!" Crono said, grabbing Marle's hand as she started to run off. "We're gonna be late!"

"I swear it'll be real quick," Marle said, pulling in the opposite direction. "Please?"

"Oh all right," Crono said.

"Yay!" Marle yelled. "Crono, you're so sweet."

Crono blushed and followed Marle to the candy stand, waiting patiently for her to make her choice. As they stood at the candy stand, one of the guards of Lucca's presentation looked at Marle, narrowing his eyes. He leaned over to the other guard and whispered something to him. The other guard looked at Marle and nodded, then walked off.

"Alright!" Marle said, buying some candy and putting it in her pouch. "Thanks for waiting, Crono."

Crono nodded, and they both finally headed for Lucca's presentation. They walked down the path leading away from the main parts of Leene's Square, and eventually arrived at a meadow on the edge of some woods. Set up here was a strange device, consisting of two fancy platforms, with monitors, switches, and levers by each one. There were a number of people waiting, and Crono could see Lucca and her dad, Taban, discussing something between the two platforms. Lucca nodded and walked over to the left platform, standing on it. Taban stepped a bit closer to the ground, and raised his arms for attention.

"Greetings, everyone!" He said loudly. "Thank you very much for coming to see the unveiling of my beautiful daughter's latest invention! Those of you who live here in Truce know her reputation well. Genius, very inventive, but also a little accident prone."

The people from Truce laughed a little at this, as indeed she was well known for all those qualities, most notably the last one. While she had many successful inventions, she also had quite a few inventions that had turned out to be very combustible.

"But be assured!" Taban continued. "There will be no accidents today! Prior to the festival, this latest invention has been tested thoroughly, as we realize that this time we have your safety in our hands. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I give you my daughter Lucca and her amazing telepod!"

Lucca turned around, and greeted the audience with a wave. She was wearing her usual attire today. A fancy helmet with an antenna sticking out of the top, large glasses, an orange gi and brown shoes. Her green shirt could be seen beneath the gi, and a gray pouch was slung around her shoulder. She also carried a large hammer, and one of her most well known inventions, a gun, was holstered on her belt. Her violet hair stuck out a bit from beneath her helmet.

"Thanks for coming, everyone!" Lucca said. "It's nice to see I haven't scared everyone away from me yet!" She smiled as she said this. "Today, I bring to you one of my most ambitious inventions yet! This telepod will revolutionize transportation. Walking long distances on foot between villages, and using ferries to get across the ocean will be a thing of the past. With the telepod, you will be transported instantly to any other location with a telepod. To use it, you simply step here where I'm standing, and you will be teleported to the platform on the other side. Before I continue, do I have any volunteers to test this amazing technology?"

Crono looked around, and saw that nobody was stepping forward. Not many people were ever willing to be a guinea pig for Lucca. And of course, this was likely the main reason Lucca had invited Crono. Crono stepped forward, volunteering himself for the demonstration.

"Crono!" Lucca said, a big smile coming onto her face. "I didn't see you here!" She quickly remembered she was in front of an audience, and switched into presenter mode again. "Thank you for volunteering to try out my device, sir! Now, if you'll kindly step onto this left platform here, we can begin the demonstration."

Crono obeyed, walking up to the platform and stepping onto it. He waited, as Lucca and her father pressed some buttons on the monitors, and pushed some levers up. Lucca then gave the thumbs up to her dad.

"Ready!" Lucca said.

"Alright!" Taban replied. "Initiate teleport sequence...now!"

Lucca quickly pulled down a lever, and Crono began to feel tingly. He felt a little woozy, and began to wobble around slightly. Then, he disappeared and almost instantly reappeared on the right platform. As the audience clapped and expressed their wonder at this accomplishment, Crono made sure that all of him had been teleported intact, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It...worked?" Taban asked, blinking. "Uh, it worked!" He said, louder. "There you go, ladies and gentlemen! My genius daughter's mind at work!"

The audience clapped again as Crono stepped down from the platform, and he walked back over to Marle's side.

"How was it?" She asked as the audience continued clapping.

"It was alright," Crono replied. "It makes you feel a bit woozy at first, but that goes away pretty quickly. I'm not quite sure how to describe what it's like when you're actually being teleported."

"Well I'll have to try it myself then!" Marle said, smiling.

"Now of course we still have some tweaking to do so that people can be teleported over longer distances," Lucca said, continuing her presentation. "But now you see what my telepod device is about. I hope that it accomplishes increased relations and travel between villages, to further promote peaceful relationships between territories. Now, do we have any other volunteers?"

Marle's hand immediately shot up. "Me!" She said. "I want to volunteer!"

Lucca blinked, seeing that Marle was standing with Crono.

"Hey, Crono," Lucca said. "How'd you manage to get a girl like her?"

"Hey!" Crono protested, as the audience laughed.

"Well young lady," Taban said, stepping forward. "Just step right up to the telepod device, and we'll let you experience this amazing technology." He turned to the audience as Marle stepped onto the left platform. "Observe, ladies and gentlemen, as this vision of loveliness steps aboard the machine!"

"I'll be right back!" Marle said, winking.

Lucca and Taban went through the same routine they had gone through when they sent Crono through the machine. Lucca gave the thumbs up to Taban, who initiated the telepod. Lucca then pulled down the lever. Strangely though, the telepod stalled. Marle looked down at her hand, as her pendant began to glow.

"My pendant...?" She said. "It's..."

Suddenly she bent over slightly, seeming to be in pain. Electricity shot out from the monitors, and arced between the two telepod devices. The audience gasped, as Taban pulled Lucca away from the monitors so that she wouldn't be electrocuted. Crono stepped forward slightly, anxious at this new development. In the space between the two devices, the air seemed to fluctuate and vibrate, and suddenly a strange hole appeared in the air, the electricity from the machine arcing towards it, feeding it as it grew larger and larger. Inside the hole seemed to be a void of wavy blue patterns, almost looking like the surface of a lake being disturbed. Marle then disappeared, but instead of appearing on the other telepod, she appeared inside of the hole in the air, looking frightened and in pain. Finally, the electricity died down and the hole closed, as everyone stood frozen, staring in shock at the empty space where the girl had disappeared.