Hi y'all! I've decided to shorten some chapters to (hopefully) speed up some updates. .

Disclaimer: I do not own Crono, or Marle, or Lucca. Human slavery has been abolished. Nor do I own Queen Zeal, or Princess Schala. Or Lavos (Darn it) or any other thing you may find in the game.

And my first dedication ever!

To Rummed Mavis, Goth, Scallywag and the Hobbit. May your days of pirating never end (except for the Hobbit, 'cos her's never started. In which case I take LOTR into credit).

Chapter 3: The Past Returns, and Then Some

All of the prisoners stared in bewilderment and puzzlement. Marle voiced their thoughts.

"The One what?"

"Ye be in the bloodline of Zeal," Blue-Head said softly.

"Who?"

"Zeal."

"What?" Marle wasn't sure she heard right.

"As in Queen Zeal?" Lucca dropped her fancy pure silver fork with a ringing clatter. "What do you pirates know about –"

Then it hit her. Like, literally. Not for the first time another clunk made another dent in Lucca's headset. .

"Shut up," Blue-Head scowled. He turned his steely eyes onto the princess. "Ye be me great-great-great-great-great-grandfather's sister's great-great-great-great-great-grand-lass."

"I'm related to you?" Marle said faintly. "A pirate? With blue hair?"

But of course. Queen Zeal had had blue hair. And Princess Schala's pendant, handed down for many generations, was the same pendant Marle wore.

"'Tis natural," Blue-Head said smugly, twirling his long blue locks. Then he got serious. "Ye been a landlubber all this time?"

"That's royal landlubber to you, Blue-Head." Marle said warily. She wasn't too keen on hugging her distant cousin yet.

"Hey!" Blue-Head scowled. "I have a name, ye know..."

"What do you guys want?" Lucca spoke up. "So Marle's your distant cousin. What do you want to do?"

Blue-Head looked thoughtful. "Aye...We ne'er knew there be me cous'n aboard the ferry. We just yearned for more...more pirates."

"Slaves," Red-Head said bluntly. Blue-Head looked sheepish.

"Well, catch me serving a bunch of sea-rats," Marle said icily. "Even if you are my great-great-great – "

Red-Head looked at her coldly. "Now our plans will change... be changed already! We want yer pendant for the war."

"What war? War with who?"

"Creatures of fathoms below," Red-Head whispered. He tried to look eerie by chandelier-light, but it didn't work.

"Sea monsters?" Marle said, aghast.

"Well they'd hardly be fish," Lucca said impatiently. "How is Marle's pendant supposed to help?"

"The Stone of the Zeal Ruler," Red-Head droned, "Shall defeat the Sons of her brother, whom this world subjects to, with its powers left by her daughter."

"You've lost me," Marle said, drawing a family tree on the table with bread sauce.

"Your pendant can snuff Lavos's kids," Lucca said irritably.

"What! Lavos Juniors don't live underwater!"

All the pirates exchanged glances. This girl had a lot to learn. Like some manners, Red-Head thought crossly, as the bread sauce ran out and Marle threw the bottle and it hit him on the head.

Thanks again for your reviews, people! Any more feedback is strictly encouraged. :P