Chapter 14: The Masamune!
Act OneAfter stepping through the gate, Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo found themselves at the End of Time once more.
The cobblestone and street lamp appeared once again, as the bleak void that surrounded it all. The old man, mysteriously he was, remained standing
"You found a Dreamstone!" the old man exclaimed. "I'd forgotten how beautiful they are. You'll need to find someone that can process that mineral. You'll probably find him in Medina, a village near the Mystic Mountains."
"That's exactly where we're headed," Crono replied.
LATER...
August 13, 1000
"You found some Dreamstone?!" Melchior exclaimed as Crono presented the rock at the front door. "Then I'll repair the Masamune!"
Melchior took the Dreamstone and examined it in awe.
"How on earth did you get the Masamune and the Dreamstone?" he asked.
"It's a long story," Crono replied.
"Quite unbelievable, actually," Lucca added.
"No, don't tell me," Melchior pleaded. "I don't think my heart could take it. It'll take a little while to fix this."
"How long?" Crono asked.
"A week, probably," Melchior replied. "It's a very sophisticated procedure."
"I'll lend a hand!" Lucca offered.
"I shall help also," Robo added.
That left only Crono and Marle with nothing assigned to them.
"This is going to take a while," Lucca said as she turned to Marle. "Why don't you go on a date with Crono?"
"Sounds good to me," Marle replied.
"And this time," Lucca added, "you should wear some clothes."
Marle blushed slightly before turning toward Crono.
"You and me time?" she requested with a smile.
"I would like that," Crono replied as he smiled back.
August 14, 1000
The four of them, not wishing to stay at the inn in Medina, rented a cottage half a mile from Melchior's house.
Each of them had their own room, though didn't require sleep.
Crono sat alone in his. Today marked two weeks since his adventure began. He had thought that it would be a fun day at the fair. He had no idea what it would lead to, nor did he know what lay ahead. He knew that, no matter what, his life would never be the same again.
Suddenly, Crono heard a knock on the door. He got up and quickly opened it to see Marle standing there with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.
"Hey there!" she greeted before kissing him.
"Hey," he replied. "Everything ok?"
"Let's go on a date!" Marle requested.
"A what?" the baffled Crono replied.
"A date!" she repeated. "Remember what Robo said? It's when a boy and a girl who like each other get together and do something?"
"Oh yeah," Crono realized. "Where do you want to go?"
"Ever been to Choras?" Marle asked.
"Never heard of it," Crono replied.
"It's east of here," she informed him. "You need a ferry to get there. I know a really good restaurant in town."
"Alright," Crono agreed as he smiled and took Marle's hand. "Let's go!"
MEANWHILE...
"All right, then!" announced Melchior as he examined the pieces of the Masamune and the Dreamstone.
He was in his basement, along with Lucca and Robo. He then took a book off of his shelf and began reading.
"How are you going to fix it?" Lucca asked.
"These repairs seem quite difficult," added Robo.
"Don't interrupt me while I'm conducting research!" reprimanded Melchior. "At any rate, leave this to me!"
SOMEWHERE ELSE...
Crono and Marle had their date at the restaurant in Choras that the latter had mentioned before. They were now walking hand in hand just east of town.
And yet, there was something she needed to get off her chest; it had been bothering her since they had returned to the eleventh century.
"Crono," she began, "can I tell you something?"
"Sure," he replied.
"I never did say I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Sorry for what?" he asked.
"For getting jealous about Ayla," Marle clarified. "I feel really stupid about it all. I just...don't want to lose you."
Crono stopped, and turned her to face him. He realized, at that moment, how she felt.
It was time he told her how he felt.
"Marle," he began as he gently stroked his hair, "you won't lose me. That's been set in stone."
"Set in stone?" asked Marle. "What do you mean?"
Crono looked Marle in the eyes. He had known her for two weeks now. He was ready.
Here it comes.
"Because I've fallen for you," he replied.
Marle trembled slightly, but only slightly. Her eyes became moist.
He had admitted it; he had fallen for her. She realized that she needed to tell him as well.
"I've fallen for you, too," she admitted. "And there's something I need to tell you."
"Go ahead," Crono permitted.
"I-I think you're the one, Crono," she said. "I think you're the one."
Crono gently wrapped his arms around Marle's waist and pulled her in for a deep kiss. When the kiss broke, he backed up, their glistening eyes gazing at each other.
Marle began to giggle.
"What?" asked Crono.
"I just love how this ran away with itself," she replied. "I mean, I thought we would just walk around at the Fair for a couple of hours. And now look what's happened!"
The happy couple smiled and kissed again.
And then, Crono spotted something on top of a hill in the distance. It looked like a castle, but it appeared to have been in ruin for centuries.
"What's that?" he asked.
"That's the Northern Ruins," Marle replied. "Nobody goes there."
"Why not?" he asked.
"It's haunted," she replied. "Or so they say."
"Probably just some superstition," Crono suggested.
And at that moment, almost as if in response, there appeared, at the ruins' entrance, a spectral being. It was dressed in knight's armor, yet both Crono and Marle could see right through it.
"That's not what I think it is, is it?!" Crono inquired.
"It's a ghost!" Marle exclaimed. "Crono, it's a ghost!"
"I say we get out of here!" Crono suggested.
"I agree!" Marle replied.
With that, the two of the turned and ran. They did not stop until they reached the Choras town limits. Crono checked behind him to see if the ghost was pursuing them; fortunately, it wasn't.
Crono and Marle quickly boarded the ferry bound for Medina.
"Never again!" Marle sighed as the ferry embarked.
"No problem!" Crono agreed. "I hope this doesn't count as a bad date."
In response, she pressed her lips against his.
"Far from it!" she replied with a smile.
Act TwoAugust 15, 1000
Work continued on the Masamune. Lucca and Robo arrived promptly at eight in the morning. Melchior greeted them at the door and quickly led them into his basement.
"To repair the Masamune," he began, "we must process the Dreamstone, and activate the sword.
You work on the Dreamstone, and I'll work on the sword."
"Okay," agreed Lucca. "Leave it to Lucca the Great!
Gonna be mighty busy!"
"Understood," added Robo. "First, the tools."
The two spent an hour working on the Dreamstone. Eventually, they were able to melt it down to a fluid.
"To energize the sword," Melchior continued, "we must first rejuvenate the broken sword. "The spell to energize the sword takes immense concentration. Could you leave me alone for awhile?"
Lucca and Robo rolled their eyes but complied.
"I wonder what Crono and Marle are doing now?" Lucca began.
"They're probably on another date," Robo answered. "Once she wore that fur bikini, I could tell she has a big crush on him."
"She wants to crush him?!" Lucca exclaimed.
"It means she really likes him," Robo clarified.
MEANWHILE...
At that moment, Crono and Marle
She then felt his hands begin to massage her shoulders. The good feeling occurred instantaneously, reliving Marle of the stress of being captured twice, not to mention seeing such a horrid distant future.
"This is so nice!" Marle purred.
"I could fall asleep!" she exclaimed.
And that was when she realized it.
"Wait, stop," she pleaded.
"What's wrong?" asked Crono.
"Nothing," she relied as she quickly turned to face him.
Crono would see a look of embarrassment on her face.
"I was just starting to fall asleep," she continued.
"And?" he asked. "That's kind of a good thing, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't be proper!" Marle insisted as she shook her head. "Not until..."
And she stopped herself.
No, Nadia, she thought. Don't even think about being too forward. Pace it right. Don't rush it.
"Until what?" he asked.
"Never mind," Marle said sheepishly.
Of course, she had it on her mind. They had fallen for each other.
It left a very possible eventuality.
Until we get married was what she had been thinking.
Yes, Marle was only sixteen. Mind you, this was the eleventh century, where girls married whenever they were old enough to bear children. Marle was almost what you would call a spinster at that point.
She had never considered it until the previous night, but she had realized that they might indeed spend the rest of their lives together.
She secretly hoped that Crono felt the same way.
August 16, 1000
Crono and Marle sat at the same hill the following night.
This time, Marle was in a different mood. She still had the future on her mind. But this time, it was different.
"Crono?" she began.
"What is it?" he asked.
"After we take care of Magus," she began, "where will you go?"
"I'll go home, most likely," Crono replied.
And then, it stung him. He realized that was probably not the answer she wanted.
"I can't go home," Marle said sadly. "My father disowned me. I'm not a princess anymore."
Tears welled in her eyes. She had not taken this fact into account until now.
Crono turned toward Marle and hugged her tightly.
It made her somewhat better; she still had someone.
"Sorry," she apologized. "I don't like to cry in front of people. It makes me feel weak."
"You're not weak," he assured her. "We'll think of something. I promise."
"Maybe we could go to the mainland," Marle suggested.
"The mainland?" asked Crono. "I've never been there."
"King Kenneth III is friends with my father," Marle continued. "He'd welcome us for sure. You'd like Edinburgh. It's much bigger than any town in Guardia."
"'Us?'" Crono asked.
"I don't want to be without you," Marle insisted. "If I have to go somewhere, I...I really would like you to come with me."
Crono took her hand and smiled at her.
"We could always go to that new far away place," he suggested. "Vinland."
"No way!" Marle dismissed. "Leif Erikson is there!"
"You know him?" Crono asked.
"I wish I didn't," Marle sighed. "Last month, his father brought him to meet me, hoping my father would marry me off to him. He got a little too touchy with me, so I bit him."
"You bit Leif Erikson?!" he exclaimed.
"Yes," she giggled. "On the hand. My father was not happy about that!"
"Have you been to Rome?" Crono asked.
"Once," replied Marle. "When I was six. It was beautiful. And the weather was so much nicer. I didn't want to leave."
"Could we go there?" he asked.
"No way!" Marle dismissed.
"What's wrong with Rome?" Crono inquired.
"My father is also friends with Pope Sylvester II," Marle added. "He'd get me excommunicated for sure. I kind of figured I shouldn't go somewhere ruled by one of my father's friends. They'd take his side."
"Is there anyone he's not friends with?" Crono asked.
"He's not friends with Otto III," Marle replied. "He's not friends with Robert II, either. And he really doesn't get along with Basil II."
"The Byzantine Emperor?" Crono exclaimed.
"But Constantinople is kind of far away," she pointed out. "And I can't bear to take you away from your mom. Or Lucca."
"Marle..." Crono began.
"Who am I kidding?" she sighed. "Maybe I should make up with my father."
August 17, 1000
Crono sat outside of Melchior's house.
"The Masamune should be ready in a couple of days," Lucca began.
"That's good," Crono replied. "All that's left to do is take it to Frog. We'll go to Magus' castle and take him out."
"What then?"
"Theoretically, Lavos will have never been created," Crono answered. "And, by extension, the future will be saved."
"I meant between you and Marle," Lucca clarified.
"I haven't thought that far ahead," Crono replied. "Something tells me there's a lot more to this adventure than we realize."
"Do you love her?" she asked.
Crono chuckled and put his hand on his forehead.
"Here we go," he sighed.
"I'm your cousin and best friend!" Lucca insisted. "You can tell me!"
"I-I think I might be starting to," he replied.
"Crono," Lucca continued, "this girl's crazy about you. This doesn't happen that often. Seriously, it would break my heart if you passed this up."
"Thanks, mom," Crono replied sarcastically.
"Crono," said Lucca, "she has nowhere else to go."
"She's talking about making up with her father," he informed her.
"Chancellor Vanim won't allow it," Lucca dismissed. "I know it. He was the one who caused Marle and her father to fall out in the first place. With her gone, the king had no heirs. All he has to do now is somehow get King Guardia off the throne. And when he does, he would seize the throne for himself. And then, being head of both state and government, he'll be able to dissolve parliament and rule Guardia like a tyrant."
Act ThreeAugust 18, 1000
Lucca and Marle was laying on their backs in the grass outside of Melchior's house. It was high noon, and the sun was high in the sky.
"The Masamune should be ready by tomorrow," Lucca announced.
"Great!" Marle exclaimed. "This feels like the longest week of my life."
"Say, Marle," Lucca began.
"What's on your mind?" Marle asked.
"Do you...love my cousin?"
"Love?!" Marle exclaimed. "I think that's a little too early."
"I guess I shouldn't have asked," Lucca said regretfully."
"Sorry," Marle apologized. "That is kind of a strong word."
"And you you seem to have a strong bond with him," Lucca pointed out.
"I have fallen for him," Marle admitted. "I mean, I really like him, and I'm attracted to him and all, but I'm not sure I'm ready to say that I love him yet. I don't want to rush things."
"Crono's not a hard person to love," Lucca insisted. "I love him, though like if he was my brother."
"He is your brother," Marle pointed out.
"So you know," Lucca said. "You know, I wish we could call each other that, but Crono won't. He doesn't want to spoil his mom's name nor our dad's. So we're cousins. It's technically not a lie. Our moms are sisters."
Marle sighed; she replied that it was Crono who would have to properly acknowledge their relationship.
"Maybe," she began, "after this is all over, I can get him to call you his sister. I know I can do it."
"Thanks," Lucca replied. "But we'll really have to see what happens after we stop Magus. We've been through a lot more than just seeing a ruined future."
"I don't know what's going to happen, really," Marle said. "My father said we're no longer family."
"Blood never lies," Lucca insisted. "You will always be his daughter."
"I'll remind Crono of that," Marle said. "And that you'll always be his sister."
Lucca smiled. Marle, despite her radically different personality, was most certainly a good friend to her.
"Well," Marle continued, "what about you?"
"Me?" asked Lucca.
"Yeah, you," Marle repeated. "Do you have anyone special?"
"You mean a boyfriend?" Lucca asked.
"If that's what you want to call it," said Marle.
Lucca shook her head.
"I don't want one," she insisted. "I'm more of a friend person."
Marle was silent; she was somewhat hoping to see Lucca happy.
"I don't think I'll ever get married," Lucca continued. "I want to be an inventor, not some housewife. And I certainly don't want to give up fifteen years of my life to a child."
Marle remained silent.
It was a side of Lucca she had never seen before.
August 19, 1000
Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo stood in Melchior's basement. After a long week, the prize they awaited was finally comple
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Melchior apologized. "Take a good look! This is the Masamune!"
"Awesome!" exclaimed Marle. "What a weapon!
"Well," Melchior said as he handed the sword to Crono. "I think that's everything."
"Crono," said Robo, "let us take the Masamune to Frog."
"Let's," Crono agreed.
"This weapon represents considerable power," warned Melchior. "Your actions may either save or destroy life.
Wield your sword with full knowledge of the consequences!"
"I'm all too aware," Crono said.
LATER...
Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Robo again passed through the End of Time on their way to the year 600. The old man was still there, standing by his usual street lamp.
"What luster!" the old man exclaimed. "The Masamune, correct?"
"You got it," Crono replied. "The one and only. It took a week to fix."
"It would have taken longer if anyone other than Melchior tried to fix it. Or never."
"Hey!" Lucca complained as she playfully showed Crono. "I helped, too!"
"A person in the Middle Ages wants to take down Magus with that," the old man continued.
"Not exactly a person," Crono corrected. "He's a frog."
"He wasn't always a frog," the old man said. "How he became a frog...it's actually quite tragic."
