Author's Note: The Exciting epilogue! Of course, after this, it isn't over. I have a whole timeline already written out, I just have to figure out how to convey it properly. As for now, a simple matter of the truth needs to be told.
The ancient castle was a mystery to him. Along the walls were portraits of the previous Knight Captains, each one with their own story to tell, with one such Captain having two separate portraits at different times of his life, once as a Frog, and once as a human.
The mystery itself was that said pictures were in the throne room rather than at the grand table where the Knights had their meetings, perhaps the pictures themselves were a constant reminder to the royals about a strong leadership of the Knights, and how important they were to the whole of history.
Jonathan's picture, of course, fit rather well alongside his ancestors, though at the time of it's painting, he noticed that the current Knight Captain took his post at a younger age than the others. Perhaps times of peace lead to early retirement, or perhaps Jonathan was really that good by comparison. As he previously had heard, Jonathan could possibly be Sir Glenn's equal, save for his fabled magical power, of course.
Before Sir Glenn, the Knights weren't discounted, as their pictures still hung proudly, but they seemed out of place without the Masamune by their side. The presence of the sword seemed to make the Captains stand out more as great swordsmen. Perhaps the most intriguing of all the previous pictures was that of the first, which of all the paintings there seemed to be timeless. Prometheus Guardia stood proudly by the side of six others, and in fact it was the only picture in the hall that included more than one person. In it, the first King, General of the resistance and considered the greatest in the land at his prime, stood with six others, those who had profound influence in securing a better future for the land.
Prometheus stood by the side of his Queen, an ethereally beautiful woman by the name of Schala, whose cascading blue hair would have been out of place, except for the man beside her, the mystical Clairvoyant, whose hair looked exactly the same. Near him were his apprentices, whose actions were the final strike for peace, timeless warriors that only had equals in the Knight Captains themselves. The warrior Monk, Tirion, and his soon-to-be wife, Freya the Lancer, whose descendants went on to become powerful Knights who were of similar repute to the Triggare family, the Ninjas Kage and Miko, whose descendants apparently were in some kind of underground group that did operations for the crown…
Come to think of it, wasn't Jonathan training a man who wielded a spear and had amazing martial arts abilities?
--
Stories of Chrono Trigger: Before the Tale
Chapter 4
--
"Alex; looks like you're up."
He inwardly groaned, and looked around the throne room. Scores of suitors had been discussing various political upheavals throughout the world and other things, but few actually concentrated on the portraits around the room. Alexander figured the other mayors' sons were not that interested in the past of the Kingdom, rather leading the Kingdom.
The wizened King smiled over at Alexander, who bowed as he was noticed.
"Young Alexander, Sir Jonathan and I were talking about a certain incident that occurred recently. You journeyed rather far as of recent, and yet you are still here to do your duty for your family. I must say, I find that rather impressive."
Alexander inwardly groaned again as he saw the fierce eyes of all the other nobles watching him; he merely smiled at the King as he bowed.
"I have taken many trips in my life to see this world. While I wish to see the influence of how far every family has spread, it is still good for me to do service to my family when I am needed to do so. My father made an effort when I was young so that I could see the world, though he had always wished to do so himself."
The King smiled, "I'm sure you will have much to tell my daughter, she's always interested to hear that sort of thing."
The eyes boring into Alexander made him uneasy, Jonathan watched the others jealous gazes and yawned.
"Forgive me, your majesty, but the sooner Lord Alexander does this, the sooner the princess can make her decision."
The King smiled, though Alexander could see the hint of a smirk, "From what I've been told… well, I think I will keep that a secret."
He looked to Jonathan, "Sir Jonathan, you and your family's service to the crown has always been exemplary, there is a matter that should be taken care of, but I fear the deliberation over the paperwork will take so long, that the next King will be working on it."
Alexander was unsure of what the King was talking about, though he and Jonathan had heard rumors of something in store for the Knight Captain's family…
Jonathan smiled, before motioning to the stairs, "Alex, what are you waiting for, get moving! I'll let you know what's going on later!"
--
Ascending the stairs seemed like a chore. For every step he took, Alexander mulled over the previous day's events in his head. Meeting Marle had changed his whole outlook on life, he was unsure whether he would ever find a same-spirited person of noble standing, but as luck would have it, a chance meeting had forged a new path for his future. Now to only find out what family she belonged to!
She seemed to know the fairgrounds, and she did not look the least bit lost as he had walked the nicer roads of Truce with her. She had to be from the area, perhaps one of the nobles besides the provincial mayors, likely the daughter of an upper house parliament member or perhaps…
Another floor passed by him as his mind worked out whom she could possibly be. It made sense that she was from the Truce area, as Jonathan's family had also been living there as long as the town had existed, but he did not know many other nobles that Jonathan could actually stand, save for himself and, of course, the King.
Perhaps it was someone he could not stand at all? That would not make sense though, the way he was so familiar with her could not possibly fit with that logic. There must be someone that he was not telling Alexander about, surely he would have met this family before…
He stopped at the top of the stairs, realizing he was only a short walk from the Princess' room. One of the maids greeted him with a strange smile.
"Lord Alexander Truce? Princess Aliza has been waiting for you…"
She giggled, "Oh my, you are as handsome as the rumors state, they say you are a rival to Sir Jonathan in that regard…" laughing again, she added, "I'll take my leave…"
Walking over to the closed doors, he knocked, hearing a strangely familiar, "Come in, Lord Alexander…"
He opened the doors, quickly turning to close them. He knew at this moment that he would be alone with the Princess, as was customary with all the suitors. After all, no one was expected to hear what they discussed. A few risqué rumors of the past spoke of strange ways in which the Princess would choose her favored suitor. Although, Alexander had dismissed these rumors as fuel for romance novelists…
The Princess giggled, "I have been waiting for you, Alexander, I could hardly contain my excitement."
She spoke with him in such familiarity he was a little off balance; of course, the fact that her voice was so eerily familiar was something of a mystery as well.
"Er… of course Princess, I have been looking forward to this meeting as well…"
She still faced away from him, unfortunately he could not see her face in the mirror, he could tell she sounded beautiful, it was fabled that all Princesses were as ethereally beautiful as the first Queen.
"Have you really been looking forward to this meeting, Alexander? Or are you merely following your family's duty?"
Jonathan! Alexander groaned as he realized that her familiarity with a close friend of his might cause issues with this meeting…
Wait… familiarity with Jonathan?
"Alexander, I know that you are a duty bound man, but would rather make your own choices for the future, correct? Of course, you are well traveled, so it would make sense that you wish for a similar freedom."
Her hair… though it was not blue like her ancestors, still, that curious color…
"It is not right for you to not have a choice in this matter… though would you truly be against the thought of marriage with me?"
She turned around at that moment, looking him in the eyes. She crossed the room towards him and he found he could no help but meet her in the middle.
He reached a hand up to her face, and as she did not move to stop him, he caressed it slowly, before dropping it to her shoulder.
"I-… it's y-… uh… m-… Marle?"
She smiled, "If you could keep this secret with me… every Princess since the daughter of Queen Leene has taken to calling themselves that. It has been rumored that we all look very much like her…"
His bulged eyes could not hide his surprised, though he had been playing around with the possibility of her being one and the same with his kindred spirit, though however impossible it had originally seemed to him.
She continued, "As the legend goes, the warrior herself is a Princess of an unknown future, as Queen Leene mentioned she was a descendant. Every Princess calls themselves Marle in hopes that they will one day be spirited back to that once simple time, and fight the Wizard Magus with the hero, Crono."
She motioned over to a picture on the wall, "And over there is a picture the Queen had painted of just the two of them, apparently they were to be married at some undisclosed time…"
Jonathan gazed on the picture, "She does look like you…" the picture of Crono however… "My God, he looks like Jonathan! Have you shown him this?"
She nodded, "I have, though it confuses him. The man in the picture does not even have the Masamune with him, so he is unsure if the man is a family member or not…"
"Perhaps he is a descendant of Jonathan's, like she is a descendant of yours?"
Marle smirked, "Just my descendant? Or is she yours as well?"
An eyebrow raised, "That depends if I can win the tournament of nobles or not, there is still that to deal with."
A longstanding tradition for whenever there was a Princess (which had been standard since Queen Leene), a tournament was held where warriors fought for nobles who wished to take the hand of the Princess. The Princess making her choice of a suitor simply meant that the favored suitor was moved farther in the bracket, only needing to fight the final battle.
She grinned, "I already spoke with Sir Jonathan, while you seem like you want to do it, he would rather be the one to fight in your place. And if he's your chosen warrior…"
Alexander laughed, "Since he is second to none, then so am I!"
Before he could speak further, she kissed him, completely stopping whatever train of thought that was currently on his mind.
Finally, he caught it; "I had not wholly anticipated this happening… though I should have been listening to Jonathan when he said that I would have to meet you at some point…"
She genuinely smiled, "Fate works in mysterious ways, does it not?"
The following events would be among those most talked about for years to come.
--
"And from then on, my life was filled with a joy like none other. Wishes and dreams became a reality as I had longed for a life where I could do both the greatest duty to my family, and be happy for myself…"
The red haired man looked to the King, whose aging since then had been slow and proud.
"Of course, then, losing her was like an icy stab like none other, they say death can change one's outlook completely."
The listener nodded, as if he knew more about that subject than officially let on.
The King stopped suddenly, looking on as if he was viewing the events taking place.
"And then Jonathan did not disappoint, of course the Masamune would not let him, but as time has shown, one can do much no matter the weapon in their hands."
He produced a long parchment, "This had been deliberated over for years, and it is apparently what the Old King Guardia was speaking about…"
He paused again, presenting the parchment to the other man before speaking again.
"It brings me great honor to instate the Triggare family as a noble family, with all the privileges and responsibilities forthwith…"
He looked the man in the eyes.
"I had hoped to say that to your father… but it seems fate's mysterious ways are not always for the best…"
He paused again, thinking before every word he spoke, "… and had I realized who you were before I was told of some terrorist that had kidnapped my daughter, I would have completely stopped the whole thing…"
The red haired motioned, about to speak, but was stopped, "Crono, I owe you an apology for that whole misunderstanding. You have truly lived up to the future that was ordained for you, and in doing so, you will be remembered for the whole of history… already a hero before you were born, how many can say that?"
Crono smiled, "Not much, your majesty."
"Right! Anyhow, there is one thing I must ask of you right now, Sir Crono…"
He smirked, knowing that he had actually been knighted far in the past, which made for an interesting story to tell.
"You must do a duty for your family, as all noble men must… however, I have not told her this particular news as of yet, and as you know what today is…"
Before Crono could move, the King also presented a portrait to him.
"When the Princesses' room was remodeled, this portrait had been curiously displaced. Apparently one of the cleaning staff thought it better to be placed with the artifacts, since two people who apparently looked like those pictured did not end up together, but now I see who it was meant for…"
Crono eyed the portrait, seeing how old it was. Seeing himself pictured before he actually had the painting completed was a little eerie, even though he expected similar things from Time Traveling.
The King seemed to be staring off into the past again as he continued, "So as I said before, you should do your duty and…"
He found he was speaking to air as Crono had already raced up the stairs. He genuinely smiled as he climbed the stairs to the Throne room, where other nobles were waiting.
"Well, time to keep up appearances, I suppose. I wonder what you would have done in his shoes, Jon?"
--
"Princess…"
Nadia turned to the maid, sighing.
"I have been dreading this day for many years now, and even as I have completely faced it, I fear an uncertainty for the future…"
The maid sighed, "I know who you were hoping for, Princess, I must say I am just as disappointed, since he is a much greater man than all the nobles, but since he is not one himself…"
As the Princess was about to despair further, a maid outside knocked quickly, "Princess, apparently there was one final order of business… the last suitor is here."
Marle, as her mother had also been known, sighed, "I thought I was finished… very well, I will need to see him alone."
As the maids left, she turned toward the mirror, looking down so she could not see the suitor's face.
The door opened and closed, with an uncomfortable silence.
"Look, it's not you, it's me…" Marle started, "before you say a word, let me make it clear that I was hoping someone else could be here. I know I will have to make a choice, and it's been my biggest regret that I can't have who I want, but it looks like I have to make this fair for everyone."
The man did not say a word, but she heard him stepping closer. She saw a hand reach around her, and place a small portrait on the desk holding the mirror. She looked down at it confused until she saw the picture of the two people.
"This portrait looks old… definitely Queen Leene's era for certain, but it looks like me and…"
She turned around quickly, face-to-face with the man she had journeyed with.
"Crono?"
He smiled, "Surprise, Marle."
She threw her arms around him, sobbing.
"Please, tell me this isn't a dream! That picture, everything, I-… I'm not sure what to…"
He brought a hand to her face, caressing it slowly before slowly dropping it to her shoulder.
"It seems as much a dream to me as well. Your father told me that was a memento of Queen Leene's that was lost sometime during remodeling; apparently it's been near all the artifacts. I'm surprised you didn't see it when you were last down there."
She sighed, "The first time, I was talking to a strange ally of ours about a certain Clairvoyant… something tells me that's something we must have already fixed in the past and will eventually have to deal with… and the second time, we were looking for the Rainbow Shell, remember?"
Crono smiled, hugging Marle, "How could I forget? Queen Leene certainly had a wonderful note that she left for you. I bet it was after this portrait will be… er… was painted."
Marle giggled, "Time Travel certainly makes things complicated, doesn't it?"
Crono smirked, suddenly dropping a hand to his sword.
"Speaking of that, or rather, speaking of that journey we seem to take often, I suppose I will need to see if I can find Sir Glenn and get some practice in for the tournament of nobles… I certainly wouldn't want to lose my big fight, right?"
She smiled, "Somehow, I think this will be a piece of cake compared to Lavos, but I'm sure you'd like to bring him back with you just so he can see this. Isn't it funny, it's almost like you were destined to meet him so he could be a further source of inspiration, huh?"
Crono genuinely smiled, "Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?"
--
Author's Note: Wow, one session, and I've worked through it! This epilogue has a nod to "Forward to the Past" though as this tale was originally intended, this shows the timeline as it had been affected by previous events. It's an interesting thing to think about how the team can deal with learning about things that they completed, but haven't completed yet, a certain dilemma that I hope I never have to face.
Enjoy this breaking of my writers block, hopefully I can find a few more things to talk about, like a certain story of Jonathan's, and perhaps another Journey for the Chrono Trigger team!
Writing this story, I found that I left a small piece of myself to each character, rather than writing in a character based on myself. In Jonathan, the sometimes duty I have to try and follow something larger than myself. In Alexander, a want to travel, though I have traveled to a few places already… I could spend an entire chapter talking about this alone.
Hopefully I won't write something worthy for the Fanfiction Force. So feel free to leave comments in my reviews if it looks like I'm starting down that slippery slope again!
- Novalon
