The Queen is Gone

King Guardia sat hunched on his throne, more than satiated. He held his stomach – and his tongue. Just who is this newcomer who is stealing my wife away? With a grunt he slammed an open palm on the armrest of his throne. A sharp whack! – resounded throughout the empty room. Unlit torches hung on the walls, bathing the king in a brood of darkness as equally unsettling to him as his own mood.

What am I thinking? After all, this young Chrono saved my wife! He should be honored, not insulted. And my wife is only paying respects to the man who rescued her… this man, this Chrono. He is a mystery. He does not seem to respect my queen's affections, but… he acts as if he has known her longer than one night. I will have to discuss things with Leene myself.

He was interrupted by quick, light footsteps. His queen! She seemed uncertain – probably because he not taken the time to light the grand throne room, and she could not find her way. Well, he would help her, at least.

"Leene?" called the king.

"Ah!" he could hear her jump. "Oh. It's you, sire. I'm sorry."

"Sire?" Guardia choked. "I am your husband!"

"You just scared me, that's all. I mean, it's positively pitch-black in here!"

The king didn't waste a beat. "I need to see you. In my quarters. Privately."

Leene suddenly hesitated. "Wh – what?"

"Only for a moment, but if you're not feeling well, that is…"

"No, no, I… I came down for the boy."

"Chrono? He is resting in the room beside my chambers." No response. "Then – can you, or, will you, join me in my quarters?"

Leene was hesitant. "First, may I see the boy?"

Everything in him told the king to say NO!, but he erred on the side of mercy. After the world's longest and most tense instant, he spoke. "Yes. I give you my permission."

"Thank you!" Leene burst and looked into the king's eyes for the first time, and only for the briefest moment – before she dashed up the stairs and out of sight.

Those were foreign eyes! Those were not his queen's eyes! "Oh – God!" he screamed into the once again empty room, hands on his head. "Then who are you?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Leene stole quietly into another dark room – but this time she was excited. "Chrono!" she hissed. "Chrono, wake up!"

She heard a sudden shuffle, and saw a flash – a glint of moonlight from something metallic. "Hey! It's me!" she squealed. The glint disappeared and a shape crept to the opposite wall, where it lighted the first torch.

A small orb of light illuminated the room – a very small, sparse room at that. Aside from the bed, and a large clothing chest, there was no furniture. This must have been the spare room, fitting for the Guardian stranger while being beneath even his dignity. Chrono himself was covered in a light nightgown (or, as he thought, a tablecloth with a few holes cut in strategic places). At least he was prepared – with his iron sword pointed straight at the Queen.

"Sorry, M'Lady." Chrono shamefully sheathed his sword, returned to the bed and plopped down with a painful squeak.

"I didn't mean to frighten you, Chrono," said the Queen.

What does she want now? "Forgive me for asking, M'Lady – but why are you here?"

"Chrono, haven't you figured it out?"

Yes. "Figured what out?"

"Don't you know who I am?"

Yes – Marle. "No."

The Queen giggled, then knelt beside Chrono. "You don't recognize me?"

Marle! "…"

"It's me! Marle! You can be real obtuse when you want to!" She giggled again.

Chrono did his best to look surprised.

"Yeah. They seem to think I'm some sort of queen now," Marle grimaced. Chrono was shocked – in as little time as he'd seen her, she'd never stooped to frowning. The mood didn't last long before she grinned again, revealing bright white teeth that flashed in the dim light. "Thanks for coming to rescue me!"

I – well, you're welcome. "Yeah…"

"Why – why did you come back for me, anyway?"

I saw you get sucked through that portal, and I knew this was my big chance, I guess. I mean, I could be like those great heroes of the past – the now – and… "I – it was the right thing!"

Marle paused for a moment. "Oh – I should have known a person like you would do the right thing! Thanks!" She stood again, now serious. "But you gotta help me!"

I can – and I will. "Help you?"

"Don't be silly. Everyone thinks I'm a Queen! I can't be a Queen – and I'm not even married! I'm hardly sixteen! What do you expect me to do, rule a kingdom?"

Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. "No."

"C'mon – you gotta get me outta here!"

Done. "How?"

"I don't know! But I can't just walk out the door!" Marle began pacing, and she looked like she was fighting tears. "Chrono, what do I do?"

I want to help – but I don't know how! "I – don't know."

Marle knelt abruptly, breathing quickly and deeply. "Chrono, I'm scared!"

I can understand – so am I – "Why?"

"Chrono, don't pretend you don't know!" With that, she glared at him, suddenly very pale.

Now what? "What's wrong?"

Marle clutched at her chest. "I – " she gasped. "I'm having trouble breathing."

No. That's not it. "What? Why is that?"

"I don't know," she groaned, "but it feels like – like my insides are being sucked out!"

And your outsides, too – you're looking very pale, almost transparent – "Wha… I…"

"Chrono, help! I'm being torn apart!" Now she grabbed her head and lay prostrate on the floor. In a flash, Chrono leapt from the bed to her and scooped her up in his arms. Or rather, he tried to scoop her up – but his arms passed through her form on the ground. He was kneeling there – on top of her, but his legs were on the ground. Frantically he began pounding the stones where she lay, each time, his hand striking the floor beneath Marle. He threw himself at the floor, lying in the same position and location as the girl as she disappeared. She let loose one last wail, and then was gone.

Chrono came to himself again at the sound of hurried footsteps. "Hey! What is going on down there? Queen Leene?" It was that lousy maid again, Chrono could tell. I do not need this now. She burst into the room brandishing a blazing torch. "What have you done to her?" she bellowed, the torch fire coming out her eyes.

In an awful moment, Chrono jumped to his feet and snatched the torch from the maid, staring her down. He then shoved her aside, into the wall, and ran down the hallway. "Stop! After him! Someone! After him!"

That entire end of the castle sprang to life at the maid's scream. Now you've done it – you've lost the girl not once, but twice, and the whole castle is up in arms over you. Chrono leapt over the stairs and across to the throne room – which, surprisingly, was empty. Why isn't anyone here? Chrono thought, stopping short.

"Stop it! Let go! I can prove she's not the real Queen!" he could hear faintly through the thick double-doors in front of him. Lucca! He had no time to think – even now the guards upstairs were barreling down for him. Without thinking, he burst through the doors on the three figures, grabbed the girl, and charged out into the open midnight air.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Wait – how did you get in the castle?" Lucca complained from the hiding spot not too far away, in the underbrush. "I didn't make it farther than the front door – both times!" She seemed dressed for the occasion, in timely garb – drab brown. She also wore a cap covering her inconspicuously bright purple hair. However, she still donned the specs, making her deep blue eyes bulge oddly out of proportion.

"What I want to know is – how did you follow me? I have the pendant! There's no way you could have..." Chrono withdrew the jewel from his pants pocket.

"Oh – " Lucca stared at the pendant a moment. "I guess I should explain everything, huh? Anyway, what I say may shock you, but – we've gone back in time!"

"I knew that already. I've been here three days, and I'm not that stupid." He sat down with a sigh against a tree

"Well, then it's not so shocking anymore, is it? I managed to construct an activator – a Gate Key, if you will, using the Telepod. The portal that you opened? I reopened it with this!" – she procured a whitish disk. "Basically, I redesigned the emissions from this starter to recreate the effect of the pendant. You understand. Once I figured out I had traveled through time, I went back home to study up on this part of history. It only took a few hours."

Chrono nodded.

"I came up here this morning, but the guards threw me out right away. Then I realized I was still wearing my futuristic dress, and I figured it would be best to change. I came back here and was in the process of being booted again when you showed up back there."

Lucca paused, then sat down next to Chrono. "So, did you find the girl?"

"Marle? Yes."

"Okay, then. Where is she?"

"Well… she's gone."

Lucca jumped up. "What do you mean, gone? You came all this way, and lost her again?"

"No! No! I… they thought she was the queen! And I came to rescue her, and she disappeared!"

"Ah ha!"

"What?"

"Just as I thought!" Lucca rubbed her hands vigorously. "She was mistaken for Leene, who – let me guess – is still missing."

"I don't understand what you're getting at," said Chrono, pulling himself to his feet.

"The girl – Marle – is not who you think she is."

"I don't need suspense."

"She's Princess Nadia!"

"Okay."

Lucca stared at her friend. "I thought you would be surprised at that."

"Nothing could surprise me now."

"Okay. Let's go back to Truce – your mom's waiting."

"What?"

"Oh look. You were surprised."

"Not funny, Lucca." Chrono glared at her. "So, continue…"

"Yes. Anyway, Nadia looks so much like Leene that everyone must have thought they were one and the same!"

"I knew that as well."

"Don't get impatient here! Now, Leene has been kidnapped. If you've been studying your history you should know that. The Mystics got her. She was eventually found, of course."

"Of course. Go on before the Millennial Fair comes around."

"Here's where it gets tricky," Lucca began pacing, eyes flashing. "See, they all thought Nadia was the real Queen, so they abandoned their search." She paused.

"Do you need an answer?" her friend asked after a beat.

"A simple 'what does that mean' will do!"

Chrono sighed. "What does that mean," he grumbled.

"Well, duh silly! If the Queen isn't rescued, the Mystics will kill her – and if Nadia is a descendent of Leene?"

"No Nadia. I get it…"

"I was supposed to say that!" Lucca interjected. "Now, because Leene is in danger, time, or fate, or whatever, said that Nadia cannot exist – "

"So, she disappeared."

"Stop interrupting my explanation!"

"Sorry."

Presently Lucca stopped pacing and stared Chrono right in the eye. "So, if we want to rescue the girl?"

Chrono was silent.

"You can answer this one."

"Oh. We rescue the Queen."

"Good – you're just getting it! So, you know where she is, right?"

Chrono scratched his head. "Actually, no."

"The cathedral, silly!" Lucca slapped her friend playfully upside the head. "You've heard of it, right?"

"Yes," Chrono grinned.

"Well, that's where they kept her – where they are keeping her. Supposedly, there was a secret underground base for the Mystics that had existed for years under the building until about now."

"Sure. I get it."

"And it's up to us to save her – everyone else still thinks Nadia is, or was, the real Queen! Oh - you'll need a weapon."

Chrono said nothing but drew his sword in front of his friend, flashed it a few times, then sheathed it again.

"Ah. That's a real nice sword. But you should have brought something from home. At least there you can get something useful. Oh well, it's too late now - if we go back we might not rescue Leene in time."

"Excuse me?"

"That's right – you were stuck here. Well, I brought this from home – it's one of my little inventions." She held up a pistol-sized firearm painted bright orange. "A homemade, air-powered tranquilizer dart gun! And I brought this – " she pulled out a kitchen knife – "just in case I run out of ammunition." Chrono contained his laugh, but barely.

His friend continued. "Well, what are we waiting for? Shouldn't we be saving the Queen? You know where we're going, right?"

"Right."

"Then let's go!"

Chrono didn't move.

"Hint: I want you to lead."

"Ah. Sorry," he chuckled, then trudged away.

"Faster!" At her command, Chrono broke into a sprint. "Wait, not that fast! Wait up, Chrono!" But he was already out of sight through the underbrush.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry this took a while to update...

Don't forget - this is basically a rough draft you're reading right now (well, about two minutes ago - now you're reading the author's note). However, (to repeat myself) I will not edit yet - much as I want to. But that does not mean that you cannot point out any gaping errors in the story.

Which brings me to - gaping errors. Point them out, please. I tend not to notice my own mistakes. So, if I make a typo, an error in character development (like I say Chrono's hair is red in chapter 1 and blue in chapter 3), or a huge plot hole, I will not cry if you tell me. I might get upset, however, if you say "Chrono actually had and Iron BLADE, not a sword."

I hope I'm not dragging this story out. But then again, it is not an action fic as much as a fantasy fic, so if it takes me four chapters to get to the first battle, that's okay, right?" If I'm getting too involved in the story (which, I have to say, is the best RPG story I have ever seen - the only other one that comes close is FF6) let me know - because, frankly, I love this story...

Mission316