The Trial

Chrono felt he had barely departed the gigantic courtroom, yet here he was again this morning. Apparently he was becoming quite the popular attraction; the crowd seemed twice as large as the previous morning's, and Chrono would not have been surprised if they had bought confections to munch while they watched the next season of this exciting event.

The part he didn't understand is why everyone had to be re-introduced. If nobody could remember who anyone was after one day, then how could they be expected to remember all this evidence? Never mind that. At least all the names were the same from day to day. He couldn't help but think the trial would be so much quicker if the teams skipped the face-off.

And, he had no idea what on earth Pierre had cooked up in his absence. The lawyer had made no visits to the cell and still told him nothing. He came into the courtroom with, what – a shiver? Chrono couldn't believe it until Pierre sat beside him with a wink.

"Chancellor, you may begin." The judge was a little more alert today, but he still looked like he had missed his appointment with Mr. Sandman.

"Certainly, your honor." After the obligatory ahem! – the Chancellor pulled a roll of paper from somewhere in his tunic. "Yesterday morning I provided the signatures of twelve men who saw the meeting between this young man and the princess. Here," he handed the roll to the judge, "are the twelve signatures. Read them carefully. I don't want to have to bring the men in myself."

Once he finished reading, the judge spoke. "Is this all you have, Chancellor?"

"For now, yes."

"Then sit down. Pierre?"

The lawyer stood. "I would like to call my first witness!" With that, he motioned to the back of the room. Everyone's eyes went to the far door, from where came…

Mom! Chrono almost stood up himself but held his peace. He could see the Chancellor doing the same. His mother calmly walked to the witness chair and sat, her hands folded in her lap. She was scared – Chrono could tell as she made her oath. Be strong, Mom! Be strong!

Pierre approached Mom in as friendly a manner as a wooden pole could. "Please, ma'am, would you tell everyone who you are."

"Certainly. I am Chrono's mother."

Pierre scrunched his brow. "Surely you have a name?"

"Liza."

"Thank you, Liza. Now, tell me, please – why was your son not at home two days ago?"

Mom's response was quick. "He was at the millennial fair, of course."

"How long was he gone?"

"Just about all day."

"That didn't worry you?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"He was excited to be there, I suppose."

Pierre cringed at those last two words. "So, when he came home?"

"He brought the girl in."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He said he was on his way to take her home, and was only checking in with me."

"And what time was that?"

"About six-thirty, I'd say."

Pierre smiled and faced the Chancellor. "You have your facts, Chancellor. What time did you first find Nadia, then? When was she returned?"

"Seven," the Chancellor grumbled.

"So, then," Pierre returned to Mom. "Chrono told the truth… good. Ma'am, I have just one more question: does your boy do… strange things? Does he display any malfeasance of character? Violence?"

Mom was indignant. "No! Chrono would never harm any living thing!"

"Your honor, I have no more questions."

"But I do!" the Chancellor interjected. As Pierre came down, he came up, and Mom visibly tried to scoot as far away from the man as possible. "Now, Liza, you say Chrono brought the girl into your home, right?" Mom only nodded. "But you did not recognize her as the princess." She nodded again. "Why?"

"I knew she looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place her face yet."

"Is that all?"

"Well, no. I didn't get her real name."

"What was that?" The Chancellor smelled fresh meat. "Chrono did not tell you her name?"

"No."

"Mark that, everyone! Now, one more question. It is true that your boy has no inclination toward violence, yes?" Mom nodded again. "However, he does display some... well, oddities, does he not?"

"I'm not sure what you mean…"

"Is he sociable? Does he display an outgoing character? Or does he keep to himself – brooding or sulking often?"

"Oh, no, my son is quite shy."

The Chancellor seemed a little disappointed, but continued. "Your honor, I have no more questions."

"Pierre?" the judge looked up. "Is that all?"

"No, your honor. I have another witness – in the case the boy's mother could not prove that Chrono has committed no crime." He pointed to the back door, and motioned for a man to enter. Once the man drew closer, Chrono recognized him – the car driver!

"Let's make this quick, shall we?" Pierre commented as he motioned for the driver to have a seat. He pointed at Chrono. "Do you remember this young man?"

"Of course," the man half-drawled, half-slurred.

"Where from?"

"He was in my car."

"On what day?"

"A couple of days ago… two days ago, actually."

"That's right. What time was it again?"

"Almost seven."

"And the boy, he had an escort."

"Yeah, that's right. I'd never forget that kind of pretty face."

"Describe for us this girl."

The man bit his lower lip as he recalled her. "Let's see… she was blond. That much… uh, her hair was in some kind of ponytail, right! And she wore this blue-ish… thing."

Pierre turned to the Chancellor. "I believe this matches the outfit your twelve saw Nadia wearing when she and Chrono met." Then he returned to the driver. "Thank you, sir. I have no further questions."

There was a pause before the judge spoke up. "Chancellor."

The old man seethed. "No questions."

"Then, Pierre, do you have any further witnesses?"

"Yes. I call Lucca, Chrono's best friend, to the chair." At that, the Chancellor started, but contained his rage for now. The lawyer pointed to the back, and in sauntered Lucca, trading an assuring (and somewhat unnerving) glance with Chrono.

"Lucca, you are truly Chrono's best friend?"

"Yes."

"You were present at the fair?" She nodded. "What were you doing?"

"I was demonstrating my new science project."

"What was this project?"

"The Telepod. It's a teleportation device." She received several chuckles. "It only teleported people about ten feet, but it worked. I tried it on Chrono, and he came out okay. The trouble happened when the girl got in. Her pendant reacted with… well, the machinery, and she was teleported through time."

The crowd was strangely silent until the Chancellor broke the ice with a hearty guffaw. Immediately the crowd joined in while the old man watched to see which individuals would be getting healthy raises by tomorrow. Pierre just ignored them and continued. "The girl disappeared?"

"Well, of course, that's what I said."

"What happened next."

"Chrono followed after her."

"How?"

"He borrowed the girl's pendant."

"So he went through time?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"After they went, I constructed a gate key so I could follow. The gate key basically recreates the effect of the malfunction at the Telepod, and opens the portal."

Pierre knew he had to close this fast, before the crowd's irritation went beyond their control. "Do you have this gate key?"

"Yes." With that, Lucca smartly pulled the disc out of her pocket.

"Objection!" cried the Chancellor. "This is absolutely absurd! Anybody can take a - "

The judge briefly awoke. "Objection overruled. Pierre?"

"One last thing. I asked the boy's mother, now I will ask you. Tell me a little of your friend's character. Is he prone to insanity or violence?"

"He's a silly boy, but he's not insane or violent." Lucca laughed.

"Thank you, Lucca. Chancellor, it's your turn."

"With pleasure." The old man hopped to the witness chair. "So, Lucca, what do you mean when you say silly boy?"

"I think you can figure that out yourself."

"Answer the question, please."

"He's just unusual."

"Ah – and by unusual?"

Chrono could see Lucca had a hard time complimenting her friend. "I mean he is a very unique person! I'm sure you don't need much more than that!"

"You're right, then. The audience has heard all they need. Next – you say you went through time. How long were you gone?"

"Six hours, of course."

"You were in the portal for six hours?"

"Well, no."

"Then what were you doing in that time?"

"To be honest, since I didn't follow for several hours, I wasn't present the whole time."

The Chancellor eyed Chrono. "Ah, so you didn't see what they did."

"No, sir."

"Thank you. I have no further questions, your honor."

The judge pulled his sheet of paper out again. "Pierre?"

Chrono held his breath during a long silence. So far his lawyer had managed only to discount the charges of ransom and insanity, but the main charge, the lethal weapon, was still in the Chancellor's hands, and that old man sure played the crowd well.

Finally Pierre stood. "I have one final witness." Who else can you pull, Pierre? The princess is under the Chancellor's thumb! You've used up all the other witnesses. Nobody else saw us!

The lawyer must have purposefully kept silent so long before continuing. "I call Marle to the stand." Everyone began murmuring. Who is this Marle? In between the commotion, Pierre and Chrono shared a wink.

When Marle stepped in the room, Chrono could hardly recognize her. She concealed herself in a long, hooded black cloak, none of her face showing. She must have worn some tall shoes because she seemed to have grown six or seven inches since her visit with him yesterday. He wasn't totally sure how the guards had been fooled, but sighed with relief to see her enter.

Pierre waited until she'd sat and said her oath before making any move. Emotionlessly, he stood and began. "Now, Marle, you know this Chrono, right?"

The figure only nodded.

"You were at the science project with him, right?" Again, it nodded. "And you saw him with the girl, right? Good. You also saw him leave, is that correct. Thought so. And you saw him enter the car with the girl. Did he return home alone?" The figure nodded, and the Chancellor began to steam. Who was this new addition? "Good. In all the dealings you had, or witnessed, with Chrono, he presented himself as a sane and justified individual? Good. Outside, you told me the boy treated the girl like a gentleman. That is the truth? Of course it is. You wouldn't lie? No. He held her hand? No?" Pierre grinned and faced the crowd. "Did he ever hold her at all? No? Are you sure? Did he even touch her once? No?" he cried with mock awe.

"Did he know the girl? Did she ever tell him who she was? No? Did he ask her name? Yes! Did she give it? No! He never figured out who she was? No, and yes? What do you mean, no and yes… somewhere during his six hour disappearance, he must have learned who she was, because he returned knowing her? I understand. And he still did not touch her – AND he returned the pendant? Ah… then I have no more questions, your honor." Pierre smiled a final smile and sat resolute and detached from any emotion.

"Chancellor?" It was the judge. "Do you have anything to say?"

"Oh, I do!" He jumped up, his white beard bristling in all directions. He approached the girl like a lion approaches its prey. "Now, sir, tell me your name again?" The figure didn't say anything. "What is your name?" It looked at Pierre. "No! He isn't going to tell anyone your name. You are… no? Are you suddenly too shy? I see. Why don't you tell everyone here your name, please? Are you frightened? Don't be, then, and tell us the truth!" It looked at Pierre again, who invisibly nodded approval. The figure stood and whipped off its cloak.

The Chancellor shared the world's loudest gasp with the crowd. There was the princess Nadia herself, standing right there before him!

"I'll tell you my name!" She shouted. "I'm the Princess! And what I say, goes! Chrono is innocent, I say! I was with him the whole time – we did go back in time, for days – and he rescued me and brought me home! If anyone should be arrested, it should be you, Chancellor, for arresting an innocent person!"

Pierre put his head in his hands. "Oh, don't act crazy, they won't believe you!"

"We traveled to the past, to the Mystic War! What I am telling you is true! And we were stranded there until Lucca came to get us! And Chrono never laid a hand on me for three days!"

WHACK! WHACK! "Order! Order!"

"Guards!" The Chancellor had held his composure long enough. "Take the girl back to her room! She is obviously mad! See she doesn't escape this time!"

Once Nadia had been removed, the judge took control. "All right, Pierre, that is all? No more tricks?"

"Just one more, your honor," Pierre stated. He pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. "I have here, a written confession from Princess Nadia! All she has said this morning, and more, is written on this page!"

"Objection!" cried the Chancellor. "We all can see the girl is plainly mad from trauma! How can any of us really believe you now!"

"Chancellor!" the judge appeared stern, for once, with a look that said don't blow this! "Control yourself! Pierre, please bring me that paper." He did. "Do you have anything else?"

"No, the defense rests."

"Chancellor?"

He smiled gleefully. "I so happen to have with me – one final piece of evidence! It was in the princess's pocket upon her return!"

"Chancellor, we do not have time for this. Just bring it forth."

"I have here – a ransom note – written by none other than this young boy, Chrono!" Pierre and his client jumped right out of their seats. "Don't be so shocked, boys. Your honor, here it is. You may read it yourself!"

"No thank you, Chancellor. I've had enough of this madhouse. Please, are both of you finished?"

"Yes, your honor," was the dual reply.

"Then, Chancellor, you may begin your closing remarks."

"Certainly, your honor." Was it his imagination, or did Chrono hear a mischievous chuckle from the Chancellor? (Probably his imagination.) "People of the court, and those of you gathered to watch today – you have seen the evidence presented before you. This boy is clearly guilty of all charges – he disappeared with the girl for several hours, remember? In that time, he so severely traumatized her that she cannot remember what happened then. We also have the ransom note he wrote – a demand for ten million gold coins! Clearly we are dealing with a severely unbalanced character! Members of the court, you would be fools to dismiss the boy as innocent. That is all that needs to be said, for the evidence speaks for itself."

As the Chancellor stepped down, Pierre nudged Chrono. "Do not say a word!" The lawyer stood and cleared his throat.

"People of the court, the Chancellor only said one truth is his last statement – that the evidence speaks for itself. That is true, members of the court. If you took any notice of this boy at all, did you not see how well he has behaved himself through this entire trial. Surely a boy of unstable character would have shown his insanity by now? As for the ransom note – I dismiss it as faulty evidence. Even if the boy had written such a note, would he have returned the girl without the ten million coins in gold? Think for yourself about that. And as for this charge of kidnapping, you have heard the witnesses. All four attested to the fact that Chrono returned the girl to her home, that he never so much as touched her, he returned the pendant, he followed her into the portal to save her, and so on and so forth. There is more than enough evidence from these four to prove that Chrono could not have any malicious intent, even the intent of the minor kidnapping of a little girl. In short, people of the court, you would be sadly mistaken to charge this boy of even a misdemeanor." Pierre sat.

WHACK! The judge stood. "Will the members please step forward and give me the verdicts."

On cue, the first member came to the throne and handed the judge a slip of paper. With more than enough crinkling and crackling, the judge unfolded it (though it had been folded several times) and read aloud. "Not guilty."

The Chancellor marked the member with a lean stare, then produced a sheet of paper and began writing.

Another member approached the judge's throne. "Not guilty!" The Chancellor again wrote something on his paper.

And the third. "Guilty!"

And the fourth. "Guilty!" With each, the Chancellor took his notes. Pierre began to clasp the underside of his chair.

"Guilty!" was the fifth verdict. Two more to go.

The sixth man came forward. "Not guilty!"

Chrono's head began to swim. Of course his final verdict would depend on the last vote to tip the balance. He would have expected too much to ask for a clear 7-0 not guilty, right? Why were these kinds of cases cut so close?

The final member approached the throne. Was that his imagination, or did Chrono just see the judge switching the papers? "Guilty!" the judge proclaimed. All at once the crowd was up in arms – against the judge, the Chancellor, Pierre, Chrono, each other.

WHACK! WHACK! "Order!" WHACK WHACK WHACK WHACK! "I said order!" For once the judge displayed some passion. "Everyone be quiet! No more noise!" With that, he sat and folded his hands ever so benevolently. "Chrono, you are found guilty to all three charges and sentenced to a stay of three days in prison, after which you are to be executed at the stroke of noon." WHACK! No more could be said.

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know I said it would take forever to update, but this chapter went really fast for me, if for no other reason than I was excited writing (and I hope you were excited reading it). I really doubt the next chapter will come along so quickly, so don't hold your breath.

I know I've added a bunch of characters - even in this chapter: Benny, Corny, Milton, and the other guards. I'm trying to keep this as accurate as possible, but sometimes I do this anyway. The trick is to give each one of these people their own character without distracting from the overall story.

Which brings me to the main point of this note. For those of you who know the story, you should know kind of what happens next. I would like some input on how you think it should happen. Your input won't change anything I write unless you tell me something better than I planned (very high chances, folks). I still want to see what goes through your minds, though. Now, for those of you who do not know the story, or haven't fully completed the game, then just sit back and wait for me to figure out what comes next.