Chapter XIV: The Battle of Zenan Bridge

"Eminence."

The general looked up from his charts to acknowledge the messenger. He rubbed his bald head. There wasn't much time before the offensive. Besides, he knew what was going to be said. "Quickly, then."

"Our scouts have returned."

"And?"

"Nothing."

"Fool. They have to be there. What did the 'scouts' say again?" He was offering the messenger another chance. He always gave everyone a second chance to redeem themselves.

"Er… they did see something. But no army. Certainly no forces on the other side of the bridge. Only a few small groups of hunters or explorers in the wilderness."

"Are the scouts blind? This is too easy." His ears pricked until they almost pointed straight out the side of his head. A sure sign to the messenger that the general had another plan.

"Agreed. Shall I try again?"

"No, no. Round up all the commanders. I require a stray."

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

A bump jarred Chrono from sleep. "Where are we now, Mom?" he mumbled.

"About three miles from Zenan Bridge." It was Robo. Now Chrono remembered where he was – or rather, when he was.

He wasn't sleepy anymore. "Zenan? But isn't that where there's going to be…" he trailed off after getting a blank stare from Toma. Never mind that right now. He woke Lucca, who had been sleeping with her head on his shoulder. "We're three miles from the bridge."

"Did we win?" were her first words.

"Win?" Toma asked dubiously. "What in – "

"Sorry. It was… um… a dream."

Chrono looked at the explorer. "Why are we going to the bridge?"

"Why not? Those devils have pushed too far, and now Truce will have its vengeance."

"So why are we going to watch?" Lucca muttered to herself.

Toma overheard. "Watch? Hardly. I shall not miss a day of fighting from here on. Guardia can count me as ten more soldiers! Ha!"

A sudden gasp from Nadia stopped everyone short. Up until now she had been dreaming away across from Chrono.

"Nightmare?" Lucca offered.

"Where are we?" She groaned. The reply came in unison. Nadia frowned. "I thought we were going to the castle."

Toma grinned. "You are. Soon as I get off the carriage."

Just then the ride slowed to a halt. "What's going on?" Nadia asked. From fear or frustration, Chrono didn't know. "Why are we stopped?"

To answer a question, a short man appeared by the carriage window. Or, more accurately, appeared below the carriage window. Nadia had to strain to see him from where she sat. "My apologies, friends, but no one is allowed passage from here."

"Yes, I know!" Toma shouted down to the man. Just because he's short doesn't mean he's deaf. "That's why I am here!" He opened the carriage door, almost decapitating the man outside. "Do you have a sword to spare?"

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

Lucca made sure that there was no confusion once they reached the castle. "We're here for one thing, and one thing only. We just need to know where Magus is hiding out now." She directed the other three out of the carriage as she spoke (as if they couldn't find the door). "If I'm right – well, anyway, this is the eve of battle, so Magus should be holed up in his lair. We only have a short amount of time before he disappears forever."

Nadia grumbled. "If we know where he is, then why are we here trying to find out where he is."

"According to the history books, no one ever lived to tell where Magus had hidden." Robo's eyes brightened as he spoke. The first time his eyes had lit at all since the day before.

Lucca picked up the thought. "Right. I need a map so we can chart a course. We're not that pressed for time. There's still, what, two weeks to go before he disappears?"

"Two weeks!" Nadia's eyes flashed. "Are you crazy?"

Chrono held up his hands as if keeping the women at bay. "Relax. Just because nobody found him doesn't mean he couldn't be found… Lucca? Please?" He shrugged and pulled out some gold coins with which to pay the carriage driver.

"That's correct. From what we know from the future – our present – we can find out just where Magus resides, but we need to see a map to find it. The wizard's lair is on an uncharted island, and if I can get all the coordinates lined up with the ancient map, we'll be on our way. Plus, we might be stalled just long enough to miss the battle and get free passage to the south."

By this point they had made their way to the castle door. There were two guards stationed outside the door. Both were completely armored and armed with six-foot long spears. Funny, Chrono thought. They usually stand inside. Perhaps because of the war? One look at Lucca's face, though, and Chrono knew that wasn't the answer.

"Who goes there?" How many times a day do they have to say that stupid line?

Chrono stepped forward. Here goes… "I am Sir Chrono."

"Sir who?"

"Sir what?"

The two guards pointed their spears at the boy. "No, honest, I am. The Sir Chrono who... um... just let me speak to the King – " he was cut off by a spear pressed up to his neck. "Please?"

"No one goes in." It was then Chrono noticed that the spear up against his neck was no stone spear. The tip was metal. And if he wasn't mistaken, the handle was metal, too – and of course the guards were covered with the stuff. He shot a look to the others. A hey, check this out look. Suddenly one guard jerked back and fell into the castle wall, his spear point still hovering in front of the boy's neck. Chrono let it fall. The other guard jumped in alarm and seemed ready to charge. "I s-s-said no one enters. Dare not try your sorcery on me!"

"Hey! Your friend is fine. He's just a little shocked is all." Chrono almost smiled at his own pun. "Now you can let us in or I'll make your eyeballs bleed." Lucca shot him a look. That might have been a little much – he's not buying it.

But it didn't really matter. At that moment the grand, red doors opened to reveal none other than Queen Leene. Chrono almost gasped in shock. He'd forgotten just how much she and Nadia looked alike, aside from their age difference. In fact, they were even wearing the same color green. No wonder they'd been mistaken for each other. But stranger still was the shock registered on Leene's face. "Sir Chrono?" She said the name as if she'd been waiting to say it her whole life. "I saw you from the bedchamber. I dreamed you would come." She fingered her necklace. Or was it – Chrono looked closer – a pendant. Similar to the one Nadia now fingered nervously. Very similar.

The Queen hesitated a moment before speaking again. "You must come with me."

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

She led them through the empty throne room and up what seemed an endless number of stairs until she reached the bedchamber. It seemed grander – yet more somber – than Chrono remembered from his last visit. Then again, he may not be in the same room he had been. Plus, this one had sunlight streaming in through the stained windows, making everything appear living, even the stones.

Everything, that is, except the king. He lay face up in the bed, surrounded by maids and, of all people, the cook. Right, Chrono thought. We were just lucky enough to arrive now.

"They are here." Leene stood by the door, framed by the strange visitors. Everyone just gaped at them, as if they were seeing their long-lost brothers and sisters. "Just as I told you."

"Wait a minute," Nadia began. "You knew we were coming?"

"I told you I had dreamed. In my dream, I saw my husband on the verge of death. And I saw the four of you. You cannot imagine how hard it was to believe, but you all came precisely when I dreamed you would, even you – " she looked to Robo – "though I had never known you before. Strange armor you wear."

"This was a mistake," Lucca muttered to Chrono. "I forgot about the poisoning of the king."

Nadia appeared to be fighting back tears. "How soon until he gets better?" Everyone just stared blankly at her, obviously trying to hide back anger at the thoughtless comment. Everyone, that is, but Lucca and Chrono. They just glared incredulously at her. "I mean, is he going to be well?"

"I have prayed every day for healing." Leene moved to the bed and knelt beside the form of her husband. The king had not stirred or spoken since their entry. "And then I have prayed for strength from heaven. I thought all hope was lost until you arrived." At those last words, Chrono and the others visibly reacted – even Robo. This was not what was supposed to happen. "Please, leave us," the queen continued. "All except for you," she added, motioning to Chrono and his friends.

Slowly the maids filed out. "My Queen," came a voice from the bed. It was the cook. "May I remain? The King has yet to finish his meal." Leene nodded gracefully to him. With a smile the cook returned to the bed. He had a tray beside him which carried a large bowl of soup, some of which he was trying to coax down the king's throat. A near impossible task, considering he couldn't coax the king's mouth open.

Leene ignored that and instead focused on her new guests. At least, Chrono thought so, for while she talked to them, she never took her eyes off her husband. "I know he will walk today."

There was a profound silence as Chrono realized that he must be the reason the King would walk. He looked at his friends. They seemed to be having similar profound silences. "How is this possible?" Robo stepped forward to address the Queen, though he did take a glance Nadia's direction. Good, Chrono thought. At least he remembers our need for secrecy. "We are mere mortals like you." At that, Lucca pretended to clear her throat.

"What he means to say is…" she paused, thinking – tapping her foot to break the silence. "I guess he's asking what makes us so special. We aren't doctors. We don't know the first thing about medicine." Now everyone pretended to clear their throats. "Well, we don't know much at all."

Leene remained unmoved. "I do not trust in medicine."

"Whatever. Your majesty, if you will allow us a moment, we must get to your library. It's urgent. We'll be back to say your magic words later." Lucca tried to make the last part sound like a joke, but it fell flat and left everyone with an awkward expression.

The queen appeared not to have heard Lucca at all, though she responded, sounding somewhat hurt. "Go, then. I will wait." Lucca dashed out the doorway immediately. Robo was a little further behind because he first bowed to the queen before leaving. Chrono backed to the exit slowly, motioning for Nadia to follow. But the girl stayed put. Chrono motioned again, a little more strongly, but Nadia didn't budge. Or, unless he was imagining it, she was moving closer to the king. No… please. Don't do this. This isn't right. Chrono hesitated for a moment. Why wasn't it right? If he remembered correctly, the king did recover from his wounds – right around the time of the battle at Zenan. Which was now.

He shook his head, wondering why he had even slightly resisted the impulse to help. With a strange grin, he approached the bed where the king lay. He bowed his head a little – is this how to do it? How do I fix it? How did Nadia do it at the lodge? Something's not right here… what was it… maybe I'm just nervous. I never healed anyone back at home. Do I just concentrate? Chrono held his hands inches above the blanket. He knew that just under that blanket the king's body was fighting some disease. What was it Lucca had said? A rumor that it was poison in the king's body? Either way, there was something there, Chrono knew. He focused with all his might, imagining tiny mystics running rampant in a dying stomach. He imagined those tiny mystics suddenly keeling over, being crushed by the might of… some kind of healing power. A blue flame. Yes! A blue flame. And as those little mystics died, the stomach was healed, a wound played in reverse. Chrono opened his eyes to look at the king. The body did not move. The rise and fall of the king's chest had not changed at all and the king still wore a dazed expression. Chrono furrowed his brow. Perhaps the healing wasn't supposed to work right away.

He was about to try again when he noticed the look on Nadia's face. She was trying to suppress a laugh, while at the same time, seemed almost proud of him for trying. Leene, however, just cocked her head and stared. She was apparently not prepared for this kind of show. Neither was the cook. He had stopped feeding his master and instead gave Chrono a blank stare, holding a ladle of soup perfectly still, inches from the king's face. Chrono just shrugged. I tried, then.

But it wasn't done yet. Chrono could tell. Maybe he had healed the king. Imagine… still, the king never gave the slightest hint of wellness. Now Nadia approached the bed, from the other side. Chrono watched her intently. What does she do that I do not? The girl bent over the man's body and stared at it. Chrono frowned. What on earth was this? It looked like she was trying to see into the body. She stared at one point, then another, then another. If Chrono didn't know better, he'd say she was watching a flea jumping across the golden bedspread.

Then she stopped watching and held her hands over the body. Not much different from me. Hmm. She never closed her eyes, though. And, if Chrono wasn't mistaken, she was beginning to cry. Women. However, Chrono had the feeling these were a different sort of tears.

A moment later Nadia stood erect, her hands at her sides, her eyes dry. Is that it? The king still hadn't moved. Oh well – they had tried. The magic just wasn't flowing or something. Or maybe they just hadn't trained long enough.

Chrono was distracted by a small cough. He looked to Nadia. She appeared innocent enough, and now stared intensely at the king's face. Chrono looked again – it was exactly where he had left it. The rigid face showed almost no sign of life, and the eyes had grayed and stared at nothing. What was going on?

He was about to turn away and follow Lucca out when he heard the cough again. This time he heard it come from the king's own mouth. Then there came another cough. And the bedspread began to rise and fall more quickly than before, as the breaths came harder and faster.

Suddenly the king shot up to sitting position, his eyes dark and wide. He clenched his fists up toward his neck, and then fell over toward Nadia's side of the bed. She jumped back and ran around to Chrono. The king's head drooped over the frame, and from there he could hear the sounds of grunting and groaning, and finally a long splashing sound. Whatever was in the good king's stomach was in there no longer.

Leene rushed to her husband and took his head in her arms. She didn't touch his face or kiss him, though. Understandable enough, considering he smells like a pit. Instead she shouted "Praise God! You have returned to us!" She then proceeded to explain everything that had happened since the king had been bedridden – everything including her dream, Chrono's arrival, the healing, and, of course, the war status. Of course, she said it all so fast that the king probably didn't understand a word of it, but his face began to register emotion. An emotion that read may things, such as "what have I missed?" "Where am I?" and, of course, "who did this to me?"

He pried his wife's fingers from his face and held her hands tightly. "How long has it been since the people have been without a leader? Too long. I'm not going to let those devils succeed in killing me next time. We'll kill every last one of them first." His breath was beginning to get loud and raspy, coming in short bursts. He then looked at the cook, who stared wide-eyed at him. "Good Rowan, I'll have you rewarded for your faithfulness."

"Sir," Rowan blurted – almost shouted. "Sire… I mean. If I may suggest the manner of my reward."

"Name it."

"I wish to fight by my brother's side. Until every last mystic has eaten a sword. You know this has been my only request since my failing eyesight stripped me of my armor. Let me go out fighting. Even if I slay every last devil, it will not atone for my failure in seeing you suffer." The cook dropped to one knee.

The king looked at his servant in surprise… but nodded his head. "If all your Queen says is true, I will need every man strong enough to lift a sword. Your request is granted, as a tribute to your loyalty. Go." Rowan stood and rushed out (but not before giving an extremely quick, but reverent, bow). The king watched him go for a moment before turning back to his wife. "Well, get me out of this bed. If it is in my dying breath even, I will save this kingdom. Don't stand there all day."

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

"What was that?" Chrono asked as soon as he and Nadia had cleared the room. "I mean, how are you doing that?"

Nadia seemed just as shocked as he. "I… I really don't know. When I was there, I just had this feeling. I felt so sorry for… and I just knew that I could do something. I could see into his body and all the things that needed… fixing."

"You realize we've just made history now. Perhaps in the history books they'll talk about some strange girl coming in to heal the King on the eve of battle. It'll make for a great story." Even as he said it, Chrono had a sinking feeling that something was just not right.

But he didn't get much time to think about it before Lucca and Robo spotted them. "Ha, thought you'd lost us for a moment, did you." Lucca handed Chrono a rolled up parchment. "Well, we had to find the maps all by ourselves, no thanks. What did you do while we were gone?"

As if to answer her question, the bedchamber door opened, and out came the king. He was supported on both sides by Rowan and Leene. Despite not having the energy to stand, he appeared healthier than ever. In fact, if Chrono wasn't mistaken, the gray tint in the king's hair had completely vanished since Nadia had worked her miracle.

They all watched silently as the king passed. Then, one by one, they looked at Nadia. Lucca was having a hard time masking frustration on her face. "Nadia… you didn't. Tell me, please."

"What?" The girl tried to sound calm and unaffected despite a slight tremor in her voice.

"You healed the king of Guardia. You actually did it."

"Of course. What was I supposed to do?"

"Not heal the king!"

"Excuse me?" Now the tremor was gone, and Nadia's voice carried an edge. "That king is supposed to go out and win this war! It said so in all the history books that he was responsible for the victory and that he was eventually healed from his sickness. Of course I would do that. It was supposed to be done!"

"Not yet."

"Pardon?"

Now Lucca's voice had a tremble. "The king was healed, but not miraculously. And not before the battle at Zenan. You spend too much time on names and dates, Nadia. History is about the why. Tell me, why did the Guardians win the battle at Zenan?" She gave no time for a reply. "Because they were inspired to fight for their king on his deathbed, rumored to have been poisoned by mystics. Their passion to avenge the king led them to victory."

Nadia opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. Chrono stepped in for her. "Perhaps the people will fight harder with the king in good health. Remember this isn't the final battle anyway…"

"Correct," Robo interrupted. "But Miss Lucca is not referring to the final battle. I do believe our goal was only to get to the dark wizard, Magus. We were not to do anything else. Why? Because any action we perform in the past may well affect the future. Even the smallest act can change the names of countries and cities, and change the outcomes of all future wars. In fact, merely the route we took here may have affected all our futures." The others just looked at him.

"What he means," Lucca added, "is that by healing the king – a major intervention, by the way – we may have completely changed the outcome of this battle. This is the most important battle of the Mystic war. It's the victory here that allowed… or allows… the Guardian army to go on the offensive – plus the disappearance of the wizard Magus. And who knows what the wizard will do if the outcome of Zenan is different." She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Her face was beginning to turn red.

Chrono took the opportunity to speak. "And all this means what?" He knew that Lucca was right. But still, there had to be a way out, right? "Is there a way to change history again… back to the way it should be?"

"There may be one way I know of," Robo interjected. "As of now, the only people who know of the king's recovery are in this building. If we can get to the battlefront quickly, before any messengers can arrive, we may be able to stall the news just long enough to leave the result of the battle unchanged. After all, you have not invented long-distance communication devices, and I realized – "

Lucca held up a hand. "Yeah, we know. Let's just go. If you're right, we don't have any time to spare." She stared the other three down a few seconds before turning on her heels and running for the door. Her friends weren't far behind.

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

"Eminence."

The general looked up from his charts again. This time it was The Priest. The general grunted. It was no secret he despised Ozzie. He despised the way The Priest monopolized on his religious war. He despised the creature's slime and flattery. He even despised Ozzie's cold green flesh and fat, round body. Good thing The Priest thought to cover himself in a huge, off-white tunic. Too bad his face still showed. A monstrous frog-like face. Only the eyes betrayed any hint of deviousness, let alone intelligent thought. That and the ears – no real frog had such pointy ears. The general rubbed his own ears at the thought… their only similarity.

"You may enter," the general said, although Ozzie had already taken the liberty of entering. He was The Priest, after all. He talked with Lavos. He knew Lavos. He would call down fire from Lavos on anyone who forbade him to enter. "You have a prisoner?"

"The perfect one, eminence." Ozzie spoke mockingly – a perfect tone for his already whiny voice. The general almost chuckled. Every time the thing spoke it reminded him of a duck being strangled. "He is just outside." The Priest motioned to someone just outside the general's vision. "Come in, you sewer rat."

The prisoner was just another imp. They were the usual prisoners, as they were the easiest to contain. No magical powers. Hardly any strength. No brains. Sheer numbers. This one was blue, almost like the general. His hands were bound behind his back with some kind of cord. "Release him, please."

Ozzie clasped his hands together, as if praying. The general just rolled his eyes. He knew Ozzie had the power to unbind those cords without the showmanship. But The Priest loved to strike fear into weak hearts – something the general knew was foolish. How will a frightened little mouse fight to the death for you? Why will he? Just then Ozzie pulled his hands apart, and the cords around the imp's hands unwound themselves and flew toward The Priest's froggish hands. The general almost gagged.

He forced himself to continue. "Do you know why you are here?" No reply. "Speak. I am your superior. I command you to speak."

The reply was slow in coming. "I… I stole jewels from the company commander."

"You know the punishment."

"Death by… dismemberment."

"Correct." The general let the thought sink in before continuing. "But I will remove your punishment, on one condition." The imp looked up at him, eyes wide. "Yes, you have a second chance. I always give my prisoners a second chance."

He took a deep breath and waited. Finally the imp nodded slightly. Good, the answer was yes. Never had a prisoner answered no before. No prisoners were complete fools. There were lots of better deaths than dismemberment.

"I have a task for you."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Quick one this time. Just a reminder to R&R - which by the way, does NOT stand for Rescue and Resuscitate. However you spell that. I just want the little number after "Reviews" to be a big number so I can feel important.

AND I want to know what you alls think. I know that someone out there, or some people, are reading this, so it's not like this is the ghost thread or something. And I don't require a vastly intelligent discussion. What do you like, what do you not like? (The latter is sometimes more helpful...)

I hope to update again soon. Yes, all these changes ARE going somewhere.