A Sword Asunder

Now they heard Masa's voice – or Mune's. They weren't sure. "Here, let's ride the wind down the mountain. Just stand under the opening in our roof." They exchanged glances. "Well? We don't have all day." Robo was the first to stand under the opening. "And how do you expect us to lift you in that ridiculous outfit? All right, we'll try. We're not miracle workers here." Lucca joined him, and then the rest followed quickly.

Next thing Chrono knew the opening in the ceiling was a lot closer than before – and before he could gauge the distance he was flying through the hole and into the blazing sunlight above. With a rush of wind he and the others descended the nearest slope, brushing over treetops and whizzing around rocks and crevasses. And before he could quite understand what was going on, Chrono felt his feet softly touch the soft earth at the foot of the mountain. And without a sound, his friends appeared next to him – well, almost without a sound. Robo missed his footing or something and tumbled into a nearby brush, sending a family of roly-polys out in a thunderous panic.

Once on the ground, they all wasted no time. Chrono wrapped the blade in his tunic and led the rest in a jog back toward Porre. The gang didn't have to run far. As soon as they reached any sign of civilization, the people came flocking to see the return of the Hero. Soon the crowd had completely obstructed their path, and it wasn't much later until they were completely surrounded. Tata quickly hid behind Nadia, but that did no good and he was soon seized by the masses. Thus, blinking back sudden tears of rage, he led the victory march back to Porre.

The crowd only continued to grow as they all got closer to the Hero's home, and in the surge Chrono found himself squeezed out the front position. Soon he couldn't even see Tata, let alone his friends. But he knew that trying to break free would be a good way to cause someone an injury, so he had to just play along and keep moving. By good fortune he was squeezed in next to Lucca, so at least they could slip each other cautious looks, and occasionally whispered remarks.

"So what are we going to do with the brat now?" Lucca said.

"We need to get the medal from him at least."

"Leave it to me."

"No, this time I'll handle it."

After what seemed hours, the crowd stopped, and Chrono took the chance to push himself to the front of the group. There he saw Tata, who stood apart from everyone and stared down none other than his father. Right away he – and everyone else – could see that something was very wrong. The father could barely contain an expression of disgust, an expression Tata mirrored perfectly. Silence fell over the scene so the next words were audible even for those in the back.

"Son," was all the father said before he fell to one knee and slowly extended his arms. Tata did not come running. "Tata..."

"Father."

"Come here, Tata." The voice was sterner but hadn't yet betrayed anything threatening. Chrono suspected the charade wouldn't last long.

He was right. "Father, I did it. I have the sword of fire."

"What?" His father registered shock.

Tata suddenly broke out and yelled. "That's right! I did it even though you said I couldn't! You old cheat! You go around telling everyone I'm something so you get money, but I got the sword on my own and I don't need you!"

"Tata, don't make me – "

"Make you what? Are you gonna hit me again? Huh?"

"What, no, Tata, I would never – "

"Yes you would. Come on, hit me! What are you scared of now, huh?"

"I promised your mother I would – "

"You killed her, it's your fault, it's your fault!"

Just then the father broke the spell and charged for the boy. He was only a few feet away when he was suddenly interrupted. In some very quick moves, Chrono bolted between them, twisted the father's arm and brought him to the ground, then took Tata by his tunic and brought the boy to his side.

But in no time, the father was on his feet and after Chrono, who only drew his katana and leveled it at him. "Who do you think you are? Let go of my boy!" the father bellowed.

"No. It's true – this boy went up the mountain. With us! You should remember us. You dined with us – me, and my friends – " Chrono indicated to the crowd, and his friends stepped forward – "and Toma. We have the sword." He unwrapped his tunic and let the blade fall to the ground. "And now Tata has something very important to say." With that, he gripped Tata's hand harshly.

"Ow!"

"Let go of him this instant! Someone unhand my boy!" No one in the crowd moved.

"Why don't you, you rat!" Chrono started. It was Nadia's voice.

"Tata! Tell him!"

"No! You can't make me!"

"Fine then!" With his free hand Chrono scooped up the blade again and held it in front of the boy's face. Now Chrono didn't know why it worked – but just the sight of it was enough to make Tata cave just a little. Perhaps it was just the memory of that afternoon.

"I'm still not talking to you."

Chrono twisted the boy's arm – an action he instantly regretted, but Tata perked up immediately. "Okay okay okay it's not mine! I found it! Some frog thing dropped it in the forest and I found it, but I didn't know what it was and you made me wear it!"

The crowd gasped as one. "N-n-no," his father stammered. "Can you believe this. A frog! He's lying. You've got his wrist and you're making him tell ridiculous lies because..."

"Because what!" Tata stuck out his tongue.

"I will deal with you later!"

"Yeah, hit me! I don't care!" With that, he grabbed the medal from around his neck and threw it to the ground. "It's all true. You made me wear this and I hate it and I HATE YOU!"

"Tata I swear on your mother's life..." Then in a mad dash the father burst towards Tata. In one motion Chrono released his grip on the boy and scooped up the medal. Carrying it from the strap, he whirled it around and let it crack across the man's face. The man didn't even get to cry in pain before he was face down in the dirt.

Chrono whirled around, but Tata was gone. And one by one, the people in the crowd dispersed, leaving just him and his friends to stare at the fallen man before leaving themselves.

"There you are."

The frog jumped back in alarm at the sight. Chrono sat on a moss-encrusted rock, flanked by Lucca and Robo on one side, and Nadia and Toma on the other. They were back in the Cursed Woods, and just as Chrono had predicted, sooner or later they were bound to catch sight of the frog.

"Pray tell, what devilry is this? Mine eyes deceive me."

"Oh, can the stupid accent!" Lucca burst.

Chrono shushed her. "I have something for you," he said, pulling out the medal from his tunic. "A little boy said some frog dropped this. Have you seen any other frogs around, or can I assume this is yours?"

The frog stammered a bit, then caught himself. "Aye, it was mine. But no more. The hero, I am not. I can do naught."

"Nothing," Lucca interrupted. "The words you are searching for are 'I can do nothing.' Chrono, make him stop talking nonsense."

"I care not," the frog replied, "what I sound like, nor what tripe is spoken these days by commoner folk. Now good day. Sorry to have been such little help to thee."

"Then how about this?" Chrono pulled out the blade.

"Th-th-the Masamune!"

"Th-th-th what?"

"Lucca, be polite. Anyway, Mr. uh – Mr. Frog, I have taken to heart your words: chance and opportunity are family – "

"Brothers," Lucca and Nadia both corrected.

"And I realized something. I don't care how worthless you say you are, you are the one who owned the medal, so according to prophecy you're pretty much halfway there. This is just too good a coincidence to pass up."

"Coincidence, it is not. How I wish I could tell everything, but alas! I cannot. Come – let me show you the way home." With that the frog gestured for them to follow and took off.

"Chrono," Lucca panted as they followed, "if you can't get him to stop talking like that, I'm going to go crazy."

"Too late."

Their jog wasn't all that far before they stopped in front of a nondescript bush. "Here we stop. My home is there."

"That's a bush," Lucca said.

"I have eyes, too, wench. My home is under it." He led them around and showed them a hole underneath and a ladder, by which they climbed down.

There was only a little bit of light coming from the hole when they first entered. But soon the frog had a roaring fire going which illuminated the shelter in a dull orange. Not that there was much to see. Aside from a makeshift bed, a table, a chair, and what could only be a dresser, there wasn't really anything in this "home."

The frog had them wait at the table while he disappeared around a corner. When he returned, he held some goblets and a cask of wine.

"Oh, no," Nadia said. "I shouldn't be drinking."

"Art thou not thirsty after such a day?"

"What?"

"He means you should be thirsty 'cause we've been walking forever," Lucca interpreted.

"I know what he meant... I just didn't, you know, know."

Regardless, the frog served everyone, including Robo. "My humblest regards," he said, "in that I ne'er oft have company. Thus I only have one seat, and there be two maidens. I am in a quandary."

"You can sit, Lucca."

"No, you can – your legs aren't as strong as mine."

"If you ladies can't decide, then I'll sit," Chrono interjected.

"Way to be a gentleman, jerk," the ladies chorused.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it..." Chrono sat himself down, and immediately he was shoved aside as Nadia and Lucca worked together to dethrone him. In the struggle, he toppled over and landed directly on Lucca, but not without grasping Nadia's arm and bringing her down on top of him.

"I have an idea," Robo announced. "No one sits in the chair."

"Thy wisdom be as plentiful as thy girth."

The other three stood and dusted themselves off. "And we haven't even had one drink yet," Chrono said.

Lucca shot him a look. "All right, enough fooling around. Mister Frog, would you be so kind as to get to the point?"

"Pardon?" the frog replied.

"She means what did you want to tell us?"

"Not tell... but I will show thee, if thou pleaseth."

"We pleaseth."

"Very well." The frog moved to the beside and procured a bundle of blankets, which he carefully laid upon the table. Chrono reached for the bundle – not without first asking permission – and unraveled it. It came simultaneously as no surprise and great surprise that the object concealed in the blankets was a sword hilt. And not just any sword hilt, they could tell immediately, but the hilt of the sword of fire, or the Masamune, as the frog called it. "It has been my secret companion for many a year. Oft I had wondered whether to destroy it or keep it in hopes of finding the blade. Your finding hast proved my choice was correct. Chance and opportunity, they say. But alas! The blade cannot be restored. It was forged in magic, and the secrets have long ago been forgotten. Take it. It is of no use to me."

"But how – " Nadia began, but she couldn't seem to find any words beyond that.

"To come so far, only to fail now. Oh, God's wrath is most unkind."

"Spare me the drama, Froggy," Lucca sneered. "We can fix it."

"We can?" was the reply, in unison.

"Robo, can you read the writing on the hilt?"

"Yes, I can – the language is old, but not so old that I do not have it in a database somewhere. Hold on one moment... yes, I have read it. Would you like to know what it says?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure you could still read. Of course I want to know what it says."

"I am reading now. 'I am two and I am one. I am grand dream of dreams, Masamune.' Wait, there is another inscription. It looks like a name. Melchior."

"Like Old Man Melchior?" Nadia asked.

Lucca snorted. "Don't be stupid. There have to be a million Melchiors out there, and besides – Old Man Melchior couldn't have anything to do with the forging of the sword because he wasn't born for another 350 years or so."

"How many Melchiors do you know, Lucca?" Chrono asked.

"Come on, it's impossible!"

"So is traveling through time, finding the hero medallion and the Masamune, and so is a giant freak-o needle monster who destroys the earth."

"What are you saying, that Old Man Melchior somehow forged a sword thousands of years before he was born?"

"No..."

"So the name is meaningless. We hit another dead end."

"Not necessarily. We just have to find someone else named Melchior around here."

"Not happening. I say we ditch this and go straight for the wizard Magus before we run out of time. We're going in, Masamahooney or not."

"Wait!" It was the frog. Chrono and Lucca ceased arguing immediately. "You wish to slay Magus himself?"

"No," was Lucca's reply. "But what's in it for you?"

"I have a vendetta against that devil of a man. Nay, there is no hope but for the Masamune. Only it can strike down that sorcerer."

Chrono grasped Lucca's arm. "Hold on. We may not be in it for the same reasons as this guy, but whatever happens we have to do our best not to change history, right? So we give him a sword. Let's just get someone to 're-forge' it, just enough so history doesn't know the difference."

"We don't have that kind of time."

"Yes, but if we go after Magus and change things too much... is it really worth it that much just to find out about, well, you know what? I say we're in pretty deep here and we may as well go all the way. Nadia, Robo – what do you think?"

"Who do you know that can re-forge a sword?" Nadia asked.

"It cannot be someone from this time or earlier," Robo answered. "As we cannot have any witnesses from history who testify to faking the forgery."

"So we have to go back home?"

"Yup," Chrono finished. "That's all. We go home, ask someone to fix it – of course we pretend it's a replica for a museum or something stupid like that – then we go after Magus. The only change in history is that, instead of Magus just disappearing, some foolhardly heroes go to kill him or whatever, and everyone thinks we're the heroes 'cause we've got the medal and the sword. There are no questions. Got it everyone?"

Nadia and Robo agreed immediately. Lucca paused a moment, then finally relented. "I admit. This is a whole lot more complicated than it was on paper. But if this blows up in our face I am so saying 'I told you so.'" The frog, meanwhile, just looked on, confused as ever.