(Note: as the subject line suggests, I'm still trying to come up with a
title. There's a tentative title in the text below.
C&C are requested: also, I'd appreciate it if someone can help fill in the
gaps between the time the characters get the Epoch from Balthasar, up to
the end of the game.)
AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION:
If you wish to contact me by e-mail, my address is:
trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
This is my first attempt at writing in the Chrono Trigger universe.
It's partly inspired by my playing the character of Spekkio on a couple of
MUCKs (AnimeMUCK is *not* one of them, so don't even ask!!), and partly by
sheer creativity.
Unfortunately, I've never been able to play the game all the way
through and see the ending - it's always been a borrowed or rented cartridge
and system. For maps, I'm referring to the Chrono Trigger Player's Guide from
Nintendo; for almost everything else, I'm referring to what I remember from
playing the game.
For those of you who are wondering: yes, most of the more important
game characters will be making an appearance, both party members and NPCs. I'm
not sure how long this story will run for, so if there's someone you *really*
want to see, drop me an e-mail and I'll see if I can work them in somehow.
Finally: I've tried to be as accurate as possible, but between
imperfect memory and an incomplete knowledge of *all* of the game's script,
there may be some discrepancies between the original game and what you find
here. If there are any really glaring mistakes, please let me know. (Politely,
if possible. Flames will be used to toast electronic marshmallows ;)
Format notes:
Brackets [ ] denote time/place locations.
Parentheses ( ) indicate character thoughts.
< > indicate visions or memories.
Chrono Trigger: A Stitch in Time (working title)
Part 1: Reunion
[The End of Time]
A rare few would have seen one of the larger, potentially nastier
monsters that had been known in the world. Maybe the one-eyed armored figure
of an Omnicrone, or more likely, the blue-skinned Goblin. The strongest would
have seen the purple bulk of the guardian of Masamune, the legendary sword;
someone even stronger than *that* would have been faced with a red Nu.
But most people would see only the white, furry shape of a Kilwala,
not an especially intimidating sight. And right now, that Kilwala had covered
his eyes with his paws, and was spinning in place, alone in the center of an
empty room, a sourceless light surrounding him.
He showed no signs of getting dizzy, nor was there anything to suggest
how long he'd been at it. Indeed, he could have been spinning forever.
Especially here, where Time itself had little (if any) meaning.
Suddenly the Kilwala let out a yelp. His meditation disrupted, he
actually lost his balance and toppled over as his concentration was broken
like a Time Egg hatching, shattering into a million pieces - leaving only a
stunning revelation.
"That's not possible!" the Kilwala sputtered as he regained his feet.
"There's *no way* one could have survived, Crono and his buddies killed them
all off - " The panicking furball raced for the door set into the south side
of the fence.
"Hey, Gaspar! Old man, snap out of it - wake *up,* we got trouble!"
A sudden *pop* broke the silence as a bubble dribbling from the old
man's nose burst. Leaning on a cane, wearing a hat and a trench coat, and
sporting a tired-looking grey mustache, the old man was the only sign of life
in the main room of the End of Time - that is, when he moved at all.
"Eh? Oh, Spekkio . . . it's unusual for you to come out of your room."
Spekkio concentrated for a moment, then released a burst of magic
that shunted him completely into one body. Lightning cracked down from
nowhere, ice surrounded him, then fire burned the ice away, leaving a wall of
water that fell away from the physical Kilwala body. Spekkio wasn't worried
about his new form's weakness; he could change at will, into one of his other
appearances - or back into his 'true' form, when only magic stood even a
chance of hurting him.
"Not in a case like this, Gaspar. Didn't I tell you the last time that
someone *finally* stood a chance of killing Lavos?"
"Yes, you saw the battle yourself. But remember, we got lucky. If that
young swordsman, what was his name - ?"
"Crono. The spike-haired guy with Lightning magic."
"Yes, him. If he and his friends hadn't been so determined, they might
not have succeeded . . . and nothing would have changed. As it is, the world
gained a longer life-span for their success . . . but Time still ended."
Spekkio laughed. "As though either of *us* wants Time to continue
forever. We need a place to stay, and this does as well as anything."
"So what brought you out of your meditations this time, oh great and
powerful Master of War?"
Spekkio wandered over to the spot of magic energy, next to a pedestal
upon which a glowing crystal rested. "Sarcasm aside, I *am* the Master of War.
And if I hadn't been looking for interesting battles, I wouldn't have stumbled
across this." Spekkio looked around for a moment. "We need to get to 2310."
"Hmmmmm . . . that could be tricky. The Gates all closed - not that
any of them led to 2310, anyway. You'd have to wait ten years at best."
Gaspar, the Guru of Time, looked across the bridge to the platform that had
once held the pillars of light that were the "middle ends" of Time Gates,
where travellers would drop out in the middle of transit if the Law of Time
Conservation was breached.
Gaspar's mind wandered for a moment, back to the memory of the first
time he'd seen the youngsters who carried the fate of the world. . . .
<A young man with spiky red hair, carrying a katana. Two girls, one
with a blond ponytail and a crossbow, the other carrying a gun, wearing a
helmet and goggles that hid most of her darker red-purple hair. And a gleaming
golden robot, whose armored shell showed signs of severe - but well-mended -
wear and tear in the recent past.
"Hey," Gaspar called out to the newcomers as they looked around. The
katana-bearing teenager led the way across the bridge, and opened the door
into the main 'room.'
"Where are we?" the fledgling swordsman asked. - No, not fledgling,
Gaspar thought. He *was* experienced, and probably stronger than he looked.
"This is the End of Time."
"The *what?*" sputtered the blonde.
"The place where all times intersect. The Law of Time Conservation
states that any group of time travellers larger than three will drop out at
the point of least resistance: here."
The girl with the helmet and goggles groaned. "We can only travel in
groups smaller than three, then?"
The robot turned and looked at them. "One of us has to stay behind.">
Gaspar's attention came back to the present. "It's too bad we *can't*
get to 2300. I'd like to ask Belthasar's advice."
Spekkio chuckled. "Well, with the Time Gates closed, there's not much
we can do. Unless - say, do you think Crono would let us borrow the Epoch?"
"Belthasar's Wings of Time?" Gaspar raised his eyebrows. "Maybe, but
how do we get a message to Crono asking him to stop by? I get the impression
this is urgent."
Spekkio's normally cheerful mood evaporated. "There's no point in
letting this wait. Time Gates occur naturally, but the distruption field
surrounding a mature Volcu is strong enough to catalyze the formation process
- that's what brought the last chain of events about."
Gaspar's brow furrowed as he worked his way through what Spekkio had
just said. "What does that have to do with this?"
Spekkio crossed the room again, to a bucket of water that stood next
to the door of his room. Gaspar followed him. "Even the Gate that led to the
Day of Lavos is closed. I don't know about you, old friend, but I don't care
to step back into the flow of time - I'm human. I'll age, and I'm old enough
as it is."
"You need to see this, if nothing else." Spekkio reached into the
bucket, stirring the water with his paw. Before Lavos's defeat, a pillar of
light had glowed beneath this water, sealed so that it would always lead to
the same place and exact moment in time. But after the apocalypse had been
prevented, the light had faded.
"See what?" Gaspar asked.
"Hush." Spekkio stirred the water, his every sense - physical and
magical - reaching into the bucket, searching.
There was nothing. Spekkio walked out onto the platform that had once
held the shimmering pillars of light.
Again, nothing. Gaspar followed him. "What are you looking for?"
"A way to open a Gate."
"From *here*? You're talking about a Time Gate with, effectively, only
one end."
"It worked for the Day of Lavos."
"Because he was so powerful. He practically created the Gates - "
Gaspar broke off, finally looking up so that his eyes were visible beneath the
brim of his hat. Considering how old he seemed, his gaze was piercingly
bright and intelligent, if aged by more knowledge than most humans ever fell
heir to. "What was it you said about 'catalyzing the formation of Gates,'
Spekkio?"
"Never mind that now - there has to be some way, some magic that will
let us do it."
Gaspar nodded. "Got any ideas, oh Master of War?"
Spekkio sighed. "Hush up a minute and let me thing." He started
spinning again, meditating.
<"Oh, no - " The warlock turned to face his spellcasting 'altar.'
"Don't wake up on me now!"
"WAKE UP??" the blond girl with the crossbow yelped. "YOU'RE the one
who created him!"
"I . . . *summoned* him . . . ">
Spekkio shifted his attention to the auras surrounding that point in
time. An unearthly, warbling scream, the cry of a monster more powerful than
any human could imagine, the terrifying call of a being powerful enough to
destroy worlds . . . then Time itself was torn open in an uncontrolled,
unfocused, and far too unstable Gate. It was sheer luck that three of the
combatants stayed together as they were literally hurled into prehistoric
times; the fourth, who by rights should have stayed near them or dragged all
four of them into the End of Time, was launched into a completely different
era.
Spekkio muttered a few curses directed at Lavos - curses that wouldn't
have much of an effect, since their intended target was dead. "Idiot monster,"
he grumbled. "But at least you left the clue I needed."
"Eh - ?" Gaspar blinked. "Spekkio, what are you talking about *now*?"
Spekkio sighed. "Gaspar, stand back for a moment. I want to try
something." He started spinning again as the old man backed away towards the
door into the main room. Currents of magical energy began gathering out of the
nothingness, swirling towards the Master of War in a whirlpool effect. Spekkio
started to leap up and down as the energy gathered, trying to compress it.
"Spekkio, what are you *doing*?"
"Making a Time Gate!"
"WHAT???" Gaspar needed to shout over the growing whine of energy
being gathered. "You'll blow all the platforms to rubble, and *then* where
will we be?"
"Trust me!!"
(Why do I get *extremely* unnerved to hear him say that?) Gaspar
wondered to himself. "At least try to keep it contained!"
Spekkio leaped upwards again, spinning around and around like a
gyroscope as sparks of magical energy flew off from him. A pool of water
started to form where the energy had been gathering; a single bolt of
lightning smashed down, releasing a blast of fire that nearly singed some of
his fur off before the ice formed, then shattered.
At the center of the fading maelstrom lay a small, round shape: an orb
like crystal, an inky black with a bright, blue-white light glowing in its
center. As Spekkio and Gaspar watched, the orb grew to about a foot in
diameter, then stabilized.
The Guru of Time was the first to break the renewed silence. "Well,
I'll be damned."
The Master of War tapped the orb. "Now we need a way to activate it."
"Allow me." Gaspar slipped a small item out of his coat, and waved it
over the orb. Nothing happened, except that the light at the center of the orb
started to pulse faintly. "That should have worked."
"It did," Spekkio assured him. " - At least, I think it did. Time to
test it." He picked up the orb, concentrating.
"I don't understand," Gaspar mused quietly. "It's identical to the
Gate Key that Lucca constructed."
The light at the center of the orb suddenly glowed brighter, and grew
to surround the orb. Then it faded, leaving a transparent sphere that looked
into another place and time. "YES!" Spekkio crowed. "We did it, old man! We've
got ourselves a portable Time Gate!"
"I've never seen a Gate that you could look through and see the other
end," Gaspar remarked. "How do we use it?"
"Like this, I think." Spekkio raised the orb over his head - not an
especially great height - and threw it down on the ground.
"NO!" shouted Gaspar as there was a ringing sound . . . and then,
defying every prediction ever made about time travel, a true Time Gate opened
in the middle of the void that it normally would travel through. Spekkio and
Gaspar were pulled inside, unprepared for the experience; then the Time Gate
closed . . . leaving nothing except the three empty platforms.
For the first time since this haven was created, there was absolutely
nobody in the End of Time.
[1001 A.D.: Guardia Castle]
"Stop pacing, Crono. Princess Nadia will be happy to see you, so relax
- wearing a rut in the floor won't do you any good."
The teenager sighed, and looked at his friend. "I'm *still* not
welcome here, even after all Marle and I - and you, and the others - went
through. Even after we saved the world - "
"Which nobody except us even *knows* about, unless you count the
Gurus," Lucca interrupted smoothly.
Crono went on without missing a beat. " - exposed the Yakra that was
disguised as the Chancellor, proved King Guardia's innocence, saved your
mother's legs - "
"Nobody remembers that either."
" - you'd think they'd do *something*, just accept me as a citizen
instead of a fugitive from justice!"
Lucca pulled off her helmet for a moment, adjusting her glasses so she
could still see her best friend. "Unless I'm mistaken, once the Chancellor was
proven a fraud, all charges were dropped. I think, under the circumstances,
that included escaping from prison, and destruction of royal property."
"Except I had to kill several guards on the way out, and never mind
the Dragon Tank."
Lucca sighed, running a hand through her short-cropped hair. "Given
the way their bodies *disintegrated* when they died, I don't think they were
even human. You never saw a face on any of them, right?"
"They were all wearing *full* plate armor, the helmets were always
closed."
"Crono, I'm not going to try to make you feel better about killing. It
had to be done, and humans with any sense would have just run."
"Or passed out . . . like the warden did." Crono chuckled a bit at the
memory, one of the few vaguely humorous times he'd experienced over that - how
long *was* it? A week, for him and Lucca and Marle (aka Princess Nadia of
Guardia Castle)? Maybe less, for some of the friends they'd picked up along
the way? Or more? There was no telling how much time had passed for Kaeru or
Ayla between their first and second meetings.
Lucca nodded. "It happened; you received a royal pardon - not just
from Princess Nadia, but from her *father*, the King himself! Snap out of it,
buddy, you're going to depress *me* at this rate."
Crono sighed, then stood up straigher and adjusted his tunic as he saw
a guard approaching. "What word is there?"
"Princess Nadia has agreed to see you and your friend," the guard
reported.
"Great!" Crono started to climb the stairs -
"HALT!!" More guards appeared.
Crono raised his hands, keeping them well away from his sword - and
deliberately resisting the urge to reach the rest of the way up, to call on
the magic he'd learned from Spekkio. Even if it didn't hit anyone, a Lightning
bolt now would do more harm than good.
"You'll need to leave your sword here," the guard finished.
Crono lowered his hands, turning to stare at the guard. "My sword?"
"That's right. You aren't allowed to carry your weapon within the
confines of the castle."
"I *got* this sword here - Melchior forged it from a piece of the
Rainbow Shell after we exposed the fake Chancellor and proved the King's
innocence!"
"I have my orders. Miss, you'll need to leave your . . . er, weapon,
as well."
Lucca bristled for a moment, then took off the pouch at her side.
Placing her helmet and gun into the bag, she reluctantly handed it to the
guard. "If *anything* happens to this stuff, you'll owe me more than you could
imagine. These are irreplaceable items that I *don't* want to lose,
understand?"
The guard nodded, then turned to face Crono. "Your sword, sir?"
With a sigh, Crono unstrapped his katana, and handed it over to the
guard. "What she said goes *double* for this. You damage the Rainbow Sword
even slightly, and - well, remember I'm a close, personal friend of the
Princess."
The guard took the sword, then leaned close to whisper to Crono. "Some
of us still believe you actually kidnapped her, your later actions
notwithstanding. Don't push your luck, kid, or you'll be back in the dungeons.
Again. And this time, it'll be the *real* Chancellor who orders your
execution." The guard straightened up. "These will be kept safely until your
departure. You may proceed to the throne room now; King Guardia, his wife, and
the Princess Nadia await."
"*Thank* you," Crono said, bowing with deliberate formality, then
headed up the stairs, Lucca following a few steps behind him.
A herald announced their names as the doors to the throne room were
opened. King Guardia bowed stiffly as the two youngsters came in; the Queen
curtsied graciously.
On the other hand, Princess Nadia threw court decorum out the window
by running to embrace her two friends. "Crono! Lucca! I *knew* you'd be
coming!"
Crono noticed briefly that the Chancellor looked distinctly displeased
before Marle's hug distracted him. Next to the reunited pair, Lucca rolled her
eyes. "Good to see you again, Your Highness."
Marle stuck her tongue out briefly. "Oh, can't you just call me Marle?
All right, so I'm a princess - but neither of you knew that when we met."
"Nadia, that is *enough!*" King Guardia declared. "Bad enough that you
have to wear that . . . that *outfit* to meet your friends, but you have to
start upholding courtly etiquette!"
Marle groaned. "Yes, father," she said meekly. She gave Crono a quick
kiss on the cheek, then bowed formally to Lucca - since she was wearing her
old favorite outfit, instead of a dress that she could curtsy properly in.
Lucca returned the bow. "As I said: a pleasure to see you again,
Princess Nadia."
Marle's only reply was a subdued "Hmph!" as she moved back to her
place beside her mother's throne.
"We thank you for responding to our summons," King Guardia said. "It
seems that a rather strange situation has arisen in Medina; an emissary
recently arrived from the eastern continent, to request the aid of 'those who
fought against and with Magus.' Although my daughter's tales of time travel
seem rather far-fetched, I am forced to accept them as truth. There is no
other way to explain what happened, the strange portals that you were observed
disappearing into. Nor your . . . apparent familiarity with the creature that
had been masquerading as our Chancellor last year."
"That was a Yakra," Lucca explained. "A *lot* stronger than the one
who replaced the Chancellor in 600 A.D."
The modern Chancellor gaped. "You mean it happened before??"
Crono nodded. "Yes. He was apparently behind the plot to kidnap Queen
Leene in that time period; when Marle - I mean, Princess Nadia - was mistaken
for Leene, . . . well . . . "
Lucca jumped in. "Leene was supposed to be rescued. But when M-- when
Nadia was discovered in Truce Canyon, the search was called off. And because
Leene was never found, Nadia vanished because one side of her family had just
ceased to exist - Leene's descendants, including Nadia, were never born."
"So we went looking for the Queen, rescued her - and by restoring the
flow of time, Nadia was brought back as well," Crono finished.
Marle listened. "First time I've heard what happened." She turned to
face her parents. "Mother, Father - I didn't remember anything between the
time Crono came to talk to me in Leene's room, to the time I reappeared." She
looked back at her friends. "You'll have to tell me more about what happened
sometime."
Crono nodded. "We will, don't worry. Maybe we'll have a chance to
catch up, later. For now - Your Majesty, you've explained why you sent for me
and Lucca. But what's going on in Medina? Why did they send for us?"
"The Medinan emissary is currently in . . . guest quarters," the
Chancellor explained. The hesitation did not go unnoticed.
Marle promptly shot a look at him that was colder than her Ice magic.
"You stuck a foreign ambassador in *prison*?"
"He's a Mystic, a monster!" the Chancellor replied. "They can't be -"
"Bring the Medinan representative here *NOW!!*" thundered the King. He
turned to look down at the Chancellor. "I will address *you* later on the
proper treatment of foreign visitors, at which time we will decide if you are
still in the employ of our kingdom."
Marle stifled a giggle; the Queen gave her a disapproving look as the
Chancellor motioned for a guard to follow him before bolting out of the room.
"Where were we?" asked the King.
"Why the Medinan Mystics sent an emissary for us," Lucca answered.
"Yes, quite," King Guardia nodded. He took a breath, preparing to
continue, but was interrupted.
A high-pitched whine filled the room as a flash of light opened into
a shimmering portal - which three people immediately recognized as a Time
Gate. Crono, Lucca, and Marle, all reached for weapons which they weren't
carrying; the guards who were present drew their own, but looked pitifully
inadequate. The King and Queen settled for moving behind their thrones, and
peering out nervously.
Two figures emerged from the Time Gate and dropped to the ground; then
the Gate closed, collapsing into a black orb with a glowing light at its
center. The shorter being, small, white, and fuzzy - even a little bit cute -
scooped up the orb. "Looks like we made it, Gaspar."
The other new arrival, apparently quite human, nodded. "So it does."
He looked around. "The question is, are we welcome here?"
Crono stared at the two for a moment. "Where have I seen you before?"
"Better to ask 'when,' young man," said the man. "And the answer is
after the end of all things."
The fuzzy white creature walked around a bit. "Well, you haven't
gotten *that* soft since I taught you," it said as it looked up at Marle, then
Lucca, and finally Crono. "That's a good sign."
King Guardia finally regained his dignity. "Who *are* you?"
"Uh . . . Your Majesty?" Lucca asked weakly. "I think I can answer
that."
The doors to the throne room opened again, and in came the Chancellor,
the guard who had accompanied him, and -
The man with the cane, who had arrived via Time Gate, stroked his
mustache. "It's been a very long time, Melchior."
Melchior started, then looked back at the man who had greeted him by
name. "Gaspar? The Guru of Time?"
Gaspar nodded. "I see you recognize me, Guru of Life."
"Melchior?" Lucca asked weakly. "*You're* the emissary from Medina?"
Marle gave the Chancellor a furious look. "Melchior is *HUMAN*, you
idiot!! NOW what do you have to say about 'the Medinans are monsters, we can't
trust them?' Huh? Let's see you - "
"Enough, daughter," said the Queen. "The Chancellor will have to
answer for his mistakes; no need for you to take it out on him now."
The Kilwala just stood there and whistled in surprise. "Gaspar, you
mean you know him?"
"Of course I do, Spekkio," Gaspar answered. Crono, Lucca, and Marle
all collapsed in surprise and shock. Gaspar, as though not noticing,
continued. "Melchior and I were two of the three Gurus in the magical kingdom
of Zeal. I hadn't known that Melchior wound up in this time, though. Are you
still forging weapons, old friend?"
Melchior nodded. "We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?"
"In the meantime," Spekkio interjected, "we *do* have work to do." He
turned to face the royal couple. "King and Queen of the Guardia Kingdom, I
presume?"
The two of them nodded, speechless.
"I'm afraid I need to borrow your daughter and her two friends. You
see, something rather unpleasant - and potentially disastrous - has come up."
Melchior cleared his throat. "If I may . . . ? Gaspar, I may not be
too far off in surmising that you and this 'Spekkio' have come here for the
same reason I did."
"The only way we'll find that out is by discussing it," Spekkio
replied.
King Guardia cleared his throat. "Guru Melchior - "
"Just 'Melchior' will suffice, Your Majesty."
"Thank you. Melchior, I want to apologize for the rude treatment you
were apparently given since your arrival."
"Solitude suits me," replied Melchior. "Although I'm pleased to see my
old friend Gaspar again."
"Neither of us expected the reunion," Gaspar answered.
Marle sighed. "Guys, can the reunion wait for a bit? - Father, with
your permission, I'd like to take charge of organizing the meeting. It seems
that I'll be directly involved in the outcome; and, as a member of the royal
family, I believe I *do* have some authority in matters such as this. Dealing
with foreign emissaries . . . "
"Especially ones you've already met," King Guardia replied. He sighed.
"Yes, Nadia, I believe you can be allowed some discretion in this matter.
However, I will require that another representative of the royal court be
present: by preference, either the Queen or myself." He gave the Chancellor a
withering look.
The Chancellor promptly wilted.
"And one last thing, father - "
"Yes, Princess Nadia?"
"Could you *please* call me Marle, for the time being?" She looked
around. "That goes for all of you. Not all of you knew I was Princess Nadia,
you all met me as Marle. Well, you know I'm a princess now - but to make
things easier, just call me Marle. That's how you met me, so let's stick with
that."
The Queen glanced at her husband. "Actually, we could make use of
this."
"We could?"
"Of course. You remember the problems we were having, rumors and
gossip about 'the Princess being a tomboy.' If we 'separate' Princess Nadia
from her identity as Marle . . . they can be two different people, for all
intents and purposes."
"It could work," Lucca mused. "Not many people knew that the Princess
was directly involved in the incidents last year. I thought she looked
familiar when I saw her at our exhibit, but it wasn't until later that I
realized who she was."
Marle's jaw dropped. "You mean - ?"
King Guardia sat down in his throne and started laughing. "There's a
long-standing tradition of princes going off to have adventures, frequently to
impress their future wives. Who'd have thought that a *princess* would get the
same chance?"
Crono just shook his head and chuckled.
"Well," Marle said, "I guess we'd better start planning. Shall we meet
back here in, say, half an hour? Or is there a better place for us to meet?"
"What about the soldiers' dining room?" Crono suggested. "It's big
enough for all of us to sit down - and I think we could all use something to
eat."
"But - the *soldiers'* quarters?" King Guardia was flabbergasted.
"It's not fitting - "
"Father," Marle replied smoothly, "if you have a better idea, I'm open
to suggestions. But I think Crono is right: the only other room that's big
enough for us to meet in is the courtroom . . . and I don't think some of us
would appreciate being there."
"I'll just go downstairs and let the cook know he needs to prepare
some higher-quality fare," said the Chancellor as he began moving towards the
door.
"In the meantime . . . " the Queen glanced at her husband again. "Can
we offer our guests the royal quarters, to freshen up in?"
"I suppose so," replied the King weakly. "We seem to be breaking a lot
of traditions today."
"Get used to it," Marle giggled.
"All we need now is Belthasar," commented Melchior as he dried his
hands. "Whatever happened to him, anyway? I remember his plan for 'Wings of
Time' - "
"That's the Epoch, our time machine," Crono replied. "We got it from
him in 2300 A.D. . . . but Belthasar had transferred his consciousness into
the body of a Nu to complete his work."
"Too bad," mused Gaspar, fighting to stay awake. "I'd've liked to see
him again. . . . " He sat upright with a snort. "Crono, will there be tea or .
. . coffee?"
"Probably tea," Crono replied as he splashed some water on his face.
"Coffee - well, maybe. I guess some of the soldiers might drink it."
"You mean you *still* don't get enough rest at the End of Time?"
Melchior laughed. "It must be boring there."
"It usually is," Gaspar answered. "But I credit my long lifespan to a
great deal of rest."
Melchior hooted. "Do you know how old *I* am?"
"By the calendar, roughly 13,000 years old, the same as me," Gaspar
shot back. "If you mean by the number of years you've actually got under your
belt . . . well, judging by that belt, you're closer to your end than I am."
Melchior's face flushed. "Why, you - !"
"Settle down," Crono interrupted as he finshed drying his face off.
"Save your breath for the meeting. We'll have a lot to talk about, don't
worry."
Spekkio chowed down happily in the soldiers' dining room as a waitress
peered at him from the kitchen dining room. "I hope there'll be enough food
left for the others," she whispered to another waitress.
The cook's ears were sharp enough to hear her. "We've got enough food
stored in the larder to feed everybody in the castle three square meals a day
for *two* months!" he exclaimed.
"And how many square meals has that little furball had so far?"
murmured a third waitress as she stirred a kettle of soup.
"Enough of that," scolded the cook. "The rest of them will be here any
minute - go clear some plates off of the tables, and let the soldiers know
we'll be occupied for a while. Their dinnertime isn't for another two hours,
anyway."
Footsteps could be heard echoing down the staircase as the waitresses
cleared the tables, and laid out a buffet for eight. "I can't reach," Spekkio
complained.
"The way *you* eat, it's just as well!" the cook shouted from the
kitchen. "There wouldn't be anything left for the others! You've had enough as
it is, Kilwala - I had no *idea* your kind ate so much."
(I am *not* a Kilwala,) Spekkio thought. (I guess this form has its
disadvantages in dealing with humans - but it's better than one of the more
imposing forms. Would Nu have been any better?)
His train of thought was interrupted as the rest of the meeting came
in. Marle led the way, followed by Crono and Lucca; Melchior and Gaspar
followed, still trading barbs. King Guardia himself brought up the rear. The
two tables were set side by side, each with four seats around it - two on the
north side, and two on the south, for a total of eight seats. Spekkio was
already in the corner seat furthest from the kitchen door, in the southwest
corner of the room; going counter-clockwise from him, the seats were taken by
Lucca, Crono, Marle, then across from her, King Guardia, with Melchior and
Gaspar sitting next to him. The seat straight across from Spekkio remained
empty.
"I suppose some introductions are in order," Marle said as everyone
filled their plates from the buffet layout. "You all know me by now: Princess
Nadia of Guardia Castle, better known to all of you as Marle. The young man on
my left is Crono, a swordsman from the nearby town of Truce; on his left is
Lucca, daughter of Taban from the island southeast of here. She and her father
are both inventors. Next to Lucca is Spekkio, the Master of War: he trained
the three of us in magic during our adventure last year."
"Magic??" King Guardia echoed. "But - humans can't use magic!"
"Those with enough inner strength can," Spekkio told him. "Maybe
they'll be able to demonstrate for you. Now . . . the old man in the hat and
trench coat is Gaspar, formerly the Guru of Time, from the magical kingdom of
Zeal in 12,000 B.C. - by the calendar you use now. Melchior, next to him, was
the Guru of Life at the same time. Around the time that Zeal Kingdom collapsed
- somewhat literally, as I recall - the three Gurus had chosen to depart for
various reasons, mostly political."
"I had been imprisoned on Mt. Woe for opposing the Queen," Melchior
explained. "But these young people rescued me, killing the monster known as
Giga Gaia in the process."
"By the way, Spekkio," Gaspar said. "Once a Guru, always a Guru.
Whatever time I'm in, I *am* still the Guru of Time."
"Gotcha," Spekkio said. "Your Majesty, I apologize for the suddenness
of our arrival, but things have gotten - well, unstable. There have been some
earthquakes recently, is that right?"
"A few minor ones last year, about the time of the Millenial Fair."
"Those were connected to the monster known as Lavos - a monster which
was killed by Crono and his friends," Spekkio continued.
"If I might interrupt - ?" Melchior raised his hand. "The Mystics sent
me because several of the local landmarks have started to change. A statue of
Ozzie, Magus' general in 600 A.D., vanished without a trace; a magical seal in
the forest north of the village has either disappeared completely or become
highly unstable, depending on who you talk to - and when. That seal is a
matter of great concern; nobody I've talked to has explained what it means or
what it was meant to be sealing. And one other thing . . . a vision of
blackness, like a thundercloud that had taken on a solid form, a malevolent
darkness hanging in the sky overhead, prepared to rain doom upon all."
"The Black Omen," said Crono, Marle, and Lucca in unison.
"We saw it in Guardia too," the King mentioned. "But it's like you
said the Mystics were about the seal; all the reports we got were at odds with
each other. We couldn't even get an accurate description of the thing."
"The Black Omen was the floating fortress belonging to Queen Zeal,"
Crono said. "We attacked it, defeating Queen Zeal and Lavos's minions just
before Lavos himself broke out of the earth for the final battle."
"Who or what is this 'Lavos'?" asked King Guardia.
"Be glad you never saw it, Your Majesty," said Lucca. "You'd be having
nightmares for the rest of your life. It helps some that I was there for part
of the fight; Crono and Marle did most of the work."
Marle added, "We'd been told that to fight Lavos was to face certain
death. There used to be a Gate in the End of Time that would take you straight
to the time and place where Lavos emerged to destroy the world."
"Uh, Marle?" Spekkio looked over at her. "That's not quite true. The
Day of Lavos, in 1999 . . . that was what destroyed civilization. You were
there in 2300, you helped sow some seeds of hope among the remaining humans of
the time . . . but in the end, it was already too late. You saw the Lavos
Spawns on Death Peak, and killed three of them. The Day of Lavos was just the
beginning of the world's end; the people who died that day were the lucky
ones."
The two Gurus looked over at Spekkio. "I never bothered to look past
the Day of Lavos," Gaspar said dryly. "There didn't seem to be much point to
it. Is this where I finally find out what had you so upset, and why you needed
to come back to the Kingdom of Guardia in 1000 A.D.?"
"Yes," Spekkio replied. "Or closer, anyway. Crono, where's the Epoch?"
"I can take you to it, but it only seats three people. Why?"
Spekkio nodded. "I can bring two more along with this," and he held up
the orb. "I call it a Gate Orb; Gaspar helped me to create it. It's like a
portable Time Gate that you can use to get to any time and place you want."
"All right," said Lucca. "So where - and more importantly, when - are
we going?"
"Crono, you said that you found Belthasar in 2300 A.D.?" asked
Melchior.
Crono nodded. "Yes. He gave us his time machine; that's how we got the
Epoch."
"Where was he?"
"In a lab at the base of Death Peak."
"I know where Death Peak is," said Gaspar. "Spekkio, I suspect that
you and I are the only ones who can use the Gate Orb to its full effect; why
don't you go there with two others in the Epoch, and I'll bring the rest of us
via Time Gate?"
"To the Keeper's Dome, in 2300?" asked Spekkio. "I think we can manage
that."
"Good." Gaspar looked at the three youngsters who had fought against
unimaginable odds - and won. "One of you will have to come with us - "
"Actually, no they won't - not yet," Spekkio noted.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Crono, you remember where the Keeper's Dome is, right? You could fly
the Epoch there?"
"Yeah, I could. I take it that the Keeper's Dome is just a rendezvous
point for now?"
"Exactly. Gaspar and Melchior and I will use our Gate Orb to get
there; you and your friends can use the Epoch to come along."
"I wonder if Robo will be anywhere around," Lucca said. "For that
matter, what about our other friends?"
"Worry about reinforcements later," said Spekkio. "You need to see
this first. Then you can start hunting up your allies."
"When do we depart?" Crono asked.
"As soon as it's convenient would be best." Spekkio looked at King
Guardia. "Your Majesty, I'm sorry this is so sudden, but it's really hard to
explain at a distance from the event itself."
"I understand," answered the King. "Marle, will you be all right?"
Marle giggled. "Father, I've been bored almost to death since we got
back from that adventure." Ignoring her father's shocked expression, she
continued, "I've learned to appreciate what I have here - but I've been
looking for another chance to get out and have another adventure. Now that
it's here, there's no way I'm going to let it pass me by."
The King sighed. "Well, I know you've been practicing your healing
skills, so . . . I guess it's all right."
Spekkio laughed. "She knows a lot more now than just healing, Your
Majesty. When Marle uses the Ice magic I taught her, she can freeze an enemy
solid."
"That's the second time you've mentioned magic," King Guardia said.
"Humans can't *use* magic, though."
"Yes we can, father!" Marle laughed, jumping up. "Crono, Lucca, get
ready. Spekkio, would you like to help us demonstrate?"
Spekkio closed his eyes for a moment, fortifying himself, then moved
over to the end of the room where there was some clear space. "Go easy, okay?"
Marle nodded. "Ready guys?"
Crono stretched. "I'm ready."
"All set!" Lucca chimed in as she took her position. The three young
warriors moved into position surrounding Spekkio, then cast their magic.
Yellow sparks surrounded Crono as he summoned the Lightning magic; Lucca
glowed red as her Fire spell went off, and glowing sparkles of white light
spiraled around Marle as she gathered her Ice magic.
Then the three spells interacted. Lines of power connected the three
warriors, marking off a triangle with Spekkio at its center. "Keep it
focused!" Crono shouted as the inside of the triangle began to glow red, just
before it blasted upwards in a crimson field of energy.
"DELTA FORCE!!" the three casters chorused over Spekkio's yelp of
pain.
If King Guardia hadn't been in a front-row seat, he would have hidden
under the table. Gaspar laughed as Spekkio picked himself up off the ground,
and dusted himself off. "Are you impressed, Your Majesty?" asked the Guru of
Time.
"Er, yes. Quite." King Guardia rubbed his eyes. "I guess you *will* be
able to take care of yourselves after all. Well, good luck. Let me know if I
can do anything to help . . . wherever and whenever you are."
Marle gave her father a hug. "Of course we will. Maybe Belthasar has a
mini-Epoch we can use to send messages back and forth."
Lucca said, "I need to stop by my house and pick up a few things -
like the Gate Key."
"You won't need it," Gaspar answered, just as Spekkio replied, "Good
idea." The two of them looked at each other for a moment, then Gaspar nodded
to Spekkio. "I guess having it can't hurt."
"I want to go fetch my old gear, make sure it still fits, and say
goodbye to Mom and my cat," said Crono. "From what you said, Spekkio, this
could take a while."
"It could," Spekkio told his students. "If you have any potions
stashed away, get as many of them as you can carry; I have my kits, but you'd
better not depend on them too much. At best, we'll have to travel in two teams
of three - more, if we get allies along the way. Your Majesty, I'm not going
to lie to you about this: your daughter and her friends are about to set off
on an extremely dangerous journey. I'll do everything I can for them, but if
the worst happens - "
"I understand," King Guardia interrupted. "I have faith in my
daughter's skill, and that of her friends. She trusts you, and I respect her
judgement in such matters. Now."
"Spekkio," asked Gaspar, "Do you think we could go on ahead to see
Belthasar? I want to see how he's doing."
"No matter what he was like in Zeal," Lucca said, "he's changed. I
don't just mean the Nu body, either."
"I'll keep that in mind," replied Gaspar. "Spekkio?"
"Well, we certainly *can* . . . and I can't think of anything else we
need to do here. Melchior?"
"Of course I'll come along. It may not be like old times, but it's as
close as we can get without travelling back to Zeal itself."
"A course of action which we would be wise to avoid," said Gaspar. "I
suspect that if we got anywhere near our counterparts there, we'd find
ourselves sent into another Gate - perhaps to drift through the currents of
Time forever."
Melchior shuddered. "I see. Shall we go on to the future, then?"
"Yes," Spekkio said. "But - we're still going to a future where Lavos
destroyed the world."
A collective "WHAT???" rose from around the table.
"Now wait a minute, Lavos is *dead*!" Crono exclaimed. "We killed him
before the Day of Lavos could even occur!"
"Crono, why do you think a being like Lavos could reproduce?" Spekkio
shot back at him.
That brought all conversation to a screeching halt. "You mean the
Lavos Spawn could mature into . . . *that* thing?" Marle whispered.
"When we get to Death Peak, in the time we need to go to, you'll know
*exactly* what I mean." Spekkio looked around. "Let's do it."
A few minutes later, Gaspar, Melchior, and Spekkio had disappeared
into their Time Gate, and were gone with no trace that they had ever been
there - except for the remains of what they'd eaten. "Kitchen staff'll be
muttering about this for a week, I'm sure," Marle commented as she walked to
the castle gate with her friends.
"With any luck, we'll be back by the time they're done," Lucca
replied. "Crono, where *is* the Epoch right now, anyway?"
"It's somewhere in the mountains north of Truce Village," he answered.
"I can go there tonight, fly it down so we can meet tomorrow morning and set
off with a good night's rest behind us."
"Do it," Marle told him. "I need to get my stuff together too, and
come up with a story that'll explain Princess Nadia's absence while Marle is
out adventuring. Mother and father will be able to help with that; it seems
they read quite a few adventure stories when they were younger."
"Including ones where the prince has to sneak out of the castle so he
can go on adventures?" Crono asked, smiling.
Lucca laughed as she retrieved her pouch and equipment from the guard
at the door. "I'm sorry we didn't have more of a chance to catch up on recent
events, Your Highness."
Marle made an exasperated noise. "I go through all of this, and *now*
you start calling me 'Your Highness' again? You're impossible, Lucca."
Crono buckled the Rainbow Sword back around his waist. "You want
impossible? I don't think I've ever seen Spekkio acting worried before. From
all we know, he's practically immortal - it takes magic to hurt him at all,
and he can heal the damage he takes."
"He healed *our* damage too, when we lost a practice session," Marle
pointed out. "I'm glad he's going to be at Death Peak with us. - Say, I wonder
if we should drop back to 65,000,000 B.C., say hi to Ayla, and spend some time
in the Hunting Range?"
"Save it," Crono said. "If we just go time-hopping, we'll never meet
up with Spekkio and his Guru friends, and if he's that worried about
something, I *don't* want to head off in the opposite direction."
Marle and Lucca both nodded. "Now I remember why we let you lead us,"
Marle winked.
"*Let* me lead you? Why - " Crono broke off, blushing, as Marle kissed
him.
Lucca sighed. "See you tomorrow morning, Crono. The old Millenial Fair
grounds?"
Crono broke off from the kiss. "Yeah. Meet me at the - oh, let's get
really nostalgic . . . remember where the Telepod exhibit was?"
"How could we forget?" Lucca asked archly. "Where the freak accident
that turned the three of us into time-traveling, world-saving, heroic
adventurers took place . . . when Marle, unknown to those who saw her as
Princess Nadia, was sent back in time 400 years, where her very presence
changed the course of history . . . "
Crono smacked his forehead. "I *knew* I shouldn't have suggested it."
"Don't sweat it, Crono," Marle said. "I'll be there as soon as I can
get out of the castle after breakfast. . . . Did any of them give us a
specific time to meet them at the Keeper's Dome?"
"Just 2300 A.D.," Crono answered. "I guess they'll be waiting for us,
or something." He sighed. "Good night, Marle. I'll see you and Lucca at the
exhibit site tomorrow morning."
"Good night, Crono, Lucca. Sleep well." Marle bowed politely.
"Sleep well, Your Highness," Lucca replied, and she and Crono headed
out of the castle, working their separate ways to their respective homes.
Tim Miller
trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
September 2, 1996