It was like a dream. Crono thought that he moved forward, but he wasn’t sure.
There were blue lines who moved strange, and blue circles who came against him and then passed. Suddenly, everything went black. When Crono opened his eyes again,
he found himself sitting in a forest. Or more exactly in an open field with a mixture of cliffs and trees surrounding him. He could hear bird tweet, and a small waterfall on distance.
He was on mother earth again.
Quickly he rose, and tried to see if he recognized the place. But he didn’t.
Wherever he was, it sure wasn't near Truce.
He didn't know were to go, so he went in the same direction as he heard the waterfall.
Just when he was about to exit the open field, something hit him, and he fell backward.
He rose fast to see what it was. He could see three Imps, surrounding him.
Great. He was Trapped.
"Hey!" Crono said, hope they would leave. But they didn't. They came closer instead.
"If I had a weapon..." Crono thought, and wondered why he didn't buy that sword from Melchior.
Then he noticed, that he was carrying something. The wood sword! Of course! He was in such a
hurry to Lucca's show, he forgot to put back the sword.
He draw it, and tried to scare away the Imps. But one of they attacked him instead.
It took a big stone and threw it at Crono. Crono took a step to the left, just to avoid the
stone. He counterattacked by taking a leap forward and smash the Imp hard as he could.
The Imp flied into the forest. One of the two remaining Imps kicked Crono in his back.
"Aaahh..." Crono yelled, and smash that one too. One more to go.
But the last one escaped screaming. Proud of his first victory, Crono holstered his sword,
and walked out of the open field. When he got out, he saw that he was on a mountain, which was
splitted in two by a river. There was a bridge who connected the sides.
Funny... Just like Truce canyon back home...
But he wasn’t home. He just knew it. This was somehow different.
If this was Truce canyon, Truce village should be south of here.
He got thoughts about a twin dimension, but he didn’t really believe it.
It was like he was at Truce canyon, but somehow not...
Slowly, Crono moved to the bridge and crossed it. All this was so familiar.
He continued to walk south, but stopped when he heard some strange noises.
Carefully, he sneaked forward to check what it was.
Two green imps were kicking a roly between them.
A roly was a strange creature who was famous for the ability to transform into a ball.
Crono didn’t want to disturb them, but it was difficult, since the open field the imps was in was the only way down. He pushed himself against the cliff, and quietly walked pass them.
They didn’t notice him. He continued  to walk down the mountain, and was soon all the way down.
Then he saw Truce. It didn’t look like the Truce he was used to, but it sure was Truce.
He could see the fountain in the middle of the town, and the old ‘Mayor´s manor’.
But it didn’t look very old right now...
He looked for Leene square, but couldn’t find it.
There wasn’t very many people out, Most houses were closed. There was small dark clouds over the entire kingdom. And it was actually quite cold.
He walked to Truce inn (or where it was supposed to be) and found out that it had changed a bit.
It seemed like half of the upperfloor wasn’t there, and the building wasn’t as large as normal.
When he walked in, he saw met a soldier who just walked out. Inside, there were a plenty of them. Crono thought it was stupid to ask ”Where am I?” but he had no choice.
The soldier repeated his question.
”‘Where am I?’ Are you stupid? THIS is the kingdom of Guardia! We’re battling Magus’s army.”
Then the soldier looked strange at him.
”You DID know that, right?”
Crono didn’t want any trouble, so he nodded.
”Then shut your pie hole!” the soldier said.
Magus...
When did Guardia fight Magus...
Crono started to regret that he let those history lessons just fly away.
Crono walked away to the counter, and took a seat.
”Do you know where the Millennial Fair is?” he asked a woman, who sat on his right.
”A Millennial Fair? Here? What are you talking about?”
Crono frowned. Where could he be?
The woman turned to him.
”Look... If you didn’t know...
It’s year 600, and the 21st king of Guardia reigns”
Crono almost jumped to the ceiling. 600!!!!!!
Lucca’s machine had sent him, and probably Marle, 400 years back in time.
”You OK?” the woman asked.
”Yeah...” Crono said. ”I’m fine... Really...”
Crono got lost in his thoughts. Why did he enter that machine from the start?
If he hadn’t...
Suddenly he heard some of the soldiers talk.
”Have you heard that they found Queen Leene up in the mountains?”
”Yeah...” the other one said. ”She must be glad to be home”
The first one took another draught from his glass, and then continued.
”Everyone was worried! The King freaked when the Queen took off . We thought Magus had grabbed her. Thank goodness she’s safe.”
When Crono listed to their story, a man took the seat on Crono’s left side.
Crono turned to him.
He was about 30 years old, and had a orange vest. His brown hair was tied up by a bandanna.
”Are you a stranger here too?” he said.
Crono nodded.
The man shook hand with Crono and introduced himself.
”I’m Toma, the explorer. You are?”
”Crono.”
Toma nodded. ”Crono...”
Toma checked all his pockets for probably money, but he couldn’t find anything.
”Hey, if your buying, I’ll tell you a story.”
”About what?” Crono said.
Toma grinned.
”You choose.”
First, Crono was going to tell him to leave, but when he remembered this Queen Leene stuff,
he changed his mind. Perhaps Marle was mistaken for the real Queen.
”Ok...” Crono said. ”Tell me about the Queen.”
Toma turned to the bartender.
”Cider, please!”
The bartender came and gave him a coup of cider.
”Ok...” he started. ”About the missing queen...”
He took a draught from the glass, and then said:
”She disappeared while visiting that cathedral to the west, and...”
One soldier interrupted him.
”They found her!”
”Oh...” Toma said. ”Never mind then...”
”I was sure there was something fishy about that cathedral...” he mumbled.
Crono left the house.
That’s it!
They have found Marle and NOT Queen Leene.
Then Marle must be in the Guardia Castle.
He wondered how they could mistake the Queen for Marle.
Crono walked out of Truce village and headed for the Guardia forest.
You must cross it to reach Guardia Castle.
The forest was just west of Truce Village, and it wasn’t very far.
Soon he arrived. Outside the forest was a big sign, saying
”The forest leads north, to the Guardia Castle”
That sign was still standing in his time.
He walked to the north, on a quite weak path.
He noticed that there were not any birds singing here. It was all quiet.
No, not totally quiet. He heard the sound of something moving in a bush.
Crono raised his sword and looked around.
Suddenly, he felt something bumping into his back.
He fell forward.
Something jumped up on him and started to kick him.
Crono screamed.
”Get of me!”
But the creature didn’t listen.
Crono rolled to the left, and succeeded to get rid of the thing.
He turned around and saw a green imp and a roly.
Crono felt like a wimp, when he swinged his WOOD SWORD and tried to hit the roly.
But it was to fast. The imp and the roly separated and tried to attack from two directions.
Crono stopped it by jumping back a step and thereby keeping them in front of him.
Then the imp jumped up on the roly and actually rode it.
The imp kicked his roly on Crono. Crono was to slow and unprepared for that kind of attack.
The roly crushed into him, but didn’t force him to the ground.
Crono counterattacked with his woodsword. He hit the roly this time, and made it fly deep into forest. The imp fell backward.
Crono pointed his sword at the imps neck.
Fast, it ran away.
After this battle, Crono didn’t want to put himself in danger anymore,
so he decided to walk a bit outside the path.
His back did still hurt.
After thirteen minutes, he had crossed the forest, and reached the castle.
 
 

”Halt! Who goes there!” Crono heard a male voice saying, when he entered the castle.
There where two soldiers, just behind the door.
They walked closer.
”Check out that hair!” one of them said.
”Where you from, son?” The other one continued.
”Are you one of Magus’s troopers?”
The other one shook his head.
”Hardly!” he said.
”This kid would never have made the cut! Show us your stamp collection, son!”
Crono didn’t know what to say. It seamed like he was enjoying the soldier.
”Har, har, har! Now beat it, shrimp!”
One of them was just about to throw out Crono, when...
”Stop that at once!”
It was a female voice.
The soldiers turned around.
”Queen Leene!” they both said at the same time.
A girl in a green dress came walking down the stairs, and when she came,
the soldiers fell down on their knees.
The Queen looked at them. ”Show your manners! This is a friend of mine!”
Crono was petrified.
One of the soldiers rose up again. ”But there’s something odd about him!”
The Queen looked at them both.
”You refuse to obey my orders?!”
Fast, the soldier fell down on his knees again.
”Forgive me my lady! Please enter, sir!”
Crono thought he could hear a familiar giggling come from the Queen.
She turned around and walked up.
Crono looked around.
There was one stair, leading up to a big door, and one hallway to the left and one to the right.
The soldiers guarding the big door opened it, allowing the queen to pass, and then closed it.
”Could it be...?” Crono thought, and then decided to follow her. He walked up the stairs to the big door, and when he came closer, the doorguards blocked his way.
”King Guardia the XXI is in the throne room.” The first guard said.
”Mind your manners!” the other one added and then let Crono pass.
The throne room was a quite big room and at the other side of it, two thrones were placed.
A purple dressed man was sitting on the left throne. In the north-west and north-east corners of the throne room was stairs, leading up a bit.
In front of the king was the Chancellor, a short man with long white bear.
Next to each stair was a knight guarding. One of them walked to Crono and said:
”The Queen is waiting in her room. It’s the right stair.”
Crono nodded.
Then the king looked up and at Crono
”Sir!” he said. ”I understand that you are the one who saved my dear wife, Leene!
But can you tell me what happened? She’s acting rather odd.
And she seems to have lost her coral pin, which is something she guarded with her life...”
Crono didn’t know what to answer.
But he didn’t need to worry about it, cause the king interrupted his thought with:
”Forgive me! You must be tired. We can talk about this later. Please rest in the Knights quarters, downstairs to the left.”
Crono nodded, but went to the right stair, as the knight had told him.
The short corridor ended with a stairroom, and in it, a stair leading up.
Crono walked up and after 5 floors, he came to the floor with the queens room.
When he came out of the stairroom, he entered a new corridor. It ended after about 10 meters with a door. The door was open, and a knight stood there, blocking the passage.
”The Queen awaits.” he said when Crono came closer.
The knight backed and let Crono pass.
Behind the door, was a new corridor leading west. On the north wall of it, was a door, leading into the Queen’s room. When he entered, he saw the Queen, looking down at the floor. Two attendants where here too. When Crono slowly walked forward, the Queen noticed him.
”Ah! There you are.”
She looked at the two attendants. ”Leave us. I need to talk this individual.”
”Certainly, your highness.” they said and left.
The last one even closed the door.
”Come nearer, sir!” the Queen said, and Crono walked forward to her.
The Queen giggled.
”Fooled you, didn’t I Crono?” she said.
It took a second for Crono to get her point.
”It’s me!” Marle said. ”But everyone calls me Leene!”
”I bet they do...” Crono said.
Marle walked to around in the room. She walked very nicely with her dress.
”I’m so relieved you’re here.”
She turned to him. ”We barely know each other, but somehow, I knew you’d come for me...”
She walked back to Crono and made an almost invisible smile.
”Thank you, Crono!”
Crono didn’t know what to say. He just keep staring at the floor.
Suddenly, Marle looked around.
”S, Something’s wrong...”
Crono watched her face. It had lost it’s red color. She looked pale.
Crono looked around in the room, but couldn’t see anything wrong.
”W, what’s happening?!” Marle said. Her voice sounded like it came from the bottom of a spring.
”It feels like... I’m being torn apart!!!”
”Help me, Crono!” she screamed, with an even more rusty voice.
”I’m scared! Please... Crono ...h, help me!”
Crono didn’t know what to do. What was wrong?
Suddenly, a very unfriendly white glow surrounded Marle’s body.
Fast, Crono grabbed her.
The glow increased, and Marle scattered in Crono’s hands.
She was gone. Again.
”Great!” Crono thought, and walked out of the room. Just when he closed the door,
One of the attendants walked to him. ”She dismissed you already? You were polite, of course?”
Crono nodded and walked to the stair room. But just before he took the stairs down, he shouted to the attendants:
”She said she wanted to be alone. Wait outside until she calls for you.”
 
 

”Crono!” a voice said, just when Crono exited the stairroom at the thrownroom level.
Lucca ran up the stairs, and exhausted, sat down at the floor.
”Huff, Puff... You’re okay! Did you find the girl?”
Crono look down at the floor.
”Marle...” He started. ”Yeah, I found her, but she gone.”
Lucca almost jumped up to the ceiling.
”GONE?! Whadda’ya mean she gone?!”
Crono looked confused. ”She just scattered! I didn’t do a thing!”
”Hmm...” Lucca said. ”It’s just as I thought.”
She looked at Crono.
”I knew I recognized her!”
She looked at the walls.
”And this looks identical to the castle in OUR time!”
Crono looked like a big question mark. ”Whadda’ya mean?”
Lucca smiled.
”I'll bet they mistook that girl for her ancestor...
You see, she's a member of the royal family in OUR time!
She's Princess Nadia!”
Crono almost screamed.
”SAY WHAT!?!”
”Let me explain.” Lucca said.
”Marle, that is, Princess Nadia, is a descendant of Queen Leene!
Queen Leene has been kidnapped.
As I recall, someone was supposed to have saved her.
But history has been changed!
Marle looks so much like Leene, that they probably called off their search when she appeared here. But if the real Queen is killed...
... Marle will simply disappear...”
”No!!!” Crono said.
”There might still be time!” Lucca continued.
”If we can save Leene, history as we know it should remain unchanged!”
”...” Crono didn’t really get everything Lucca said, but this part about that they must save Leene was clear.
”Something must have happened to the Queen in this era.
As a result, Princess Nadia ceases to exist!
Hurry!
We have to find the real Queen!”
Crono nodded.
”Follow me!” he said.
Lucca nodded and followed Crono.
He went down the stairs, but not out through the door.
Instead, he took the left corridor, leading to Knight quarters.
When he came there, he just remembered that he was going to save Leene and not rest.
But suddenly he felt very tired.
”You know...” Crono said. ”There are no side effects on your machine, right?”
Lucca thought for a moment.
”There might...” she gasped. ”be some...”
A maid came up to them.
”You look tired! This way.”
Without thinking of it, Crono let the maid lead him down to a few beds, and he fell asleep fast.
 

”I’m scared! Please... Crono ...h, help me!” Marle’s words made a big echo in Crono’s head.
Suddenly, he woke up, remembering everything about Marle and Leene.
”If only Cyrus were here...” Crono heard a voice saying.
”Cyrus...” He repeated. He looked up.
It was the soldiers who held a meeting.
On soldier turned to him.
”You know who Cyrus is, right?”
Crono nodded.
”Of course!”
The soldier turned back.
Cyrus...
He was Crono’s idol. Cyrus was the name of the best soldier in Guardia’s army EVER.
He was an incredible swordsman.
”Where is Cyrus now?” Crono asked.
”You don’t know?” the soldier answered. ”He and a friend left on a journey ten years ago.
They haven’t returned yet.”
Crono nodded.
”I see...”
Then he got out of his bed and woke up Lucca.
”Must adjust the sna... wha??”
”Lucca!!!” Crono almost screamed in her ear.
Just as fast as Crono got up, she did too.
A maid came to them. ”Up already? You have just been asleep for an hour?”
”Luckily!” Lucca cheered and the friends ran up to the main entrains.
The castle was quite empty of guards, probably ‘cause they were in the war.
”Of all the times, this must be the worst possible!” Crono thought, not knowing he would regret it later.
”This way!” Commanded Lucca and took the right corridor from the entrance.
”Where are we headed?” Crono shouted when they ran across the corridor.
”To the dinning room. I’ve found another side effect.”
She was right. Crono felt he was extremely hungry.
In the dinning room sat four soldiers and was eating.
On the other side of the room was a connection to the kitchen.
Crono and Lucca walked to the kitchen.
There were two maids and one chef, making food for the soldiers.
”Excuse me?” Lucca said.
One of the maids looked up.
”Oh sorry... just a minute. This place is a mini war zone.”
Then the chef looked up.
”This is no place for kids!” He yelled.
Crono and Lucca was just about to leave, when the chef stopped them.
”Wait! Maybe you’d know! What’s this ‘eyes cream’ stuff that Queen Leene wants so badly?”
They both laughed but shook their heads. ”Sorry.” Lucca said and walked away to a free seat in the dining room. Crono took the one just left of Lucca.
Just when they sat down, three knight came down the stairs.
They Knight Captain, wearing a gold armor, looked around and shouted:
”Where’s supper?”
One waitress came out to them.
”Oh, captain! I’m sorry...”
They sat down at the other side of the table.
”We’re fighting a war out there! Can’t you even keep us fed?” the Knight Captain shouted, but Crono realized that it wasn’t the waitress he was shouting at.
The chef came out of the kitchen.
”What are you fussing about? You’re not the only one who’s fighting out there.”
The captain rose from his chair.
”Hey, I don’t have time for this. Just feed my men, okay?”
He walked up the stairs and away.
”Shut your trap!” the chef shouted after him.
”I’ll decide who’s going to get fed, and when!!”
He walked back to the kitchen.
The waitress came to Crono and Marle.
”Those to are brothers. You’ve heard the expression ‘sibling rivalry’, right?”
Crono hadn’t, but he nodded anyway.
”Now... What do you want? Refresh salad, Power stew or Hyper kebob.”
”Power stew.” Crono and Lucca said both at the same time.
The waitress walked out, but didn’t return. Instead, the chef came with the food.
Once he had served Crono and Lucca, he watched the stairs, checking if the captain was there.
”That fool... He thinks HE’S the boss!”
After 10 minutes, Crono was finished, and left with the words:
”I’ll be back. Don’t go away.”
He ran up the stairs.
 

Lucca sat there alone. She thought about Marle. And IF she would come back if they saved Leene. She was glad Marle was princess Nadia. Then she was out of Crono’s interest.
Lucca knew that Crono was totally uninterested in the royal family.
But Lucca was just Crono friend. Nothing else. She liked it that way, but she didn’t want any other girl getting closer to Crono. Even though the facts, that Crono wasn’t her boyfriend, and she had no right to rule over his private life.
Suddenly, Crono came running down the stairs.
”What did you do?” Lucca wondered.
”Got some stuff. Like this!” he showed an iron sword, who was holstered in his belt.
”You should get one yourself.”
Lucca shook her head. ”Won’t be necessary.”
”Well...” Crono continued. ”I also got a clue, where to look.”
”Really?”
”Yeah. You see... Toma told me...”
”Toma!!!” Lucca interrupted him. ”Toma the explorer? Did you ask for an autograph?”
Crono signed. ”May I continue?”
Lucca nodded.
”As I said... Toma said something about that Leene was viciting the cathedral just before she disappeared. And...” Crono continued. ”The Chancellor of this time is really strange...
He sneaks around, and kept saying ‘Hmm...’. But the guards don’t think anything bad about him.
They say he’s a decent man and goes to the cathedral every day!”
”There you got it!” Lucca cheered.
 

After going through the guardia forest again,
Crono learned that Lucca was armed with an air gun.
One of her own inventions. He didn’t really get how it worked, but it fired small needles.
Crono also found his new sword handy in the forest...
The cathedral was west of Guardia Castle and you have to go through a forest to get there.
Luckily, there was a big road leading through the entire forest. So Crono didn’t have to worry about any monsters or mystics.

There was just one big room inside the cathedral.
It had 3 rows of benches with 2 in each. There was sitting a nun in each of the two north benches, and one in the left middle one. There was an altar on the other side of the room, and an organ to the left of it. A nun was standing in front of it.
When Crono and Lucca entered, the nuns ignored them.
The friends took a good look around, and checked for any trace of Leene.
Crono tried to talk with one of the nuns.
”Hi!” he said.
”Hi!” the nun answered.
Not a very common nun-answer.
”Is there anything you would recommend me to do in here?”
The nun looked up.
”You might like to stick around for the organ recitar. It’s a real killer!”
”W, well... Thanks...” Crono said and backed off.
These were NOT nuns.
He told Lucca quietly about their chat, and she promised to be careful.
”Let’s check the altar!” Crono suggested.
”Ok” Lucca said and they walked away to it.
But just in front of the altar, Crono felt he stepped on something.
He reached down and picked it up.
”What did you find?” Lucca said.
Crono watched the object.
I was a hairpin. Then, Lucca saw something.
”That’s Guardia’s royal crest!!!” she exclaimed.
When she said it, the nuns came walking up to them.
They lined up right in front of Crono and Lucca.
Then they changed form. They changed form into Naga-ettes!
The monsters screamed joyfully.
Crono draw his sword quickly and threw himself backward.
Lucca picked up her airgun.
The first Naga-ette jumped (however it succeeded...) and tried to attack Crono.
But he was to far away. The jump was to short. The monster realized this, and changed to defense position. Lucca aimed at it and fired. The Naga was unprepared for a long ranch attack, and the needle drilled into it’s arm. It screamed. Purple blood came out of the small wound.
Crono made a leap forward to strike at another Naga, just behind the first on.
But the Naga’s was quite fast. It moved away, and hit Crono with it’s hand.
Lucca reloaded her gun, and fired at a Naga who was just about to attack her.
But the needle fell out, and didn’t cause much damage at all.
Two Naga’s were now lightly wounded by needles, two was undamaged and aimed for Crono.
One hit Crono in his head, and he fell to the ground. Then they continued to hit and claw him.
Lucca missed to insert a new needle, so she let the gun hang in her belt, and she took her little hammer instead. The first Naga was trying to go and help the others hit Crono, and second one was looking at Lucca. They remaining two hit and slapped poor Crono.
Lucca took her hammer and ran to the first one. She hit it with her hammer, and it fell to the floor. The second one jumped, trying to grab Lucca, but missed, and only grabbed her bag.
Meanwhile, Crono tried to get up. But it was hard, the Nagas kept him down as they hit him.
With his last resource of power, Crono pulled up his sword, and cyclone swinged it.
That means that he spun around with the sword pointing out.
He hit both Nagas in one cut.
Purple blood flowed, and ran all over Crono’s sword and arm.
When he looked up, he saw that the last Naga was pulling in Lucca’s bag, who she had around he neck.
Lucca tried to pull it back.
”Hey!!!” Lucca said, when the Naga lost it’s grip.
”You want what’s in it? Here take it!” she picked up a green egg, about 10 centimeters long, and threw it to the Naga. It picked it out and looked at it.
The egg exploded into a big fire rain.
Lucca looked around.
”Phew! That was close!”
The suddenly, one of the Naga suddenly raised up and attacked Lucca.
”Aaahhh...” Lucca said, when that Naga put it’s bloody fingers around her neck.
Crono pulled up his sword, but in the same moment, a big green object came down from the ceiling. With a very broad sword, it stroke the Naga, and made it fly to the other side of the room.
”Lower thine guard and thou'rt allowing the enemy in.” it said. Then Crono saw what it was.
A big frog, dressed in brown and white cloth, with a brown cape.

.

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