Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Sunrise ❯ The end of a Guardia; Chrono’s heart is destroyed ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6

The end of a Guardia;

Chrono's heart is destroyed

CHRONO DASHED INTO THE PALACE, PRAYING THAT HE WOULD MAKE IT IN TIME. He looked around, and was greeted by screaming and shouting. A man with a sword leapt at him from the staircase, screaming.

"Death to the Guardians!!!"

Chrono looked up, surprised, and he sideswiped the blow. Chrono ripped the Rainbow Blade out of its sheath, blocking the next attack. His assailant shouted out angrily and brought his sword down on Chrono again, and this time when Chrono parried, his enemy's blade shattered. Chrono easily took down his would-be assassin with one stab to the chest. The man fell to the ground screaming, but Chrono paid no attention to him. He had to find Marle and his children. He dashed up the stairs and into the Grand Hall, where he was greeted by a bloody melee. His soldiers were making their last stand. Unfortunately, most of Guardia's troops were still at the Zenon bridge. Chrono now saw the full scale of Lynx's plan. The Zenon bridge battle was not only a diversion, it was also a ploy to draw most of Guardia's defenses away from the palace. A more experienced king would have seen the trick, but Chrono… He had been so sure of their power when he had given the orders… He shook the thoughts away, and began to fight his way through the melee, heading towards the stairwell to his children's room. He fought with the fury of ten men, using his magic to down anyone who dared attack him. He reached the top of the stairwell and broke the door down.

Inside he was greeted by an arrow shaft.

Chrono let out a cry and he stumbled back, gripping his chest and the place where the arrow had hit. He looked up through fogged vision to see a figure bending over him. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts at once… He was certain that Lynx had beaten him to his children, and now Chrono was going to die, right there, from one arrow. He coughed weakly, slumping against the wall. He felt an explosion of pain in his chest as the arrow was pulled out, and he heard frantic voices. Suddenly, a cooling relief spread over his body, and the pain dulled and disappeared. Chrono coughed again, but he could now hear the voices better.

The voice was Marle.

"Wake up!!! Oh my God, don't die on me here! I didn't mean it! I thought you were someone else!!!" Then he heard his children.

"Daddy, wake up!!!"

"Daddy!!!!"

He felt a cool hand touching his face, and he opened his eyes, wincing. He was greeted by his family, each and every one of them in one piece. Marle threw her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry!!! I thought that you were a soldier!!!" She cried again, sobbing. Chrono smiled.

"I'm fine, Marle… Your magic did the trick." He looked down at his armor. There was now a hole in it directly where his heart was. He grinned at Marle. "But whoa-I'll remember never to make you mad. You sure do aim to kill!"

Marle sighed.

"I was so worried!! The castle was suddenly attacked by all of these soldiers! I thought for sure that they had killed you and all your men…"

"No." Said Chrono, shaking his head. "I'm fine… Mother and Lucca though… Marle, they were killed…"

Marle brought her hands to her mouth in shock.

"No…"

Aaron and Jade looked at Chrono worried.

"Daddy," Aaron said unhappily. "Will those bad men find us?"

"Yeah daddy," Jade echoed. "Will they…?"

Chrono bowed his head.

"Only if we stay here." He said, picking Aaron up. "We need to get out of here. If we can get to the underwater passage by Lucca's house, we can make an escape to Medina." Marle nodded.

"Good idea." She agreed, picking up Jade. "But how do we get out of here?"

Chrono looked at the ground. It had been easy enough for him to get in alone, but he didn't know how they would get out with the kids. Chrono was afraid to go downstairs with the children. Being the Royal Family, they would all most likely be shot before they got out of the door. And with the children, both he and Marle had their hands full. Escape seemed impossible. He knew they couldn't stay where they were… But how… Then it hit him. The prison! He knew that they could climb there from the window trellis, and from there they could take the passageways down. There was a secret passageway to Truce Canyon in the depths of the dungeon, and that was a royal secret. It had been built by the King in 600AD to be an escape route in case the Mystics ever attacked again. Well, it wasn't to fight the Mystics, but it would be used as an escape route. Chrono hurried to the door. He slammed it shut, and pulled the bed against it, barricading it the best he could. Then he turned to his family.

"Listen… We can take the passage in the dungeon. We're gonna have to climb, but we can make it."

Marle nodded, understanding.

"Okay." She shifted Jade onto her back, and spoke softly. "Jade, honey, you're gonna have to hold on, okay? You can't get scared now."

"Okay mommy." Jade said.

"Aaron," Chrono said, shifting him onto his back as well. "You've gotta stay calm, okay?"

"Don't worry, daddy. I understand." Aaron said, smiling. Chrono felt his tension ease a bit. Aaron was perfectly calm. Even Jade had mellowed down. The two seemed to sense the severity of the situation. Chrono moved to the window. Just as he had opened it, shouts erupted in the hallway.

"The king is in here!!! I saw him come up these stairs!!"

"Oh no!!" Chrono cried. He cursed, and looked to Marle. "Go, quick!!"

Marle nodded and climbed out of the window. Jade began to cry quietly as Marle steadied herself on the trellis outside, but other than that, they had no problems. Chrono turned to the window himself, and he clambered onto the trellis. Aaron tightened his grip, but he kept quiet. Chrono looked down, only to see Marle swinging onto the catwalk that led to the dungeon. She dashed into the dungeon without a sound. Chrono let out a sigh of relief, but that sigh died in his throat when he heard shouting above him.

"Get up here!!! Get up here, or we'll shoot you and the boy!" Chrono looked up into the cold eyes of a Porre soldier. His gun was pointed at Chrono, but it was shaking. Chrono sighed painfully and climbed back up. He entered the window, and felt the cold metal of a gun against his head. He spoke lowly.

"Would you really shoot a child?" He asked. "What does it matter to you if you kill them…? You've already destroyed Truce, and killed most of our soldiers. Why can't at least my wife and children live on? Why do they have to die? If you want to kill for kicks, kill me. I'm not helpless." He heard a click next to his ear. Chrono winced, and Aaron let out a cry.

"Please no!" He cried. "Not my daddy!" Aaron dashed out in front of Chrono, and he looked up at the soldier. "Sir, please… My daddy is a good man…" The boy spoke with a wisdom beyond his years. The soldier looked at the three year old with mixed emotions. Aaron continued.

"Sir, my daddy and mommy and Ms. Lucca… They saved the world from Lavos. They saved our future. Are you a daddy? Please don't take my daddy away!" The soldier slowly lowered his gun, and he bowed his head.

"Take your boy and go… Before the others come."

Chrono brightened up.

"You're serious?"

The soldier nodded.

"I don't see what harm you pose to Porre now…" He shook his head. "I have a boy at home. He's older than yours, but I'd hate for him to grow up without a father… I want to teach him to look at every situation fully, and to make sure that he feels each action he does is right. It's the way I was raised… And now here I am sparing you, Sir Chrono…" He gave a half smile, and pushed some of his blond hair out of his face. "So get the hell outta here. Go into exile or whatever. Just take care of that kid." Chrono smiled.

"Thank you… If I ever do get to be in any position of power again, you'll be well rewarded."

The guard scoffed and turned away.

Chrono climbed out of the window again, and this time he successfully swung out onto the catwalk. He dashed into the cover of the dungeon, hurrying into the stairwell. Marle awaited him there. She threw her arms around him, sobbing.

"I thought that they caught you!!!" She wailed. Jade was hysterical too.

"Daddy, Aaron, we thought we'd never see you again!!!" Aaron smiled.

"You didn't have to worry. The nice man let us go." Marle looked questioningly at Chrono, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just focus on getting out of here, okay?"

Marle nodded.

"Okay." She looked up the staircase worriedly. "But it's only a matter of time before they find us down here. We have to hurry!!!" Chrono nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go."

The group hurried down the stairs, heading deeper into the dungeon. Chrono remembered when he had been held in this dungeon after being falsely accused of kidnapping Marle. He hadn't known about the secret passage back then, and it was ironic that if he had known of it, they never would have ended up in the future, thus they never would have found out about Lavos. And he would be living with his mother right now, or he would have married one of the village girls. Porre wouldn't be attacking… He shook those thoughts away. It was no use thinking about it now, and besides… He wouldn't trade the last five years for a hundred years.

Deeper down, the paths twisted and turned erratically. They had been walking for an hour, and everyone was feeling tired. The battles were far above them now, and no one else knew about these passages anyway, so Chrono decided it was safe to rest. He looked back at his family, but felt an edge of regret. He should be up there fighting for his country like any good king. But he didn't dare leave his family behind. There was another thing bugging him too. Had Porre gotten into Truce Canyon? If they had, they'd be walking right into a trap. He looked around for somewhere where his family would be safe. He saw a cell that had a release on the inside. Obviously, it was for locking things out. Probably a weapons store or something. There was a keyhole on the outside, and now he was certain it was a weapons store. He turned to Marle.

"Marle, you and the kids get in that cell over there and lock the bars. I'm going to go on alone for a bit."

"But why?" Marle asked, blinking.

Chrono sighed.

"If Porre is in Truce Canyon, then they'll catch us all when we come out of hiding. I want to see if it's safe up ahead." Marle nodded.

"Okay then, Chrono… Please be careful. I'll wait here." She looked to Jade and Aaron. "Let's get in the cell, Jade, Aaron." Jade smiled.

"We'll be safe there, right mommy?"

Aaron looked to Chrono.

"Daddy, be careful, okay?"

"I will be." Chrono promised. He kissed his children goodbye, and turned to Marle. "Don't let anyone in except for me. Understand?"

Marle nodded.

"Don't worry so much!" She exclaimed. She then led Aaron and Jade into the cell, locking the door. She smiled to Chrono. "Good luck, Chrono…"

Chrono looked at them thoughtfully. He studied the cell they were in, making sure that there was no way in. Finally satisfied, he backed away, now studying the faces of his family now. He had a cold feeling of sorrow inside that he couldn't explain… Like a premonition. Finally he turned on heel and hurried down the passageway.

The passage was very narrow at parts, and it was in bad shape. He followed it to its end, emerging in Truce Canyon. It was quiet, and he could hear the babbling of a stream nearby. He heard no soldiers. He decided to try the ultimate test.

"Heeeeeeeey!!!!!!!!!!" He shouted as loud as he could. He drew his sword as fast as he could, readying himself for battle. Minutes passed, and no one came. He sighed, turning back into the caverns. It was safe. Finally he felt hopeful for the first time in hours. Truce Canyon would be safe for now, at least. He kept walking, listening to his heavy footfalls. His armor clanked too, and he wrinkled his nose. Anyone in a five-mile radius could hear me coming… He thought. As he got closer to the cell, he heard faint talking. He smiled, feeling warm inside. His family. He had lost his kingdom, his mother, and his best friend all in the space of one night, but at least… At least he had his wife and children…

That was when he heard the screams…

Chrono's heart froze in terror when he heard them. He knew right away… They had been followed. He was such a fool… He heard Marle shouting, and winced as a cold blast of air shot passed him. He began to run, drawing his sword. He turned the corner… Saw his children first, their wide eyes staring past Marle to him… Saw Marle next as she fell back… And saw the black cape of a familiar figure… Jade's face lit up at the sight of her father.

"Daddy!!!" She cried, running past the cloaked figure. Chrono gasped as the figure turned slowly, its dark eyes locked on Chrono. Chrono felt pure terror grip him when he recognized the figure. Lynx…

Chrono shook his head and screamed to Jade.

"Jade-GET BACK!!!!"

Jade didn't stop though, and Lynx smiled slightly as he brought his sickle down the girl. Jade gasped as it cut through her, her blue eyes widening. She fell onto the blade, where she lay motionless. Marle let out a scream of agony and Aaron began sobbing. Lynx coldly forced the girl off of his blade. Chrono shook his head, his blue eyes filled with tears.

"NOOOOO!!!!!!" He screamed running to the cell. He rattled the door, but it was locked. "Marle-Marle, open the door!!! Use your magic on Jade, do something QUICK!!!"

Marle shook her head in terror.

"He-he blocks my magic!!!" She cried, sobbing. Chrono kept banging on the door.

"Then open the door-Marle!!! Please!!!!"

Lynx said nothing. His cold eyes remained on Chrono for what seemed like an eternity, and he watched the young king try to break into the cell. Then he silently turned to Marle and Aaron. Chrono was screaming, throwing all of his weight against the bars. He began to spark with electricity, light glowing around him. Suddenly he felt a strange feeling come over him, and the electricity failed. He blinked, and turned, seeing a girl standing behind him. She was dressed in a harlequin's outfit, and she smiled, waving. She did a back flip and she vanished. Chrono turned back to Lynx and his family, and he tried to summon his magic, but it wouldn't work. That harlequin… She had done something to him. He knew it. So now he watched helplessly as Marle struggled to hold off Lynx with no magic, and a waning supply of arrows. Lynx easily blocked all of them, his grin broadening each time Marle had to frantically reload. He screamed, throwing himself at the bars.

"MARLE!!! AARON!!!" He shook the bars frantically, beating on them until his hands bled. Aaron ran for the bars, taking the same course his sister had. Only he was a bit smarter. He dashed in between the bars, hiding behind Chrono's legs. He was sobbing, clinging to his father. Marle screamed to them, firing the last two of her arrows.

"Run Chrono!!! You and Aaron run!!! Please!!!!"

Chrono shook his head.

"I can't leave you!!! Try to open the door Marle, please!!!"

"But then-" She winced as she realized she was out of ammo. "If I open the door, you two will be in danger!!!"

Chrono banged his fist against the bars again.

"Damnit Marle!!! I can fight him!!!! You're out of ammo-I can't watch you die!!!! First Jade… Not you too!!!!" He watched desperately as Marle slowly backed away from Lynx, who advanced on her. He let out a choked sob and screamed; "LYNX!!!! Coward, come and face me!!! I'll make you pay for what you did to Jade!!! Leave Marle alone!!!"

Lynx said nothing, but he turned away from Marle. He lowered his blade and spoke softly.

"Fine then… I will face you."

Chrono felt relief spread over him. His heart ached though, as his eyes fell on his motionless daughter. His eyes filled with more hot tears of anger and pain. But he managed to smile weakly to Marle.

"Come on Marle… Open the door… Escape with Aaron!!"

Marle looked at him, and their eyes met. She moved across the cell, and released the lock. The door swung open, and she ran towards Chrono.

"Chrono!!!"

She had nearly gotten to them, when Lynx suddenly smiled. Chrono's heart froze.

No… God please… No…

Lynx brought his sickle up, dashed forward, and swept it down onto Marle's back. Aaron screamed in pure terror as the blade cut through his mother's back. Marle coughed, tears flying from her eyes as they widened with shock. Lynx pulled the sickle from her back, and she fell forward onto her knees. She reached for Chrono weakly.

"Chrono… Chan…" She whispered.

"MARLE!!!!!!!" He screamed in agony, tears flying from his eyes like rain. Marle stumbled forward, somehow getting onto her feet. She reached for Chrono weakly again, whispering his name. Chrono dashed towards her, but just as he was about to reach her, the bars sprung up again. Chrono cried out as the sharpened edge of the base of the bars scraped against his arms. He looked up in shock, only to see Lynx standing by the switch. He smirked at Chrono, who helplessly reached through the bars for Marle. Marle gripped Chrono's hands weakly, her eyes filled with tears. Lynx slowly approached her from behind, his sickle raised. Marle looked up into Chrono's azure eyes, her own emerald eyes pleading.

"Run… Chrono… …don't let Aaron… see this…" Chrono looked behind him to Aaron, who was sobbing. He looked back to Marle, and he spoke in a trembling voice, struggling to keep calm.

"I've never left you before… And I won't leave you now." He said softly. He then looked up to Lynx, reaching into his pocket. His hand found the Wonder Shot, and he ripped it out of his pocket, firing at Lynx. It struck Lynx in the eye, and he roared in hate, leaping back. He gripped his eye, glaring at Chrono.

"Why can't you ever accept fate, bastard?! Why do you always insist on fighting?! Why can't you just to submit to what must be?!" He hissed, glaring at Chrono. "You took away the future for millions, so the trade is simple-submit to fate!!! Perish with the future that you would not let be!!! Stand back and let your wife pay for her own crimes-you will meet your own destiny shortly!!!"

Chrono narrowed his eyes.

"If we were so wrong changing the future…" He said lowly, glaring coldly at Lynx. "Then what gives you the right to change the past?! Aren't you destroying our people's future?!" He looked down at Marle, running his hand through her hair. He looked down at Jade, tears filling his eyes again. "Jade… What did she do to your future…? What gave you the right to take a four-year-old girl's future away from her?!" He shot Lynx again, knocking the feline demi-human into a wall. Lynx growled.

"Do you really think that gun will work?" He smirked, standing up. He pushed a button on his bracer, and a glowing shield appeared around him. "Remember… I'm from the future! Did you really think I would come against legends unprepared?!" He leapt at Marle, landing behind her. He raised his sickle, and Chrono began shooting at Lynx like a madman, but the shield nullified every hit. Lynx snickered lowly, taunting Chrono. "Watch, boy… Watch as I claim your dear wife's future as well!!" He stabbed downward, and Marle gasped weakly, blood welling up in her mouth. Her hand slid from Chrono's, and her eyes began to close.

"Don't… …blame… … …your…se..l…f… ….Chrono…" She then laid back, remaining still. Chrono shook his head in disbelief.

"MAAAAAAARLE!!!!!!" He screamed. Aaron screamed as well.

"MOMMY!!!!!"

Lynx began to laugh.

"Two down… Only one meddling time traveler to go…" He grinned at Chrono. "Oh yes… One and his son." His eyes ventured down to Aaron, who shrank back. Chrono shook his head. He spoke in a hate-filled voice, shaking with both anger and sorrow.

"I'll never let you get near Aaron!!!!"

"The same way you wouldn't let me get near your kingdom, your mother, Lucca, your daughter, and your wife? I'd say… That you are a failure as a king, a hero, a friend, a son, a husband, and a father."

"Shut up!!!" Chrono retaliated. Aaron shook his head at Lynx, and despite his tears, and his young age, he spoke in a strong voice.

"You're a bad man!!! You took my mommy and my sister away! Daddy is not the bad guy, YOU are!!!" Lynx laughed.

"Am I?" He moved towards the switch. Chrono stood up, moving away from the bars. He looked down at his wife's body, feeling a lump forming in his throat.

"Marle… I'll protect Aaron!!" He looked to Jade, and spoke weakly. "Jade honey… I won't let him get away with what he did to you… I swear!" Chrono then picked up Aaron, tossed him over his shoulder, and dashed away. He hadn't even rounded the corner when he heard the bars sliding up. He knew that if Aaron was to live on… If he were to save anyone, he was going to have to hide from the monster that stalked them, and he had to gain control of his magic again. Or else… They would be doomed.