A/N: Thanks to Velocity for her review of chapter 4, it got me motivated to dredge up and finish chapter 5. n.n

This one’s a little shorter, but I didn’t want to go back to Lucca just yet.

Rewrite

Chapter 5

By Shimegami-chan

“Is something wrong?” Aliza looked concerned at Frog’s reaction.

“Ah…nay, Lady, ‘tis my imagination, to be sure…but the lass looks like someone I know, and I suppose it makes sense.” He sighed heavily. “Still, ‘tis growing more and more confusing by the moment.”

“Why don’t you tell me?” Aliza smiled and gestured to the tiny stove. “Here, I’ll put on some tea.”

Frog loosened the ruffled collar of his cape and frowned, blinking down at the table. “I am not of this era…I was born in 574 A.D., and came here from 600 A.D., carried by a machine that transcends time. I serve the Royal Court of Guardia, the Queen Leene and King Guardia XXI.”

“Oh my.” Aliza’s eyes widened.

“Truthfully, Lady, ‘tis a difficult tale to swallow, and I would fault thee not if I were to be disbelieved. But mine words are truth; a skilled swordsman appeared before me one day, assisting me in a rescue of my liege. He was a boy from this era, and a lass was with him, who came through a portal and wielded magics like the writings of the Old World describe…I joined them in their quest, which has led us through many strange times and worlds. We sought to confront a powerful enemy in the distant future, but somewhere a mistake was made, and the timeline hath changed from what we knew. This letter…” he touched the yellowed paper, webbed fingers gentle on the delicate material, “was written by Queen Leene, the Queen I am honoured to serve in mine own time.”

“Queen Leene?” Aliza looked shocked, her green eyes widening. “The last of the Guardian Dynasty?”

“Not the last, Lady, not in thine era nor mine. The letter detailed the Royal Family’s fall and Leene’s effort to repair it by seeking me…‘tis my duty now to return to the past and prevent the disaster from happening. Truly, ‘tis amazing that it arrived safely in mine hands.”

Aliza’s brow furrowed as she processed the information. “But I was always told that it was written by my ancestor…it’s been passed down through my family for eleven generations.”

“Tis true,” Frog said gently. “Thou art descended of royalty – the letter said the Queen entrusted it to her daughter.”

“But the Dynasty ended four centuries ago. How could that be true? I, I do not remember it, my schooling was so long ago – but –”

“There was an attack, where the Queen and the Princess were taken and imprisoned. But they lived,” Frog continued quietly. “And in the timeline that I knew, such a thing never was…the Guardian family ruled, even in 1000 A.D. The Crown Princess looketh similar to thine daughter, and she is called Marle.”

The mention of the name stopped Aliza short. “That can’t be…” She avoided looking Frog in the eyes. “Marle is…Nadia’s nickname. Her father called her by that name as a child.”

Equally stunned, the swordsman was speechless for a moment. Finally, he replied, “I was introduced to the lass by only Marle. Mayhaps, in the Court, she is called Nadia as well. Though I pray I understand the situation better now…and my Queen’s words more correct than she could have known…Fate could not preventeth the attack on the castle, but hath shown its hand in continuing the family line. Perhaps, ‘tis only by coincidence, but the Queen’s daughter must have married the same commoner in the true timeline, else thy existence cannot be explained.”

“You’re saying that we’re descendants of the Guardia line?” Aliza said incredulously.

“’Tis no mistaking it. Lady Aliza…then, where art the lass? I should like to meet her.”

“She’s away.” Aliza frowned. “She went with friends…it’s been a few weeks. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”

Away…mayhaps with Crono and Lucca, Frog realized suddenly. Then if my Queen’s words ring true…things can indeed be set to rights…

“And now what the hell do I do?” Lucca said out loud, scowling at the plain white ceiling of her room. Crono gone, her parents living in sin or something, Marle and Ayla off who-knew-where…she wasn’t sure how to proceed. Looking for any of them was pretty much a lost cause. But I have to try, don’t I? she thought. If I can’t find Crono, I’d better look for Frog or the other girls. At least I have a vague idea where to go for that.

Though something within Lucca wanted her to stay and enjoy this time with her parents, she knew she shouldn’t. She felt…guilty somehow, even though in her opinion everyone was better off in the “real” timeline. But they looked so happy…I hadn’t seen Dad smile like that in a long time, and Mom looks radiant. I wish…

I wish I could fix things so that they work out for everyone. But I don’t belong here, and Marle…Marle has no one…so this timeline has to…disappear.

Along with everything in it – Cora, and the Stewardship, and the other Lucca, and her mother’s legs…it all had to go. Blinking back tears, Lucca stumbled to her feet and ran out of the house.

“Looking for history.” Again Ayla mimed the chiseling of characters into stone. “You no have?”

The shopkeeper looked baffled. Marle covered her mouth with her hands, trying to stop giggling. “I told you already…here, we write on paper, not stones.” She pointed at a volume on the bookshelf, bound in red leather. “Like that.”

“Ohh…those things. Ayla not know what they were. Thought maybe good to eat.”

“Maybe if you got really hungry,” Marle answered dryly. “But I guess you don’t have what we need, sir – history books?”

“No, Miss, I’m afraid we don’t.” the shopkeeper said apologetically. “You could try at the school, I suppose.”

“We did already, and it was closed…but thanks.” She led Ayla outside, where stars were already visible in the dusken sky. “That’s pretty much it for Porre. No new information, and no sign of Frog – I guess he went somewhere else. So what do we do now?”

Ayla yawned.

A second later, Marle did as well. After shaking her head to clear it, she put her hands on her hips. “Well, I guess that answers that. Are we sleeping out here or staying at an Inn?”

Ayla cocked her head. “Here is fine.”

The princess sighed. “What am I thinking? We’re in the middle of a town. Why would I bother with the ground when I can have a soft bed?” With a grin, Marle led the way across the town square to the tiny village Inn, a red brick building attached to a pub. “Great. A bed and then breakfast in the morning. Things are looking up.”

“Slept in bed yesterday, ate breakfast too.” Ayla pointed out. “At castle.”

“Yeah, but eating at home is different from breakfast at an Inn,” Marle argued. “Well…it was kind of home. You know what I mean.”

The cavewoman shrugged.

The young princess opened the door, triggering a tinkling of bells and a woman’s voice a room or two away. “Coming!”

A moment later a redheaded woman appeared from the opposite doorway, wearing a simple brown dress and her wavy hair in a low ponytail, fastened with a green ribbon. Close on her heels was Frog, minus cape, his expression very thoughtful. Marle opened her mouth to exclaim at their companion before taking much notice of the girl. “Frog! We’ve found you!”

Aliza cocked her head. “Nadia…?”

“Ah--!” The amphibian looked shocked, his eyes darting from Marle’s face to Ayla’s. “Marle…’tis a coincidence, I was to set out looking for you come morning…but ’tis better that thee’s here.”

But the older woman’s question had drawn Marle’s attention. “Who’s this…?”

Frog intervened before Aliza could answer. “Lasses, methinks the story must be told again to all if ‘tis to be worked out…nay, thee must read my Queen’s letter. But I have learned the point of the timeline’s alteration, and knoweth how it must be set to rights. This lady, Aliza, is the descendant of the Queen – but t’isn’t it true that you should already know one another? Is it not your mother, lass…?”

“My mother…?” Marle’s mouth had gone dry. She knew the woman now, but only from the portraits on the wall, and a child’s memories. This Aliza was older, but undeniably the same. “It, it is…oh my God…”

“I don’t understand,” Aliza confessed, turning to Frog. “She looks just like my daughter…but she doesn’t know me. Is this my child who left home three weeks ago? Or another, a manipulation of your time travel?”

“She is the lass I told thee of; the Crown Princess of Guardia.”

“Outside the timestream…that’s what Lucca said!” Marle cried, her voice wavering. “Those of us outside the timestream when our eras changed – Lucca, me, Crono, maybe Robo too – aren’t affected, or at least haven’t been yet. So I’m not…your daughter…not really. But…you look just like my mother…” The princess paused and averted her eyes. “She died when I was young.”

Frog’s voice was gentle as he stepped close and laid a cool hand on Marle’s shoulder. “Truly, thou mightn’t feel like her child, lass. But she is yet thine mother, the same who gave thee life in thine own timeline.”

“So, not die here?” Ayla asked frankly.

Aliza looked ill. “In your world, I‘ve…?”

Marle winced and wrapped both arms around herself. “She was sick…just a simple virus that was treated too late. I guess it never happened here.”

“I’m so sorry.” It must have been surreal trying to make sense of everything, but still Aliza stepped forward and gathered Marle into a hug, “Nadia…no, Marle. You must have had a hard time.”

“Yeah…” All the Princess’ breath left her with the word. Aliza felt the same as Marle had always remembered her mother; the sweet scent of freshly-washed hair cloying at her nostrils. She was afraid to believe it all, but maybe it really was true… “My father and I talked recently about it, and I thought I was okay with it. I think she would be happy to see me now.”

“I’m sure she would.” No one, least of all Aliza, needed to assure Marle that she was the leading expert on How Aliza Would Feel about such things. Instead she hugged her daughter even tighter, trying not to think about the implications of the events that had happened since these strange travelers had walked into her life. “Why don’t you girls come in and have something to eat, and we’ll talk? You‘re welcome to stay as long as you wish.”

Later, Marle was very sullen. Though Ayla could not quite understand why, Frog decided it best to leave the princess be, for he thought the lass – lady, really, but he had grown used to thinking of her as a lass before he had ever discovered her lineage - far too strong to seek help for such an issue, and truthfully he was uncertain how best to deal with it. She was being asked to destroy a timeline where her mother lived peacefully and she had all the freedom she could desire, and return to one in which she was practically a captive under the single guardianship of her aging father. But surely the girl knew that the rogue timeline must be undone, that they must set things to rights and return to their original mission – defeating Lavos.

The three of them had compared stories, and without a doubt, the crux of the matter lay within the keeping of the Rainbow Stone, just as Leene had warned. It would hopefully be a simple mission to return to 600 A.D. and instruct the King to conceal the shell and obliterate all records of it, if possible. Warning the Queen of the past would be a safeguard to ensure that the Royal Family left the Palace on the night of May 6, 1910. In the end, Frog thought, for all their worry and trouble, thanks to the Queen’s letter it was a simple matter to prevent the tragedy. Troublingly, he also kept wondering if the only person truly being adversely affected by the change was himself.

And so Frog was unsurprised when, the next morning, Marle instructed him and Ayla to return to Truce alone, wanting to join them after spending some time with Aliza. Frog warned against what might happen if Marle was within the timestream when the line was destroyed, but she assured him she would return before they were to meet Lucca at Epoch. Wishing to leave the mother and daughter in peace, he and Ayla set out the next morning without delay.

Frog just hoped that Marle knew what she was doing.

-to be continued...