The Ancient Tree Chapter 3
The Villain
By jenyf86
While Lucca went to Crono’s house with more potions, she crossed a young boy about ten years old. He looked so frightened she didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, Crono and Marle arrived from the direction of the castle. As soon as Marle saw the boy, she went to him and hugged him, saying, “It’s okay. Now tell us what happened.”
“I-It’s… there…he threatened me…my family…” the boy sobbed.
“Calm down, whoever he is, he’s gone,” Marle tried to console the boy.
“No! He’s not gone, he told me not to tell! Go away! Leave me alone!”
“Please, tell us! The future may depend on you!”
“O-ok, but don’t tell anyone.” They all nodded. “He called himself Kinishi, master of wood. He said that whoever touched the grand tree will…die by his hands. And he said that i-if I told anyone, the same would h-happen to me. I-I’m so a-afraid. Please.” The boy cried even louder.
Marle still held him in her arms. She thought about what he had said and told the others, “Go cure the tree without me. I’m going to bring this boy back home. We can meet at Leene Square afterwards.”
“Ok, then we’ll discuss the problem,” said Lucca.
Crono and Lucca left in direction of the forest. They walked to the tree and when they saw someone standing there, they hid behind some bushes.
Even though the cloaked figure just stood there, he seemed to be whispering to himself. Suddenly, an evil laugh boomed out from the person. A laugh so demoniac Crono and Lucca couldn’t resist shivering. The person, still laughing, disappeared gradually, until finally, he was gone.
“Do you think that was Kinishi?” Crono asked in a whisper.
“Yeah… I think.”
They came out of their hiding place and went to the tree. Lucca poured first the dark brown- purple liquid, then the pink-fluorescent one. The tree got cured, and Crono and Lucca made their way out of the forest.
* * *
Marle took the boy home. When they arrived at his house, his mother asked kind of rudely, “Why did you accompany my little Kosha home?”
Marle saw that Kosha was giving her a pleading look and obviously didn’t want his mother to worry about him, so she thought fast and said, “He asked me to, because we just became friends.”
Kosha’s mother looked at Marle again and did a double take when she realized who she was talking to. “Umm… Princess, please excuse my rudeness. I was just worried for my son and I didn’t recognize you right away…”
“No, no, no, no, no, don’t excuse yourself. Anyway, I have to go. I wish you a good day. Goodbye.”
Marle walked away towards Leene Square. She had to go through a part of the forest to get there. But she had barely set foot in the forest, that someone grabbed her by the wrists and knocked her out. The last thing she saw before plummeting into darkness, or rather heard, was an evil, and more demoniac than anything, laugh.
* * *
Marle woke up in a dark and wet cave. She was alone. Apparently, the man or whoever he was had left; but she was tied up to the wall, and could only move her head. The entrance to the cave could have been miles away, yet Marle didn’t think so. She couldn’t have been out so long. A single torch lit the area of the cave she was in, but it was almost too dark to see anything. But if the man she guessed was Kinishi were still there, she would have heard him breathing.
What do I do now? Marle thought. I can’t free myself, but hopefully, Crono and Lucca will notice I’m missing, won’t they?
* * *
Crono and Lucca arrived at Leene Square. They searched everywhere but couldn ’t find Marle. Finally, Crono said, “Maybe she waited here for, like, a half hour and when we didn’t show up she went home. Come on let’s go.”
“Yeah but what if she hasn’t arrived yet? Maybe the boy lives in Porre?” Lucca asked and waited for an answer.
“No, she would have come with us to the forest and went on to Porre from there. You stay here in case she comes, and I’ll go to the castle. If she hasn’t returned here in forty-five minutes, come to the castle. Because she will probably be there. I’ll look everywhere in the castle, and if she isn’t there I’ll come back here. Anyway if she comes in a few minutes, come to the castle; it takes about thirty minutes to get there so we might meet crossways.”
“Ok, but, what if she’s nowhere?”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen. Even if it dose happen, we’ll meet crossways.”
Lucca watched Crono go towards the castle. She couldn’t keep from worrying. What if Marle had been kidnapped and put in a secret place? What would they do? A lot of other questions whirled in her head, but the one she was afraid of the most wouldn’t stop coming back in her mind; what if Marle had been… killed?
Lucca tried to push all the questions out of her mind in vain. She couldn’t push out the feeling that something had happened.
A booming evil laugh interrupted her thoughts. She jerked her head up to see a cloaked figure its back to her. He opened his arms wide to reveal skeleton hands. His deep blue cloak swayed in the wind. Lucca quickly hid behind a tree. Then she heard a cackling voice that broke from time to time.
“Ohh, poor little girl. The Princess, so what? Only a foolish person would wander in the woods by herself. Then if I catch her, is it my fault? Nooooo, of course not.” He laughed in that evil way of his and disappeared just like he had when Crono and Lucca were at the tree.
Lucca, hearing that, instantly broke out in a run for Guardia castle.
* * *
Crono had been walking only for a few minutes, when he heard someone yell his name. He whirled around and saw Lucca running to catch up to him.
“Lucca what are you doing? You were supposed to wait for Marle at Leene Square!”
“She.. she won’t be co…coming,” Lucca said, gasping for air.
“Calm down. Why won’t she be coming?”
“She’s trapped somewhere. I was waiting, ok? Then this cloaked figure- surely Kinishi, the same we saw at the tree- appeared. I hid behind a tree but I still heard what he said. He was happy about capturing a girl that was alone in the forest. I’m sure it’s Marle. Please Crono you have to believe me.”
“Ok, we’ll go look for her but first, let’s just get a look in the castle- maybe he took someone else. And if it’s someone else, we’ll find Marle and go get whoever it is.”
“No, it’s Marle he captured. He said it was the Princess! We have to save her!”
The two friends quickly went back to Truce to take a few things to eat. Then they set off in the forest. They stopped to eat and left something for Marle. When they would find her she would probably be hungry.
They came across a cave and Lucca suggested they go look inside.
* * *
How in the world will I get out! Marle thought. She was hungry and felt tired since she had to stand if she didn’t want to hurt herself. Her arms and legs ached.
Suddenly she heard a noise. ”Who-who’s there?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“Marle? Where are you?”
“Crono, Lucca, over here!!!!!!” she yelled as loudly as she could. She saw her two friends approaching.
“Are you alright?” Crono asked, concern in his voice.
“Yeah, I’m ok now. Whew, I’m starving!” she said rolling her eyes. Everyone laughed.
.