Amor Vincit Omnia Chapter 3
Reuniting And Connections
By Minmei
Crono caught his breath as the Epoch burst into the new (but rather old) ambiance. It had been a while since he had operated the vehicle. Okay, he thought. Ayla's hut. Ayla's hut. The Chief's hut. Kino's hut. There it is. He landed the Epoch near Ayla's home.
Inside the hut...
"What that noise?" Ayla asked, looking around.
Kino sighed impatiently. "It probably Dactyl do hanky-panky again," he answered. "Now, come Ayla, we hurry with ideas."
They had been planning something major. The problem was, it was taking a little bit longer than expected. "Okay, Ayla," Kino said, "then we have Old Man come dance with Kino and villagers throw poi."
Ayla gave him a weird look. "Kino, what you say? That wrong celebration," Ayla informed him. She then noticed the guy with the punk hairdo standing at the hut's entrance.
"Crono!!" she cried.
Kino turned around. "Crono!" he said. "Crono come visit us?"
Crono stepped inside. "I need your help, Ayla," he told her. "Another Lavos is taking over the world."
Ayla looked at him, confused. She shook her head. "No, we kill Lavos. Lavos dead," she insisted. "No more fire."
"Actually, Lavos is dead, but one of his children survived," Crono said.
"Ayla no understand," Ayla said, "Lavos children die when we save your life."
"Well, I-"
"Ayla see with own eyes. All Lavos children die."
"Yes, but..." Crono started. How do I make her understand? Crono wondered. Then he had an idea.
"Ayla, let me put it in terms you'll understand, okay?" Crono said, becoming slightly annoyed with her. Okay, let me switch my brain to "Neanderthal" mode, he thought cruelly. He took a deep breath, then said, "Lavos dead. Lavos have children. One child Crono not know. That one take over in Robo time. Robo send friend Atropos to Crono time. Crono tell other members about Lavos child, come here first for Ayla."
Ayla was a little hurt. "Crono make fun of Ayla?" she asked, pouting. "Crono not funny."
"I'm sorry, Ayla," Crono resumed his normal dialect, "I just got impatient, that's all. I'm worried about our world's future."
"Ayla understand," Ayla said, sighing. A pause. "Okay. Ayla forgive. We go now." Crono and Ayla started towards the door.
"Wait!!" Kino yelled. "Ayla not go anywhere."
"What wrong, Kino?" she asked, turning towards him. "Kino jealous again?"
"No. Kino no jealous," he answered her. "Kino fight too."
Ayla's jaw dropped. "No!" she shouted. "Kino chief of Ioka. If Kino die-"
"Kino not die. Let Kino come. Kino fight. If bad thing happen, Kino come right back. Ayla agree?"
Ayla hesitated for a moment. "Ayla agree," she said after a while. She glanced at Crono. "Now, we go to-where we go to, Crono?"
"To my time," he responded. "Atropos will tell you the rest of the story when we get there." All three finally exited the hut and headed for the Epoch. They hopped into the vehicle and were set to leave for 1000 AD.
"This Epoch?" Kino asked as they took off.
.
In 1000 AD...
Crono landed near the woods. Then he, Ayla and Kino got out and walked towards the forest.
"This place Robo save," Ayla remembered.
"Yeah," said Crono. "Oh, look, there they are! Marle!"
"Hey Crono!" Marle called. She greeted him with a kiss, then turned to the prehistoric woman. "About time you got here, Ayla! I missed ya!" She then noticed Kino. "Hey, you brought Kino too? Hi! How's my favorite ancestor?"
"Kino okay. Happy to see Marle too," he said.
"Come on, guys," she said.
Crono was confused. "Come where?"
"Well, since Robo hasn't arrived yet, I figured we'd set up camp or something," Marle answered.
"Hummm…okay," Crono said slowly. "Where?"
"In that clearing where we all reunited that one night."
Crono shrugged, and then he and his prehistoric friends followed Marle, all walking into the little space.
"Okay. Now what?" Crono asked.
Marle whirled around to face him. "You go get Frog, silly!" she told him.
"Wait!" Lucca suddenly said. "Let me go too. I hate just sitting around here doing nothing."
Crono and Marle both raised an eyebrow at her.
"Please?" begged Lucca. "My hand's okay now."
Crono sighed and, quite reluctantly, said, "All right then. Come on."
.
In 600 AD…
"Where should we go first?" Lucca asked.
"Let's try his house," Crono suggested. They landed the Epoch outside of the Cursed Woods.
"Still looks the same," Lucca commented as they entered. "Uh-oh, anatomically incorrect blue dude at 12:00."
The Nu, instead of running away like he always did, glared at them and gave them a warning. "Get lost," he hissed.
"'Get lost'?" Lucca scoffed. "Whatever happened to 'Stop it you dog!'?"
"Leave now," the Nu said coldly, "or you'll be sorry."
Crono and Lucca ignored him and walked past him to Frog's underground home. "Oh yeah, he's definitely got a screw loose," Lucca cracked about the Nu. They descended the ladder.
"Frog?" Crono called. No answer. "Damn, he isn't here."
"Let's try Guardia castle," Lucca suggested. They climbed back up the ladder, turned around and...
There was the Nu still eyeing them coldly. "I told you to leave," he said threateningly. "Now face the consequences!" He summoned five of his friends, and together they circled Crono and Lucca.
Lucca rolled her eyes. "Okay, why does this seem familiar?" she asked aloud, knowing very well why. Crono took out his sword. Lucca provided the fire despite her injury, and Crono violently slashed the four Nus. Then they turned to look at the two remaining Nus, and without much effort, beat the living crap out of them.
"Let's go!"
They arrived at Guardia Castle via the Epoch. The two friends hopped out and hurried up the stairs. They were greeted by the soldiers, who welcomed them. "Is Frog here?" Crono asked.
"He speaks!" they heard a soldier joke.
"Sir Glenn?" another guard questioned. "Yes, he is here."
Suddenly the throne room doors opened, and the short but sweet amphibian man appeared. His little eyes widened in shock. "Crono! Lucca!" he cried, completely taken by surprise. "Why art thou here?"
"There's a problem, and we need your help," Lucca called up to him.
Frog descended the stairs as Crono explained the situation to him. "Why art thou just standing there?" asked the amphibian man as Crono finished. "Let us go!"
"Wait," Lucca said. "We...have one more stop to make." They boarded the vehicle.
.
In 12,000 BC...
Crono landed the Epoch near the Commons. "You two stay here while I ask around for Magus," Crono said as he jumped out. "Then I'll come back for you guys."
It was silent for a while. Then Lucca started up a conversation.
"So Glenn-uh, Frog-uh, I mean-"
"Either name thou wouldst like to use, to me it doth not matter."
Lucca let out a nervous chuckle, then continued. "Okay, um, Glenn, what have you been up to in the last few months?" she asked.
"I hath kept myself busy protecting the King and Queen," he answered.
"Oh, that's right. How are they?"
"Quite wonderful. But Queen Leene hath not been feeling herself lately," he told her.
"I'm sorry, Glenn," Lucca said, looking at him in concern. "I hope she feels better soon."
Frog shrugged, but welcomed her sympathy. He then changed the subject. "How art thou as well, Lucca?" he asked her. "What hast thou been up to?"
"Oh, just humiliating myself in front of Crono and Marle and everybody else with pointless, stupid inventions of mine that always fail," Lucca muttered, her tone turning slightly bitter.
"And how doth thy injury factor in?" Frog pointed to her hand.
Lucca lifted her hand to glance at it, then blushed. "Oh, um, I burned myself demonstrating an invention for Crono and Marle. It didn't work, as usual." She let out a sigh. "My inventions never work."
Frog let out a small chuckle. "Oh, Lucca. Continue working on thine goals and thou will maketh an invention the human race shalt greatly appreciate."
Lucca smiled at him. "Thanks, Glenn."
Another moment of silence. "I can't believe one of them survived," Lucca remarked. Her tone turned dire. "I hope Robo is okay. I'm really worried about him."
"I understand, Lucca," Frog related, "'Tis the way I feel towards Queen Leene. I shall go mad, should anything happen to her, or to any of mine friends, such as thee."
"That's so sweet, Glenn," Lucca said, smiling at him, "I probably would too." It was quiet for a while. "Poor Robo," Lucca sighed. She frowned as she added, "And all of those people. It's not fair they have to suffer through this. I don't know what I would do if-if-" She left the thought dangling.
"Lucca," Frog said, "Thou art a wonderful, selfless, caring person. Methinks more souls such as thine should exist."
"And there should be more guys like you to pay me compliments like that," Lucca joked. They both laughed.
Yet another moment of silence. "This Lavos hath not the right to take this world from us!" Frog declared angrily. "And those poor people. I prayeth it be over soon so we may resume our normal lives."
"I know what you mean, Glenn," said Lucca. "I just want to go home and be an ordinary person." A few seconds elapsed when she added, "Well, maybe not just ordinary," a mischievous smile crossing her lips. "I am a goddess, after all." She laughed.
"Lucca," Frog said suddenly, "I realize we come from two different worlds, but I senseth a certain bond with thee. Thou possesseth a knowledge beyond thine years."
"Thank you, Glenn," Lucca responded, a bit stunned at his observation. "You know, it's-it's weird, but…I think feel the connection too."
The amphibian man smiled. "Good."
"And it's just funny," Lucca suddenly said. "I mean, the first time we met, heck, I didn't even want to be in the same room with you. And now, I'm here, sitting with you, talking with you because you've become one of my best friends."
"Oh…" Frog was a bit surprised himself. "Quite a compliment."
Lucca nodded. "I mean, if I had stuck with my…prejudices…we may have never become friends. And now this connection exists between us. A lot of times, it feels like I can talk to you about anything." A smirk formed on her face as she quipped, "Well, maybe not anything. There ARE some things I can't talk to you about."
"Well…" Frog chuckled. "Even so, the connection exists," he said. "And Lucca, worry not of thine inventions. After all, if thou hadst not created the 'Telepod,' we would never have met, and we would never have killed the first Lavos."
Lucca grinned at him once more. "Glenn," she teased, "are you slipping out of that Olde English dialect?"
Frog was about to protest, but stopped, and thought seriously for just a moment. "'Tis possible," he admitted.
"Okay, you guys," Crono called, "I found his home. He's over by the shore at some new village."
"Finally!" Lucca exhaled. They took off and headed towards the village in the Epoch.
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