This is a story I wrote a few years ago, and had completely forgot about until I saw it in a folder recently. The Prologue is based on the timeline after Trigger, when Lucca's mother was saved by Lucca changing time via the Red Gate. This was fun for me to write about my favorite character, but I had begun working on Crisis at the time, and couldn't do much with the Guardian War, as I wanted to make something new for this. But anyway, I hope you guys can enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy reading!
Legacy
The story of Lucca Ashtear
Chains Of Fate
Prologue
It all started on that fateful day. The day my passion for machines began...the day my mother almost lost her life. My dad had left to go to the market in Truce, and me and my mom were cleaning the living room. It was always dirty, since dad used it as his workshop. A few bookshelves inhabited the corners, a large clock occupied the right corner, and there were some tables spread all over, with books covering half of the floor. Mom had a bad habit of tinkering with dad's inventions while she was cleaning them, but that day she went too far.
"What IS this thing? Taban says to keep away from it, but it's so dusty. I'll just..." She started to say.
The machine was used to grind up parts of old machines dad could use to make new parts for his inventions. As she was cleaning, her skirt got stuck in the conveyer belt and she couldn't get it loose. Her eyes widened with fear as she realized she couldn't get freed.
"Dear me! My skirt...it's...I'm STUCK! Lucca! Lucca help!" She yelled in terror.
I ran to her as fast as I could, and I tugged and tugged at her skirt, but I couldn't get it out.
"I can't pull it out." I told her.
Suddenly, the machine activated and she slowly started getting dragged near the grinding spikes. She started screaming, and quickly began pulling on her skirt as hard as she could. No matter how hard she tried, it remained caught in the machine, and she kept hurdling toward the razor sharp spikes. All I could do was watch helplessly.
"Lucca! The password! Stop this machine!" She screamed.
"But I don't know it, mommie!" I yelled in confusion.
I was so angry at myself for not knowing how to stop the machine. A machine that I passed everyday, and one that dad had often explained to me how it worked. Bitter at the fact that he never spent time with me because of his work, I never paid attention when he talked about his work back then. What was worse, was that the password to stop the machine was my mother's name. If I hadn't let my negative emotions get in the way, I would have known that. Miraculously, a strange older girl appeared from nowhere, and was able to input the password and stop the machine. Mom thought it was me who stopped the machine...but in a way she was right.
"Thank goodness, mommie." I said in relief.
"Lucca...Lucca..." Mom said calming herself down.
Before I could think anything more about the mysterious girl, she disappeared just as quickly as she had came. She was just like daddy, so talented with machines. I wanted to be just like her. And I kept thinking about how if she hadn't come, what would have happened...just because I didn't have the knowledge of the machines that were all around me. Everything changed that day. I vowed that I would never let anything like that happen ever again. Dad never had the time to spend with me because of his job, and I had loathed machines for it. I realized that science was my ticket to spending more time with him, and much to my surprise, the more and more I studied, the bigger my passion grew. Soon science became my life, and I spent all of my time thinking about everything associated with it. Little did I know, that older girl who saved mom WAS me. During our adventure, I was able to travel through a special time gate, back to that moment. Changing time for my own selfish desires seemed wrong, but I would have given anything to change what really happened that day, and I jumped at the opportunity. Originally, I wasn't able to stop the machine, and mom ended up losing her legs. How could I pass up the chance to change her life for the better? Everyday she was forced to sit around, not being able to do anything for herself. Most of the time she just stared into the sky from her window. As much as she tried to hide it, she hated her life, and slowly died on the inside. I gave her a new life, one where she could be like a normal person. Out of all the memories I have from my time traveling days, the one I'll never forget was the instant I got back from changing the events that happened that fateful day. Robo was waiting for me, and somehow knew of what happened.
"Lucca, you've got a kind heart. You're always thinking of others." He said as he started to pull something from his chest.
"This is for you. It's a piece of amber I created using the sap of a tree in my forest. It took 400 years and a lot of pressure to make! I hope you find it useful." He said as he softly placed it in my hand.
"Robo...you're so sweet." I told him.
And he really was. Out of all the new friends I met during our adventure, I became the closest with Robo. I used to pity him, because of the way robots were treated in his time. It’s impossible for robots to be evil, people have to make them that way. Hopefully in the new future, he’s together with Atropos again in a peaceful world.
When I got home I headed towards mom's room, and I could hear her footsteps. I saw her rushing about the room cleaning, just like she used to do. She always hummed when she cleaned, and when I heard her, memories of my childhood came flooding back. Seeing her so happy and lively, a small tear formed in the corner of my eye. I didn't know what to say, so I quickly ran back down the stairs before she noticed me. Dad asked me why I was acting so strange when I left the house, so I just simply told him that I had a lot on my mind.
Chapter One: Before We Became Legends
Before our adventure, Crono and I weren't very well known. We weren't very liked either. All of the other kids our age didn't appreciate my genius...at all. My father was known to be quite eccentric, and it wasn't until the Telepod that we had invented something that actually worked. I could never understand why the other kids didn't like Crono, but it was probably due to my friendship with him. I used to playfully tease Crono myself, mainly about his intelligence, but he knew I liked to joke. I could always tell that he looked down upon himself because of the way the others treated him, and I hated myself for being the reason other kids tormented him. It probably wasn't only my obsession with learning that they didn't like about me. For one thing, I wasn't as pretty as all the other girls. I always kept my violet hair trimmed short, and my face was always hiding behind those thick glasses. Crono had so many good features. Especially his deep blue eyes, which I could stare into for hours. That spiky red hair, which he always kept pulled behind that bandana of his, was very unique for a citizen of Truce. Crono said he got it from his dad. However, Crono never mentioned much else about him, probably because he never knew him. I heard he died before Crono was born, but I never touched that subject around him because I didn't know how he felt about it.
Crono pretty much stayed the same before the adventure. We were always late for school, since he overslept most days. I would always wait for him outside of his house, and then lecture him about being on time. After all, I needed to take advantage of my first rate education. He probably always saw me as a cocky know-it-all, but that was just my cover. Like Crono, I was never very confident with myself. I would always be the first one to defend us if we were teased, but in reality what the other kids said sunk in over time. However somehow, I knew one day that I would blossom into the beautiful woman I've become. I figured the more they made fun of me, the better it would be when I showed them how wrong they were. Vengeance IS served best with a can of whoop ass, after all. That happened the day I revealed the Telepod 2, which was a much more powerful version of the Telepod that could transport things over much larger distances, such as bodies of water (bye bye ferries!). It was a year after our adventure, during which I let my hair grow out to below my shoulders. I finally perfected what I like to call "contacts." They were small lenses I put over my eyes, that had the same effect of glasses. With straight hair and no glasses to hide my face, even I had to admit that I looked like a different person. Although Crono was with Nadia, I think that even he got a chill from my new look. I felt so silly for liking Crono...but he was my best and only friend. Naturally I felt attracted to him, I just wished he felt the same way. For all I know he did, but I guess I'll never know now. He loved Nadia, and I had the opportunity to tell him how I felt before it was too late, but I chose not to. The years passed by pretty quickly, and now we find ourselves changed more over the course of a year than our entire lives.
Chapter Two: A New Beginning
It had been a little over three months since we had defeated Lavos. Things were a lot different. WE were different. Crono spent all of his time with Nadia, and the day I had been expecting for a while had finally came. Nadia came rushing into the house, her long golden hair swaying in the wind. She usually kept it in a ponytail, but recently she started wearing it down. It was no surprise Crono loved her, she was one of, if not the most beautiful girl in Guardia, and she had a heart of gold.
"Lucca! Me and Crono are getting married! Can you believe it?!" Nadia exclaimed. I don't think I'd ever seen her so happy before.
I put on a soft smile and held back the tears.
"Congratulations...I'm really happy for you." I said.
"You're okay with that, right?" Nadia asked.
"Don't be silly...he's perfect for you. I wish you only the best." I said.
"Thank you, Lucca. Well, I'd better be off and tell everyone else! I had to make sure I told you first." Nadia said.
With that, she quickly left the house and continued on her way. I couldn't hold it in any longer... and I completely broke down. Crono was the only boy I'd ever loved. I would never admit it, and now, it was my deepest, darkest secret that the world would never know. Crono was in love with Nadia, and I wouldn't dare ruin their wedding by confessing my secret love. I just had to accept it and move on. After a few long days of putting on fake smiles, the day arrived. Nadia got ready at my house, with the help of me, my mother, and Crono's mom. Her dress was absolutely stunning. Nadia said it was her mother's wedding dress before her, and that she was honored to wear it. The wedding itself was beautiful as well, and everyone looked so happy. I thought about how terrible it was for me to even consider interfering with their day. This was the one time in my life that I couldn't fix my problems with science. I felt so helpless...just like I did that day so long ago when it all began. I thought I would never find someone to believe in and care for like Crono and Nadia had. I stayed depressed until the day I had finally completed my latest project, Robo II. He looked just like Robo, except he was blue and much smaller. I kept telling myself that I was making him for the world...but I knew that he was mainly a reminder of Robo for me. One day, as I was taking my daily stroll through Guardia Forest with Robo II, I saw a strange flash from behind some bushes. Much to my surprise, after I began examining the area, a small baby girl's face came into view. She was wearing a pendant similar to Nadia's around her neck, which had "Kid" inscribed on the back. I gently picked her up, and headed home. When I walked in the house my parents were immediately curious, and started asking me a million questions.
"Have Crono and Nadia been hiding that little one away somewhere?!" Dad asked.
"She's so adorable, who's is she?" Mom asked, ignoring Dad's joke.
"I found her in Guardia Forest...and I've decided to raise her." I said proudly. The funny thing is, I hadn't really decided what I wanted to do with her, it just seemed like the right thing to say.
"Are you sure you're ready for that?" Mom asked with her left brow raised.
"She'll do fine, and she has us to help her!" Dad said.
"This is wonderful! I always wanted another child!" Mom exclaimed.
And that's what she became, a member of our family. I raised her like she was my own, and we all lived so peacefully...until the war began five years later in 1005 A.D. I can't go into detail about my involvement during the next few years in a place called Chronopolis...but, it housed what was left of my good friend Robo, and an unimaginable power, the Frozen Flame. And that, my friend...is a whole different story.
Chapter Three: The Beginning of the End
Crono and Nadia had their own child just three years before, a little boy, Rowan. Over those years I found more orphans. David, Gregory, Susie, Meg, and Chloe, and we had all become a big happy family. All of the kids got along really well, they hardly ever had any problems. Kid always craved the most attention from me...she was my little angel. She would often stay up late with me when I was working on my inventions, but I didn't mind, she was always good company. She had a clever idea to make an ice gun that would stop fires, which I felt might come in handy some day. For years she had horrible dreams of a fire burning the house down, and wanting her to feel safe, I finally finished the gun and hung it in the corner of my room. Her biggest fear was being alone, and I always found myself waking up late in the night to comfort her when she was scared. It must have been hard for her, and all the children for that matter. Me and my parents were all they had. Luckily, me and dad finally became successful and we all lived a pretty good life. That is...until the war started in late 1005 A.D. It was around the time of Kid's fourth birthday. I was visiting Crono and Nadia at the castle, when the King came into the throne room. He had gone to Porre to discuss the reconstruction of San Dorino, but we knew that something horrible had happened instead. He said that soldiers from Porre had blockaded the Zenan Bridge. They exclaimed that they were beginning an expansion of their nation, and that if we weren't with them, we were against them. Outraged, the King had told them that "if it's a war they want, it's a war they've got." Unfortunately, that's exactly what we got. Crono gently kissed Nadia, and then followed the King out of the room.
"I can't believe this is happening." Nadia said.
I couldn't believe it either, yet I still tried to calm her down.
"I'm sure it will all be fine." I said.
But I know I couldn't have sounded very reassuring. A few hours later, the King, Crono, and the soldiers were ready to intercept the attack Porre was planning. All of the soldiers looked petrified, probably because none of them were really ready. It had been over 400 years since the last war, and there had been no need to train for battle. All the better for Porre who had probably been planning the attack for a long, long time. Crono kissed Nadia again, winked at me, and marched off with the soldiers to the bridge. Nadia somehow looked different that day. She was very worried, a look that didn't suit her very well.
"I don't feel safe here. Let's go to your house." She said.
I could hear the terror in her voice. I knew the thought of Crono dying was haunting her, and it seemed like it was tearing her apart.
"Good idea. Let's go get Rowan." I said.
We quickly went up to Rowan's room and Nadia embraced him. It must have been nice to be completely unaware of the chaos that was brewing. He just smiled as she picked him up, his reddish blonde hair swaying in the wind. He looked just like Crono, from his eyes to his crazy hair. He was such a gentle reminder of the wonderful bond between Crono and Nadia. We quickly left the castle, and I'll never forget the silence that plagued it that day. It was as if everyone knew that Guardia was going to be completely destroyed. They were right.
