Guardia Castle

 is a location in that appears in the Middle Ages and Present. It is the seat of Guardia's government during these eras. In the Middle Ages, the castle has a red roof, whereas it is traded for a blue roof in the Present. Guardia Forest and its monsters must be braved before entering the six floored castle. The castle is populated by its rulers, advisers, court officials, prisoners, several armored knights, a kitchen staff, and maids.

Story
Guardia Castle can be visited before the Millennial Fair Quest is complete and Marle is transported to the past via Lucca's Telepod, but the characters in the party will urge the player to leave the location and approach the Fair. If Crono is alone, the Guards throw him out. Otherwise, Castle Guardia is first visited in 600 AD, where the player finds Marle, imitating her ancestor Queen Leene and inevitably unwinding her own birth. Prior to the rescue of Queen Leene, Crono, Marle, and Lucca return to the Present, and Marle's identity as Princess Nadia is revealed, she invites her new friends over for dinner. Crono escorts Marle back to the castle and Lucca returns home. Upon their arrival, Crono is accused of kidnapping the Princess and attempting to seize or terrorize the Throne. A trial is held in the Prison Towers following the accusation, and the Judge imprisons him regardless of the verdict. He escapes thanks to Lucca. Fritz, imprisoned due to the injustice of the new judicial system, can be rescued from the guillotine at this time. He returns to his father's shop in Truce and rewards the player with five Mid-Ethers as thanks.

Marle, Lucca, and Crono then flee the Castle and travel to 2300 AD through a Gate in Guardia Forest. At this time, the castle is inaccessible until The Rainbow Shell sidequest. Prior to Toma's discovery of the Rainbow Shell in the vault, Marle returns to the castle to see her father (King Guardia XXXIII) and pleads the innocence of Crono and Lucca for her kidnap and Crono's prison break. Arriving in the main hall, Marle is stopped by the Chancellor who tells her the a false story of the day her mother died. Frustrated, Marle approaches her father and demands the truth. Frustrated as well by these allegations, he disowns his daughter and asks her to leave the castle permanently. To please him, she attempts to find Spiced Jerky, the specialty of Master of Kitchens, because it was his favorite. Despite his fondness for dried meats, he scolds her for neglecting the high cholesterol content and banishes her forcibly from the castle. The players cannot enter again until shortly after.

At that time, The King is accused of harboring the Rainbow Shell and refusing to unveil it during the Moonlight Parade, as an ancestral will demands, thus concluding that it must have been sold. The will is likely forged. Either way, The King was not aware of the heirloom's presence among him possessions. To relieve him of charges, Marle and two others retrieve a shard of the shell from the vault, after defeating several Naga and Viper trapped in the basement. Two Viper named Dumb and Dumber, reveal that the Chancellor, as in the past when Queen Leene was kidnapped, is Yakra in disguise (this time his 13th descendant). Because the guards outside the courtroom doors refuse the princess access to the trial, she jumps through the giant stained glass windows, provides the evidence to the court. Shocked and all too eager to avenge his ancestor for the embarrassment at Manolia Cathedral, Yakra XIII returns to his true form and attacks the players. Defeating him springs an intimate cut-scene between Marle and her father, where he tells her the true story of her mother, Aliza's death; she did, in fact die, peacefully. Marle calls her father "daddy" for the first time in many years and their relationship is repaired, as Leene advised in the letter she attached to the shell. Melchior appears sometime shortly after, offering to craft powerful weapons and armor from the heirloom.

On the map of 1999 A.D., Guardia Castle still stands, though the West Continent has drifted to the East. Since the structure does not appear in 2300 A.D., it is safe to assume the castle was destroyed on The Day of Lavos. After the timeline is corrected and Lavos destroyed, Guardia Castle is assumed to be saved as well. Its fate beyond this point is unknown.

Entrance
The entrance is always guarded by at least two Guards. The Throne Room is straight ahead. To the right: The kitchen is downstairs, upstairs is the Trial Room, and going more right and downstairs there is the Vault (only if the party reclaims the Rainbow Shell from the Middle Ages).

Kitchen
Turn right from the Entrance and downstairs. In the Middle Ages, the player can get some food (only in The Queen Returns and A Vanished Princess chapters, specifically). In the Present, the Kitchen appears newer than the one 600 AD. Food Items ordered in Kitchen: Refresh Salad (Replenishes HP), Power Stew (Replenishes MP), and Hyper Kabob (Replenishes both). All are made fresh by Master of Kitchens. Sit at the upper left-hand seat on the table nearest the entrance and a maid will come to take orders.

Knights Quarters
Knights need rest when they're off duty. The Knights' Quarters also is a Hospital for wounded Soldiers. The Knights' Quarters also houses a table with chairs, so they can plan an attack or something. Before the Commander sends troops to Zenan Bridge, the player can replenish MP and HP by napping in the beds.

Throne Room
The Throne Room is where the King and Queen hold court and organize their rule. There are two thrones. The King's throne has a taller back than the Queen's. The carpet along the floor is violet trimmed with gold.

Stairwells
The Throne Room branches into an East and West wing. Each wing has a flight of stairs that connects the upper and lower levels. East Wing leads to the Queen's Chamber, West to the King's Chamber. Off-shooting rooms from the stairwell contain chests with items that alter depending on the time period in which they're opened. During the Present, the Chancellor is imprisoned in one such chest. Only Yakra's Key opens it.

Private Quarters
Upstairs and to the left or right of the Throne Room is where the rulers sleep and store their belongings. The items in these chests are stronger/better if opened in the Present. In 600 AD, at the start of the Masamune quest, Queen Leene can be found in the King's Chamber with several nurses. Other than this, the rooms are generally absent of inhabitants.

Courtroom
This room is where court is held after the Chancellor suggests starting a judicial system in 600 AD. This room functions as a modern courtroom, with Judge, Jury, and Lawyers. This room is upstairs to the right side of the Entrance. This room is only available in the Present.

Prison Towers
When the court pronounces a citizen guilty, they are sent to the Prison Towers. The Prison Towers is located upstairs, above the Knights' Quarters. This room is only available in the Present, during The Trial quest.

The Vault
After a player retrieves the Rainbow Shell at the Giant's Claw in 600 AD, it is placed in a vault by King Guardia XXI, subsequently falling ill and relinquishing guardianship to his wife and Queen, Leene. The Vault cannot be visited until 1000 AD, and King Guardia XXXIII's Trail is held.