Chapter 7: Duke Fleed's Destiny
{Duke walks off. Camera switch to Duke pacing in a field.}
Duke: She's wrong. I can't go back. What would it prove, anyway? It won't change anything. You can't change the past. {He looks up at the stars.} You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not. And it's because of me. It's my fault. It's my fault.
{He bows his head, choking back tears. The camera backs to a far view and then zooms over to Wakka in a nearby hut. We hear an Al Bahd chant. Just for fun, I've included its translation.}
Dryhg oui jano silr [Thank you very much!]
Squash ybnelud [Squash apricot!]
Oui'na y SPIRA [You're a SPIRA,]
Yht M's hud [And I'm not!]
{Duke seems slightly annoyed by the chant. He moves away. Wakka, elated by the sight of Duke, follows him. Duke lies down on a log over a pond. A rock disturbs the water; Wakka, now in a nearby tree, starts his chant again.}
Duke: Come on, will you cut it out? {Wakka, laughing, is doing random acrobatics blitzball move nearby.}
Wakka: Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back! {laughs}
{Duke starts walking away. Wakka follows.}
Duke: Creepy little Spira-player. Will you stop following me? Who are you?
Wakka: {In front of Duke, then right in his face.} The question is: Whooo... are you?
Duke: {Startled, then sighing} I thought I knew. Now I'm not so sure.
Wakka: Well, I know who you are. Shh. Come here. It's a secret.
Dryhg oui jano silr
Squash ybnelud
Oui'na y Spira
Yht M's hud
Duke: Enough already. what's that supposed to mean, anyway?
Wakka: It means you are a stupid spira - and I'm not. {laughs}
Duke: {Moving away} I think... you're a little confused.
Wakka: {Magically in front of Duke again} Wrong. I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know who you are.
Duke: {Irritated, sarcastic} Oh, and I suppose you know?
Wakka: Sure do; you're Auron's boy. ... Bye!
{Duke is surprised by this revelation. Wakka disappears off stage right.}
Duke: Hey, wait!
{Duke chases after him. When we catch up. Wakka is in a meditative lotus position on a rock.}
Duke: You knew my father?
Wakka: {Monotone} Correction- I know your father.
Duke: I hate to tell you this, but... he died. A long time ago.
{Wakka leaps off the rock over to a dense jungle-like area.}
Wakka: Nope. Wrong again! Ha ha hah! He's alive! And I'll show him to you. You follow old Wakka, he knows the way. Come on!
{Wakka leads Duke through the brush. Duke has trouble keeping up due to his size. The music slips into African chant.}
Wakka: Don't dawdle. Hurry up!
Duke: Hey, whoa. Wait, wait.
Wakka: Come on, come on.
Duke: Would you slow down?
{Wakka is seen flitting through the canopy ahead of Duke, laughing hollowly and whooping. Duke struggles to keep up. Suddenly, Wakka appears with his hand held up right into Duke's face.}
Wakka: STOP!
{Wakka motions to Duke near some reeds.}
{He parts the reeds and points past them with his blitz staff.} Wakka: Look down there.
{Duke quietly and carefully works his way out. He looks over the edge and sees his reflection in a pool of water He first seems a bit startled, perhaps at his own mature appearance, but then realizes what he's looking at.}
Duke: {Disappointed sigh} That's not my father. That's just my reflection.
Wakka: Noo. Look harder.
{Wakka motions over the pool. Ripples form, distorting Duke's reflection; they resolve into Auron's face. A deep rumbling noise is heard.}
Wakka: You see, he lives in you.
{Duke is awestruck. The wind picks up. In the air the huge image of Auron is forming from the clouds. He appears to be walking from the stars. The image is ghostly at first, but steadily gains color and coherence.}
Auron: {Quietly at first} Duke Fleed . . .
Duke: Father?
Auron: Duke, you have forgotten me.
Duke: No. How could I?
Auron: You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Duke. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the moonlight among the Circle of Life.
Duke: How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be.
Auron: Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king.
{Close up of Duke's face, tears in his blue eyes, showing a mixture of awe, fear, and sadness. The image of Auron starts to fade.}
Auron: Remember who you are.
{Auron is disappearing rapidly into clouds. Duke runs into the fields trying to keep up with the image.}
Duke: No. Please! Don't leave me.
Auron: Remember...
Duke: Father!
Auron: Remember...
Duke: Don't leave me.
Auron: Remember . . .
{Duke is left out in the fields. There is just a cloud left where his father's image was. The wind tosses the grass restlessly. Wakka approaches.}
Wakka: What was THAT? {laughs} The weather- Pbbbah! Very peculiar. Don't you think?
Duke: Yeah. Looks like the winds are changing.
Wakka: Ahhh. Change is good.
Duke: Yeah, but it's not easy. I know what I have to do. But, going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long.
{Wakka hit Duke on the head with his blitz staff.}
Duke: Oww! Jeez- What was that for?
Wakka: It doesn't matter; it's in the past! {laughs}
Duke: {Rubbing head} Yeah, but it still hurts.
Wakka: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it.
{He swings at Duke with his staff again. This time Duke ducks.}
Wakka: Hah, you see! So what are you going to do?
Duke: First, I'm gonna take your staff.
{Duke tosses Wakka's staff to the side.}
Wakka: No, no, no, no! Not the stick!
{As Wakka picks up his staff, Duke starts running off.}
Wakka: Hey, where are you going?
Duke: {Shouting back} I'm going back!
Wakka: Good! Go on! Get out of here! OH HA HA HA HA! WOOOO! WOOOOOOO! {laughs, hoots, n' hollers. As he holds his staff above his head, a few shooting stars zing across the sky.}
{Camera switch to Sonic and Joey sleeping. Sonic is curled up on Joey; Joey is lying on his back. Both are snoring. In his snore. Usagi approaches and taps Sonic with a finger.}
Usagi: Hey. Hey, wake up.
{Sonic wakes up and see a huge blue eyes in his view. He starts screaming and Joey joins in.}
Sonic and Joey: Aaaaaaaaghh!
Usagi: It's OK. Whoa, whoa. It's OK. It's ME.
Sonic: Don't ever do that again! Female sailor, oy!
Usagi: Have you guys seen Duke?
Sonic: {Holding a hand to his head} I thought he was with you.
Usagi: He was, but now I can't find him. Where is he?
{We hear Wakka's laugh; he's sitting in a tree above them.}
Wakka: Ho, ho, ho, ho. You won't find him here. Ha ha. The king... has returned.
Usagi: {Quietly} I can't believe it. {louder, amazed} He's gone back.
Sonic: Gone back? What do you mean. {Looks where Wakka was; Wakka is now gone} Hey! What's goin' on here? Who's the Spira-Man?
Usagi: Duke Fleed's gone to challenge Sephiroth.
Sonic: Who?
Usagi: Sephiroth.
Joey: Who's Sephiroth?
Usagi: It's his uncle.
Sonic: The Spira-man's his uncle?
Usagi: No! Duke Fleed's gone back to challenge his uncle to take his place as king.
Sonic and Joey: Ohhh.
To be continue...
