Chapter Three: The Radiant Garden
After boarding our Gummi Ship, I went to the bridge. The ships are a lot larger than they appear in the games. There were the three proper seats. Amy and Jason had already taken the side seats, leaving the Captain's seat open. I took it.
"Well, let's get to it! To the Radiant Garden!" I exclaimed.
"Uh… who do you think you are, barking out orders?" Jason asked me.
"Like you've got a better idea," I retorted. "Now, Number One," I said, referring to Amy, "lay in a course. Full impulse."
"Roy?" she asked.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Just had to do that," I said. "Anyway, let's get going." The interface was simple enough, so I punched in the coordinates. The ship whirred into motion, moving at full speed toward the Radiant Garden.
We got to the Radiant Garden soon enough. I had just brushed my teeth when the ship stopped (yes, it is a fully-operational Gummi Ship). We beamed down to the Borough.
It was a lot different. The town wasn't in a shambles at all. Everything was rebuilt, and there were flashes of light raining from the sky… not unlike when Tron made it look like it did when it was first built.
"Wow, this really is a radiant garden. It's like a haven," Amy commented.
We walked around the rebuilt town, greeting the inhabitants that we came across. This town was very peaceful, and I felt a bit out of place carrying around five blades.
Reaching the bailey, which was now in pristine condition, we walked down the stairs and came face to face with a rebuilt castle. It was in tip-top shape. I opened the slightly creaky, golden gate. We walked through it to the castle itself.
"Whoa! What a cool-lookin' castle!" I exclaimed. We walked forward to the inner door, beyond the courtyard, where the door swung open and we were greeted by Yuffie's smiling face.
"Welcome to the Radiant Garden Castle! How can I help you?" she asked before opening her eyes. "Oh, you're new here. What can I do for you?"
"Uh… we just kinda popped in recently. I need to know of any trouble going on," I told her.
"No trouble with Heartless in two months! Can you believe it?" she said.
"Proud of it, huh? Well, I guess it is an accomplishment…" Amy began.
"Yeah! Well, come on in. I guess I could get Squall for you," she said, ushering us into the castle foyer. It was huge, with a fresco ceiling. There were several plush chairs seated around a fireplace, which Yuffie motioned us to sit down in while she went to get Squall.
We sat down in the chairs, which made loud noises as air rushed out of them. I was careful to take off my Masamune and Souba, so they didn't poke into the chairs and make it impossible to sit down in.
"So, what do we do now? We're here, in Radiant Garden, with no knowledge of what we're supposed to do," Amy told us.
"We'll find our way," Jason reassured her.
"Yeah, of course we will. Just give it a little time," I said.
Soon enough, Squall came into the foyer from one of the side corridors.