Macalania Woods... Yuna's discision.
[Welcome back folks. Our heroes have arrived at the entrance to Macalania Woods, a mysterious and eerily silent forest. Everyone walks forward up a small hill onward but Auron and Link stop on the hill to talk.]
Auron: You're worried about Yuna.
Link: That's what in the name of the Goddesses is she thinking?
Auron: The simplest answer would be...in exchange for agreeing to marry him...she hopes to negotiate with Seymour.
Link: What is there to negotiate?
Auron: I wonder.
Link: I have a bad feeling about this. What does she hope to accomplish alone?
Auron: She's strong, but Seymour is the better negotiator.
Link: Well then, why don't we do something about it?
Auron: Yuna wants it this way.
Link: Why? Does she not trust us?
Auron: On the contrary... She doesn't want us caught up in whatever it is that she's planning.
Link: My thoughts exactly... But that makes me worry even more. She should just go ahead and tell us.
Auron: That's the way she is. She's naive, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help.
Link: You're probably right.
Auron: Yuna's easy to read.
Link: Got that right.
Auron: But hard to guard. Stand by her, always.
[Auron and Link rejoin the others.]
Rikku: Slowpokes!
Link: No I'm ...doesn't!
Link: (narration): Surprising... about how calm i was.. Maybe it was because I realized that Yuna wasn't marrying Seymour for love. Not really. It was just her duty - something she had to do before returning to her pilgrimage. That's what I kept telling myself, anyway. And well, maybe... I realized that Yuna and I'd never... You know...
Link: Yuna, let's get going.
[After the short reprive, our heroes continue their walk into the forest and they soon see Barthello running to them.]
Barthello: Hey! You, have you seen Dona?
Link: Dona? Can't say I have.
Wakka: What's up?
Barthello: We got separated on the way here. Damn it all! I've got to find her!
Auron: Calm down.
Barthello: But, if anything happens to her...
Auron: Running around in a panic is not going to help. Right now, you have to keep cool, and search.
Barthello: But-
Auron: Guard your emotions, then guard your summoner.
Barthello: You're right.
Auron: Shall we search?
Barthello: No, I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you, Sir Auron.
[Barthello runs back the way he came. Rikku starts to run after him.]
Link: ?
Wakka: What's up?
Rikku: Oh, I just wanted to wish him good luck.
[The party continues onward and come accross a bird-beaked man with a harp, like the ones who played instruments during the Luca tournament.]
Link:... a Rito?
Man: A butterfly with rainbow wings... will lead the way to secret things.
{After that awkward moment, they continue on and soon come to a more open area, but just before they come to the exit Auron stops for a moment.)
Auron: Wait. It is here...somewhere.
Link: What's here?
Auron:"Something you should see.
Yuna: But, Sir Auron...
Auron: It won't take long.
[With only three swings, Auron carves a path through a mess of thickets and fallen trees. They all walk into see a beautiful spring that was hidden from sight.]
Link: This place... It's just water, isn't it?
Auron: This is what spheres are made of. It absorbs and preserves people's memories.
[The water steams and a large sphere-monster floats up.]
Wakka: What's that?
Auron: Fiends are also attracted to these places.
[The sphere monster attacks, its color alternating nullifing their attacks that do not line up with its weakness. It takes some time and doing but they eventually kill it, and a sphere is left behind in its aftermath.]
Link:(picks up the sphere) ... what is this?
Wakka: Whoa, this is old! Don't know if you can play it back.
Auron: Jecht left it here ten years ago. Play it back.
[Link plays it. In the recording, a younger Auron is shown, with Jecht as the appear to be leaving an ornate city, probably Bevelle.]
Auron: What are you taking?
Jecht: Well, you said it was gonna be a long trip. We'll be seeing a lot of neat things, right? So I thought I'd record it all in this. To show to Princess Zelda and the kid, you know.
Auron: This is no pleasure cruise!
Jecht: Hey, Braska. Ain't this supposed to be a grand occasion? Where're the cheering fans? The crying women?
Braska: This is it. Too many goodbyes - people think twice about leaving.
Jecht: Hmm... If you say so. Well, it better be a lot more colorful when we come back. A parade for Braska, vanquisher of Sin!
Braska: We should go. Day will break soon.
[The sphere picks up later, with Braska as cameraman this time. A sign above the two says 'Laka Macalania.']
Braska: Auron, could you stand closer to him? Good. That should do it.
Jecht: What's the matter? Afraid I might bite?
Auron: Jecht...
Jecht: Braska! You should take one, too. It'd make a great gift for little Yuna!
Braska: I suppose.
Auron: Lord Braska... We shouldn't be wasting our time like this!
Jecht: What's the hurry, man?
Auron: Let me tell you what the hurry is!
Braska: Auron!
[The sphere shuts off.]
Link: (seemingly annoied) ...Pointless! He wasn't on a vacation!
Rikku: I think there's more.
[The sphere kicks on again, showing the place where the party currently is. It shows Jecht sitting in front of the camera.]
Jecht: Hey. If you're sitting there, watching this...it means you're stuck in Spira, like me. You might not know when you'll get back home, but you better not be crying! Although, I guess I'd understand. But you know what? There's a time when you have to stop crying and move on. You'll be fine. Remember, you're my son. And... Well, uh... Never mind. I'm no good at these things.
[Jecht shuts the sphere off; it starts up again sometime later, same place.]
"Anyways... I believe in you. Be good. Goodbye."
Link: Sounded almost serious... meh. Too late for that.
Auron: He was serious. Jecht had already accepted his fate.
:Link: Fate?
Auron: Jecht... He... He was always talking about going home, to Hyrule. That's why he took all those pictures - to show them to you when he returned. But as he journeyed with us and came to understand Spira, and Braska's resolve... It happened gradually, but Jecht changed. He decided he would join Braska in his fight against Sin.
Link: So then, he gave up going home?
Auron: That was his decision.
Link: (narration) I guess I understood. My old man... He knew there was no way back to Hyrule.. He wanted to go home, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't go on until he accepted it. Besides...even if he had found a way back...I don't think he would have left his friends behind before their journey was complete.
Link: Alright. Time to get going, guys. (narration): Maybe I had to start accepting my own fate.
[As everyone returns to the main path except Auron and Link.]
Auron: Wait.
Link: Yeah?
Auron: Jecht loved you.
Link: Oh please, get real!
Auron: He just didn't know how to express it, he said.
Link: Enough about my old man, okay?
Auron: I just thought you should know.
Link: Okay.
[Auron walks away.]
Link: Thanks.
[Auron and Link rejoins the others and they exit the woods, finding a travel agency on the other side, but they pass it by in their haste. Continueing onward they meet up with Tromell at the edge of the frozen lake.]
Tromell: Lady Yuna, we've been expecting you. We were surprised you decided to come so soon. Pleasantly surprised, of course. Lord Seymour sends his apologies for having left without notice.
Yuna: It's quite all right. I have one question, if I may, sir.
Tromell: My lady?
Yuna: I want to keep journeying, even if I marry. Do you think that Maester Seymour would let me?
Tromell: But of course, my lady. Lord Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure.
[Yuna turns to her friends.]
Yuna: Goodbye.
Tromell: Well... We must follow Guado tradition. I'll have to ask you wait here a little while longer. I'll send someone to escort you.
[Tromell walks off.]
Yuna: I...
Auron: We're all with you. Do as you will.
Yuna: Thank you.
[Yuna walks off; Auron glances at Tidus.]
Auron: Sorry. That was your line.
Link: Yuna!
[Link blows into a grass whistle, making its loud and graceful tone.]
Yuna: Yessir!
[Suddenly the ground starts rumbling, and Rikku looks over the side of the hill, to the lake.]
Rikku: Oh, no!
Wakka: Al Bhed!
Link: Damn! Well, guess I get to cut loose1
[The party runs down to guard Tromell and Yuna.]
Auron: Stand back.
Tromell: Thank you!
[Lady Yuna runs to assist.]
Tromell: Lady Yuna!
[An Al Bhed voice yells:]
Voice: Rikku! Tuh'd ehdanvana un oui kad drec! Ouin bnaleuic magic yht aeons yna caymat!" ["Rikku! Don't interfere or you get this! Your precious magic and aeons are sealed"!]
Rikku: Oh, no! He's gonna use an anti-magic field on us!
Link: Great!
Al Bhed: "Kad dras!" ["Get them!"]
[The battle starts with the Crawler and it shoots a device into the air, which blocks magic and summonings.]
Link: (equips the hook-shot and megaton hammer) Just leave this big hunk of junk to me!
[Link runs forward towards the crawler and uses his hookshot and grabs the Negator, pulling it out of the air and smashing it to bits with the megaton hammer]
Wakka: Lu! Cast your spells now!
Lulu: Right. Link let's go.
Link: You got it!
[Lulu and Link use thier magic and bombard the crawler with Lightining and Din's Fire. Sparks and explosions cover the vehicle as it begins to expload. Wakka and Auron finish it off with their respective attacks and scraps the vehicle.]
Tromell: My lady!
[Yuna and her Guado escort walk off together. On a snowhill, the Al Bhed who knows Rikku stands.]
Al Bhed: "Rikku! E femm damm Vydran!" ["Rikku! I will tell Father!"]
Rikku: "E ys dra guardian uv Yuna, oui caa? Yuna ec cyva! Fa femm kiynt ran! Cra ec cyva!" ["I am the guardian of Yuna, you see? Yuna is safe! We will guard her! She is safe!"]
Al Bhed: "Oui tu drec ymuha, cecdan!" ["You do this alone, sister!"]
[He runs off.]
Rikku: I told him I was a guardian. Well, guess I had to, really.
Wakka: How come you speak Al Bhed? Why?
Rikku: Because I'm Al Bhed. And that...was my brother.
[He looks at the rest of his party.]
Wakka: You knew? Why didn't you tell me?
Lulu: We knew you'd be upset.
Link:... just like you are now.
Wakka: This is great. I can't believe I've been travelling with an Al Bhed! A heathen!
Rikku: You're wrong! We have nothing against Yevon.
Wakka: But you Al Bhed use the forbidden machina! You know what that means? Sin was born because people used machina!
Rikku: You got proof? Show me proof!
Wakka: It's in Yevon's teachings! Not that you'd know!
Rikku: That's not good enough! Yevon says this, Yevon says that. Can't you think for yourself?
Wakka: Well, then you tell me! Where did Sin come from, huh?
Rikku: I...I don't know!
Wakka: You bad-mouth Yevon and that's all you can come up with?
Rikku: But...that doesn't mean you should do whatever they say without thinking! Nothing will ever change that way!
Wakka: Nothing has to change!
Rikku: You want Sin to keep coming back? There might be a way to stop it, you know!
Wakka: Sin will be gone once we atone for our past mistakes!
Rikku: When? How?
Wakka: If we keep faith in Yevon's teachings it will be gone one day!
Rikku: Why do I even bother?
Auron: Rikku! Will this move?
[Auron is looking at a snowmobile.]
Wakka: We're not using that, are we? Wait... Sir Auron isn't an Al Bhed too, is he?
Link: Get over it Wakka.
Wakka: What?
Link: Getting pissed just 'cause you found out Rikku's an Al Bhed, is getting on my nerves..You guys got along just fine till now, didn't you?
Wakka: That's different. I mean...
Link: Well, I don't claim to know that much about Spira. And I probably know even less about the Al Bhed, but...I know Rikku's a good person. She's just Rikku!
Wakka: Lu?
Lulu: Just think of this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed.
Wakka: Ha!
[Wakka starts walking to the temple.]
Auron: Let him go. Give him time to think.
Rikku: I'm sorry.
Lulu: You've done nothing to apologize for.
Link: All right! Let's ride!
(Unbeknowst to Link there is a faint glow starting to shine on his right hand.)
Rikku: You sure you know how to drive this?
Link: Better than Kimahri does!
[Everyone gets on the snowmobiles and ride of in pairs Rikku rides with Link and they talk on the way:]
Link: Sorry about Wakka.
Rikku: He didn't have to be so mean, yeah? I almost cried.
Link:: Uh... Rikku?
Rikku: Just kidding! It's okay. At least you're still nice. Hey, do I look like Yunie, you think? Well, my dad's sister is Yunie's mother, you get it?
Link: I had no idea! If you say so. Okay! I guess you're guarding your family, then.
Rikku: Yuna's not the only one that I want to protect. We Al Bhed want to protect all of the summoners, you know? Summoners are... Well, you could say that... they sacrifice themselves to, well... to bring happiness to Spira.
Link: What do you mean sacrifice themselves?
Rikku: You know, the pilgrimage...It takes a lot out of you.
Link: Oh, right. But you know. Yuna's real serious about being a summoner. For Yuna, well the pilgrimage kinda means everything to her. You are going to help her, too, aren't you,? So you shouldn't say that Yuna's sacrificing herself.
[Rikku hugs Link surprising him.]
Link: Rikku
Rikku: I hope you're right.
(Well, I wonder what Yuna's really up to...? Oh, hey there folks! Well we've come to the end of another chapter and we've got more questions than answers! Looks like Yuna has something up her sleeve and the return of the Triforce of Courage for Link to boot! Tune in next time to find out what happens when our heroes catch up to Yuna at Macalania Temple. Next Chapter: Macalania, Seymour's True Colors: Seymour VS FIerce Diety!)