Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

Do you think Lena wanted to marry Rhys in Phantasy Star III? Even though Lena and Rhys had been engaged by their parents from a young age, Lena didn't seem to object to Rhys' attempts to marry Maia. After he was thrown in jail for trying to form a rescue party, Lena lets him out and encourages him to find Maia. And then again, when it turns out that Rhys needs Lena's gem to reach Maia, what does Lena do? She goes out into the wilds to track down Rhys and help him get there. Not once does she even mention their engagement.

It seems to me that maybe Lena didn't really want to marry Rhys. She might have been willing to do it, perhaps as part of her royal duty, but Lena never seems to mind if Rhys picks Maia.

I think she supported it since there was nothing else she could do about it. With that said, what could she do? Tell him out of the blue that she's his original fiancée?

Perhaps, in her own way, she cared for him and wanted him to be happy. If it wasn't with her, then I'm sure she'd be sad, but I'm sure she supported him more than anything, after all that she had done for him.

As for her not seeming to mind... PSIII did lack character development, after all.

I agree with the poster above who said that basically that she supported him and wanted him to be happy, even if it wasn't with her. That is true love.

That's my take on it, too. When you really the most important thing is for that person to be happy, no matter what happens with you.

Lena wasn't going to win Rhys over by forcing the issue. Even if he did abandon the quest to find Maia and accept the arranged marriage, he would have always had unresolved issues and feelings surrounding Maia and the kidnapping. By helping find Maia, Lena made sure he had closure and could be happy one way or another.

I never thought about Lena's character before, but now I realize she had a lot of bravery. No matter how difficult things were, she kept on giving back to life. She's a-ok in my book!

Good points, everyone. I hadn't looked at it such depth from that angle, but I do like that take on it much more than any other I've thought of.

The girl was crazy to even think about marrying someone who seemed to be pining away for another person. jmho.

I've always wondered if there was more to the Lyle/Lena relationship. She seems to be in on his plot from the beginning. You could theorize that they saw it as way to unite Orakians and Layans.

Either outcome of the quest to find Maia is favorable to Lena:
a) Rhys learns of her heritage and opts to return home to honor his prearranged marriage.
b) Rhys marries Maia and Lena stands to inherit the crown (since all the royal families appear to only have one child, twins notwithstanding).
So her motives in helping Rhys may not have been entirely pure.

hugues wrote:I've always wondered if there was more to the Lyle/Lena relationship. She seems to be in on his plot from the beginning. You could theorize that they saw it as way to unite Orakians and Layans.

Possible. However, I think it may have been coincidental, as it was a coincidence that Rhys found Maia lying on Landen's shore... Unless, one could go as far as to say that there's another force at work here. (which could very well be the case, as when the 3rd generation hero goes to LaShute, they say that Rhys and their father have done everything they've wanted)

Either outcome of the quest to find Maia is favorable to Lena:
a) Rhys learns of her heritage and opts to return home to honor his prearranged marriage.
b) Rhys marries Maia and Lena stands to inherit the crown (since all the royal families appear to only have one child, twins notwithstanding).
So her motives in helping Rhys may not have been entirely pure.

I don't see the 2nd case as beneficial to Lena. I also doubt that she gained possession of Landen's crown. In the Japanese translation, Sari tells Ayn that she ascended the heirless throne of Landen, which gives me the feeling that no one was there. Also, Landen seems to be in a poor state in Ayn's time... I assume it fell apart when Rhys left, choosing Maia over his birthright.

So, did Lena have bad intentions? Perhaps, but I'd like to think not. She's my favorite character, after all!

Tsunami wrote:Possible. However, I think it may have been coincidental, as it was a coincidence that Rhys found Maia lying on Landen's shore... Unless, one could go as far as to say that there's another force at work here. (which could very well be the case, as when the 3rd generation hero goes to LaShute, they say that Rhys and their father have done everything they've wanted)

Yeah, I thought that dialog implied Dark Force was somehow responsible for setting the events of the first generation into motion (to paraphrase from the introduction). Lyle and Lena could simply have been pawns.

I don't see the 2nd case as beneficial to Lena. I also doubt that she gained possession of Landen's crown. In the Japanese translation, Sari tells Ayn that she ascended the heirless throne of Landen, which gives me the feeling that no one was there. Also, Landen seems to be in a poor state in Ayn's time... I assume it fell apart when Rhys left, choosing Maia over his birthright.

So, did Lena have bad intentions? Perhaps, but I'd like to think not. She's my favorite character, after all!

I guess that depends on when Rhys' father passed away in the Ayn storyline. It's a shame they skipped on details like how Sari ended-up being the ruler of Landen. I've always been under the assumption that Lena inherited the throne by default as the nearest royal Orakian. Unless that dialog is implying that Sari fought her way to the throne or otherwise took it when a void was created.

Oh well, if there's any bright side to gaps like these it's that many fan fiction authors have stepped in to fill them.

hugues wrote:Yeah, I thought that dialog implied Dark Force was somehow responsible for setting the events of the first generation into motion (to paraphrase from the introduction). Lyle and Lena could simply have been pawns.

I don't doubt that there was some influence. However, the methods of manipulation are beyond me, as he was trapped in the sunken palace by Orakio's sword. Unless, he was able to do it telepathically. (reminds me of Thoul's fanfiction) But if that was the case, then wouldn't DF have done it sooner?

Makes me wonder if there was someone else involved or not. I won't say that the residents of LaShute were behind it, since the passages were sealed off and I doubt they could get through...unless there was some help on the outside.

I guess that depends on when Rhys' father passed away in the Ayn storyline. It's a shame they skipped on details like how Sari ended-up being the ruler of Landen. I've always been under the assumption that Lena inherited the throne by default as the nearest royal Orakian. Unless that dialog is implying that Sari fought her way to the throne or otherwise took it when a void was created.

I think the latter would be a good answer. Sari seems to be the type of woman who'll take what she wants by force -- in this case, Landen's throne.

Oh well, if there's any bright side to gaps like these it's that many fan fiction authors have stepped in to fill them.

That's so true. PSIII, to me, is a very inspiring game and leaves tons of room for imagination.