#[The Knight of Lycia: Eliwood]

[themxtleycrew]

“Finally, everything’s back to normal, and the ship is back to only having ONE Dorcas on board.”

“Speaking of which, what happened to Dorcas? I mean the real Dorcas, of course.”

“Poisoned his mutton.”

(Everyone): “Ah hahahahahaha!”

[zantetsukennn]

eliwood, knight of lycia ✨⚔️

[four-loose-screws]

FE6 Novelization Translation: Front Cover & Introductory Pages

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This book is considered #3 in a 3 book set including FE7, so the chapter numbers will be 'Chapter 14' and onward. The first 13 chapters are FE7's 2 books.

Covers

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade ~ The Binding Blade

Turmoil in Elibe

Book 3

By Masaka Kazuyoshi

Illustrated by Kaneda Eiji

Published by Square Enix

Twenty years after Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn’s journey to save their country ended…

Disaster is once again about to visit the continent of Elibe.

Its fate is in the hands of Eliwood’s son Roy, and Hector’s daughter Lilina.

The tale begins yet again of a set of heroes who take up the current generation’s fight! 

In this final book telling the story of Elibe in turmoil!

Color Art

Title Page

Fire Emblem

From “The Blazing Blade” to “The Binding Blade”

Turmoil in Elibe

Book 3

Table of Contents

Part 2: The Binding Blade

Chapter 14: Dawn of Destiny

Chapter 15: The Rebellion of Ostia

Chapter 16: The True Enemy

Chapter 17: Retaking the Capital

Chapter 18: The Binding Blade

Final Chapter: Beyond the Darkness

Continent of Elibe

Character Introductions

Fire Emblem

The Blazing Sword ~ The Binding Blade     Book 3

Characters

Roy

[Lycian League・Son of Marquess Pherae]

Main character of the second half of this story. He returns home from his studies in Ostia to participate in the Lycian army in place of his sick father.

Eliwood

[Lycian League・Marquess Pharae]

Roy’s father and the main character of the second part of the first half of this story. Because of his illness, he is currently unable to fight at full strength.

Marcus

[Lycian League・Holy Knight in Service to House Pherae]

Roy’s instructor and a leading knight of House Pherae. Though he is getting on in his years, he serves tirelessly as the general of the Knights of Pherae.

Alen

[Lycian League・Cavalier in Service to House Pherae]

A knight from a distinguished family that has served house Pherae for generations. He is daring and honest.

Lance

[Lycian League・Cavalier in Service to House Pherae]

He is around the same age as his ally Alen, and the two are best friends. They are also equally matched in combat together.

Wolt

[Lycian League・Archer in Service to House Pherae]

Son of Roy’s wet nurse Rebecca (she appeared in part 1 of this story). Though they were raised together like brothers, he does not take advantage of his position, serving as a faithful servant to Roy.

Lilina

[Lycian League・Daughter of Marquess Ostia]

Beloved daughter of Marquess Hector. Roy’s childhood friend. She is cheerful, enjoys helping others, and has a natural talent in magic.

Hector

[Lycian League・Marquess Ostia]

Lilina’s father. Secondary main character of the first half of this story. As the marquess of Lycia’s leading territory, he leads the Lycian army into battle against Bern.

Bors

[Lycian League・Armor Knight in Service to House Ostia]

An exceptionally polite and kind person, even amongst the Knights of Ostia. He serves as Lady Lilina’s personal guard.

Merlinus

[Lycian League・Commander of the Supply Convoy Unit]

A government official who has served House Pherae since Eliwood became marquess. He leads the supply convoy unit, and guards the rear line.

Guinivere

[The Kingdom of Bern・Princess]

Younger half-sister of King Zephiel of Bern. To bring an end to her brother’s wicked ambitions, she flees alone to Lycia.

Elen

[The Kingdom of Bern・Guinivere’s Attendant]

A cleric of St. Elimine’s Church. She is entirely devoted to serving Guinivere.

Milady

[The Kingdom of Bern・Commander of Guinivere’s Personal Guard]

A female wyvern rider who has sworn her loyalty to Guinivere. After Guinivere suddenly goes missing, she works tirelessly to find her.

Dieck

[Mercenary Swordfighter]

A skilled mercenary with countless scars all over his body. He leads a small mercenary group. At Eliwood’s order, he lends his strength to Roy and his allies.

Shanna

[Knights of Ilia・Mercenary Trainee]

A cheerful girl training as a member of Dieck’s mercenaries to become a full-fledged pegasus knight.

Chad

[Lycian League・Orphan Thief]

The caretaker who raised him in an orphanage was killed by Bern. He becomes a member of the Lycian army to take his revenge.

Lugh

[Lycian League・Orphan Mage]

From the same orphanage as Chad. After his caretaker’s passing, he took the other children of the orphanage to Araphen to entrust them to a church of St. Elimine.

Rutger

[Sacae Plains・Mercenary Swordfighter]

After his home city of Bulgar was destroyed by Bern, he swore that he would take revenge. He is serving Marquess Laus of Lycia as a mercenary.

Clarine

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Daughter of Count Reglay]

Daughter of Count Pent of Reglay, an Etrurian noble house. She is selfish, believing that the world revolves around her and her brother.

Saul

[St. Elimine Church・Priest]

His church bestowed upon him the duty of locating the Fire Emblem. He has an aloof and easygoing personality, but also loves to flirt with women.

Dorothy

[St. Elimine Church・Archer]

Travels with Saul as his assigned guard. She has a serious and plain personality, and Saul is never far from her side.

Sue

[Sacae Plains・Nomad of the Kutolah Tribe]

Granddaughter of the chief of the Kutolah Tribe. Her tribe became scattered when Bern invaded. She is being held captive in Thria, one of Lycia’s territories.

Zelot

[Knights of Ilia・Commander of the Edessa Mercenaries]

A paladin who refuses to break his mercenary contract even after his employer’s passing, and continues to fight to save his daughter, Lilina.

Trec

[Knights of Ilia・Cavalier of the Edessa Mercenaries]

A member of Zelot’s mercenary group. He has a very laid back disposition, and often falls asleep on the battlefield.

Noah

[Knights of Ilia・Cavalier of the Edessa Mercenaries]

A member of Zelot’s mercenary group. He has a gentle face and personality, but also knows much about the true nature of the world, perhaps because of his line of work as a mercenary.

Fir

[Sacae Plains・Female Swordfighter]

On a journey traveling around each country, training to improve her swordsmanship. She meets Noah while testing her abilities at the coliseum in Ostia.

Larum

[?・Dancer of the Resistance]

A girl who gathers intelligence for the Resistance. After being kidnapped, she is saved by Roy and his army.

Echidna

[The Western Isles・Leader of the Resistance]

A powerful hero cares deeply for others. She leads the ragtag members of the Resistance, fighting against the Etrurian nobles who unjustly abuse their positions time and time again.

Elffin

[Strategist of the Resistance]

A figure wrapped in mystery, with grace and intelligence not at all befitting of a bard.

Bartre

[The Western Isles・Wandering Axe Fighter]

He knows of the Western Isle’s current tragic situation, and out of the kindness of his naturally chivalrous heart, joins the Resistance. He is searching for his beloved daughter, currently traveling to train her combat abilities.

Klein

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Son of Count Reglay]

Deployed as the Etrurian general stationed in the Western Isles. He was ordered by his superiors to subjugate Roy’s army, but he has doubts about the nature of doing so.

Thea

[Knights of Elia・Commander of a Pegasus Knight Mercenary Group]

A talented pegasus knight employed by Klein. Unlike her younger sister Shanna, she is serious and quick to worry about things.

Raigh

[Lycian Alliance・Orphan Dark Mage]

Lugh’s younger twin brother, who left on a journey to study ancient magic before Bern’s invasion. He is curious about the existence of dragons.

Fae

[Nabata Desert・Girl Living in the Hidden Village]

A young dragon girl who snuck out of her village, and follows around Roy’s army.

Cecilia

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Mage General]

One of Etruria’s three generals. She was once stationed in Ostia, and is an old acquaintance of Roy’s. 

Perceval

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Knight General]

One of Etruria’s three generals. He has vowed his unshakable loyalty to the late prince.

Douglas

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Great General]

One of Etruria’s three generals. He fights to protect the king, ready to give his life for that duty if he must.

Zeiss

[The Kingdom of Bern・Wyvern Rider]

Milady’s younger brother. Stationed in Bern’s Western Army, commanded by Narcian.

Yoder

[St. Elimine’s Church・Bishop]

Ordered Saul and Dorothy to search for the Emblem, while he searches to discover what is true and what is false about Bern’s resurrection of dragons.

Niime

[Ilia・Renowned Master of Ancient Magic]

Known as the “Hermit on the Mountain.” Is deeply knowledgeable, even about dragons.

Juno

[Knights of Ilia・Wife of the Lord of Castle Edessa]

A Falcon Knight serving her husband Zelot’s position while he is away. She is also Thea and Shanna’s biological oldest sister.

Zephiel

[The Kingdom of Bern・King]

King of the militaristic country of Bern. Suddenly begins an invasion of Sacae and Ilia. Engulfs the previously stable continent of Elibe in a vortex of chaos.

Idunn

[The Kingdom of Bern・Dark Priestess]

A quiet young woman always by Zephiel’s side, serving him as if she was his own shadow.

Murdock

[The Kingdom of Bern・Leader of the Three Wyvern Generals]

Ordered to conquer Ilia as the commanding officer of Bern’s northern army. He has guarded Zephiel since his youth, and is his loyal servant who obeys his every command. (see book 2).

Narcian

[The Kingdom of Bern・Member of the Three Wyvern Generals]

A wyvern lord who invades Lycia as commanding officer of Bern’s southern army. A narcissist with a cruel and merciless personality.

Brunnya

[The Kingdom of Bern・Member of the Three Wyvern Generals]

A sage stationed in Sacae as commanding officer of Bern’s western army. Her heart is wavering in regards to following Zephiel’s wishes.

Galle

[The Kingdom of Bern・Wyvern Lord Assigned to the Palace]

A powerful soldier who serves as Murdock’s loyal retainer. Though he is originally from another country, his loyalty to Bern is strong. Milady’s beloved.

Arcard

[The Kingdom of Etruria・Governor Over the Troops Stationed in the Western Isles]

Abuses his position to force the pioneers of the Western Isles to work in the mines as slaves to line his own pockets.

Roartz

[The Kingdom of Etruria・High Chancellor]

A high noble who earns the title of next in line for the throne after the crown prince’s passing. Rumor has it that he is colluding with Bern.

Part 2

The Binding Blade

[feh-alt-battle]

Poll 104 - Eliwood

Please do not criticize any art you may not like or compare one art to another in terms of quality, it's unkind and downplays the amount of work that the feh artists put into them. Please treat the feh artists how you would as any other artist - with kindness and with love.

Artists in order: Miyuu, Motsutsu, Ito Misei, Wada Sachiko, Wada Sachiko, azu-taro

[plagues02]

EliHecLyn Fluff Alphabet

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Hector loves to spar with his partners whenever he can. He doesn’t hold back, and he loves to see his partners getting excited when they win.

Eliwood enjoys a quiet night when possible, staying in the room. Perhaps they’re sharing a drink, perhaps Eliwood is reading out loud as Lyn listens and Hector falls asleep to his voice.

Lyn enjoys going on hikes. Lycia might not be Sacae, but there are still plenty of sights for them to see. Lyn can see them by herself, but it means more when she can see them with one or both of her boyfriends.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Eliwood can get lost in both Hector’s and Lyn’s eyes. It’s not uncommon to find him staring at his partners, zoned out, because he looks at the colors of their eyes.

Hector admires his partner’s strengths. He’s used to being the strong one, and while he is the strongest of the three, he loves that Eliwood and Lyn can hold their own in a fight, that he doesn’t have to keep an eye out for them.

Lyn admires Eliwood’s ability to talk down the fight. He tries to avoid battles when he can, and Lyn loves to see that. For Hector, she loves the way he gets her to push herself, training to get stronger and stronger.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Eliwood will try to talk down his partner when they’re upset. Even if they can’t speak, he will sit there and talk to them, trying to distract them until they’re able and ready to talk.

Hector doesn’t completely understand or know what to do, but he will sit and hold his partner if they will let him.

Lyn sits with her boyfriend and listens if they want to talk. If they don’t want to talk about it, she will talk to them about something else to get their mind elsewhere.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

All three understand with their positions that they won’t be able to see each other as often as they wish, but they will try to spend all the time they can with each other. Whether they’re in Pharae or in Ostia, they will cherish all time together.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

Hector and Lyn are the more dominant of the three. This leads them to butting heads a lot, but it’s always in good fun. Eliwood is more passive and go with the flow.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Lyn and Hector are very stubborn, and they are the most likely to get in a fight / arguments. They will walk away to cool down before turning to each other. Normally, they make up by having a sparring match, blowing off steam, as neither are good with words.

Eliwood is more likely to try to speak with his partners after an argument. He allows Lyn and Hector to calm down before getting them to speak to him.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Eliwood is very aware and grateful for what his partners do for him. Whether it’s something small or large, he tries to make note of it.

Hector doesn’t show it often, but he is grateful. He might not notice everything, but he will always try to return the favor when he can.

Lyn always makes note of the big things her boyfriends do for her. She might not notice every small thing, but she is very thankful for them anyway.

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Eliwood and Lyn are very open, and they talk to their partners about everything. There is very little they or Hector don’t know about them.

Hector, given how he was raised in Ostia, tends to keep secrets. Nothing major as he’ll tell them the big things that happen in his day to day, but smaller things like what he talked about with a knight he won’t say. He doesn’t even think about it when he does; it’s just a habit.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

Eliwood and Hector grew up together. They were close as children, and they remained close as teens and into adulthood. They influenced each other in more ways than one. Then Lyn found her way in their life, and she opened them up.

Lyn was changed by Hector and Eliwood. They’re the reason she decided to stay in Lycia; they’re the reason she is no longer lonely anymore. They help her get used to the new life she’s living, and she helps Hector and Eliwood see from different points of views.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

Hector and Lyn don’t get jealous easily. They trust each other and Eliwood to make the right choices. Lyn might look or check out who they’re talking to if they’re a stranger to her, but Hector doesn’t pay much mind to it.

Eliwood gets jealous easier. He doesn’t mean it, but when he sees someone get too close to Hector or Lyn, he definitely sends a glare their way whether he realizes it or not. He’s vocal about his jealousy in private and gets reassured that they wouldn’t do anything outside the relationship.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Eliwood is a soft kisser. His first kiss was with Hector, it was very hesitant, but it was so light that Hector almost immediately pulled him back into another kiss.

Hector is a more rough and passionate kisser. It took Lyn off guard the first time when they kissed. He couldn’t help but laugh at her expression when they pulled back.

Lyn prefers quick pecks more than anything; she doesn’t mind longer kisses, but they’re not her favorite. Her first kiss with Eliwood was very quick, and they were both fine with that.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

I’ve already done this here

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Marriage isn’t the first thing on their mind in their relationship. They didn’t know if a three way marriage would work or be able to be done, especially with their noble statuses. They never officially get married, but everyone around them knows they treat and call each other their husband(s) and wife.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Eliwood tends to call Lyn ‘sweetheart’ and Hector ‘love’ the most

Hector calls both Eliwood and Lyn ‘dear’ or ‘hun’ the most. He doesn’t have a favorite to use for either of them

Lyn isn’t the biggest on giving out nicknames, but she has called her boyfriends ‘dear’ or ‘love’ before.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Eliwood likes to stare at his partners when there’s nothing too important in front of him at the moment. His mother enjoys teasing him for this.

Hector is very touchy and wears his romantic feeling on his sleeve. Anyone could glance at them together and know that he was in love.

Lyn smiles a lot when she’s around Eliwood and/or Hector. If she’s standing next to them, there’s a big chance that there’s a smile on her face.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Hector is the most open about their relationship. He loves to hold Eliwood’s and/or Lyn’s hand in public, not caring about what other nobles think. He can often be seen kissing their cheeks or even steal a kiss on the lips from them. Hector also loves to boast about his partners whenever he can.

Eliwood isn’t very big on PDA. He doesn’t mind holding hands or being close to his partners, but he is very reserved when it comes to talking about his relationship or kissing in public.

Lyn gets very flustered with PDA. Whether it’s just from holding hands or a kiss on the cheek, her face will turn bright red. At the same time, she loves to talk about her boyfriends whenever she can.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Eliwood has a soft voice that his partners find soothing. Both Hector and Lyn just like to hear Eliwood talk.

Hector has the ability to keep a tune when humming or whistling. Even when the three don’t want to talk, he’s able to fill the silence.

Lyn knows a few different languages from living in Sacae, and from that, she also knows songs and tales from the different cultures. Eliwood and Hector will ask her to sing or translate the tales when they need something to distract them.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Eliwood is very cliché when it comes to romance. He loves to fluster his partners with words or flowers or other gifts, but he will always do this in private.

Hector is very romantic in his words. He loves to praise and talk about his lovers around others, and he has been shown giving them things that made him think about them. He’s known by court to be very romantic.

Lyn isn’t the greatest with romance. Her lovers enjoy her being in the same room as them so that's what she does whenever she can. She’s not a big gift giver, but she does show her emotions with words.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

The three of them share a main common goal. They work together to keep Lycia on its feet while trying to get the territories to work closer together for peace. Hector focuses a lot on Ostia, and Eliwood focuses on Pherae. Lyn supports them both in any way she can.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Eliwood likes a good routine. He doesn’t like it changing when he can help it.

Hector and Lyn like to change their routines. Whether it’s small or large, neither of them like things to stay the same everyday.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

The three of them are all very good at reading each other and being able to tell their true feelings towards something. This is one reason why Hector struggles to not tell them important things going on in his life or with Ostia.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

Ostia and Pharae are important to Hector and Eliwood, and they build a lot of their life around it. At the same time, they always make time for each other and Lyn.

Lyn sees the relationship as the most important thing in her life. Yes, travel and her homeland are very important, as well as her friends, but this relationship forged how her life is currently going.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Eliwood can’t do anything in the kitchen, no matter how much he tries, but he knows how to make a mean cup of tea. Hector and Lyn will refuse anyone else’s tea when Eliwood is around

Hector likes to randomly pick up his partners to see them smile. He can pick them both up at once.

Lyn likes to wear Eliwood’s and Hector’s clothes. They’re long on her, and her boyfriends love to see her in them.

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Hector is very affectionate. He loves to hold onto his partners, whether they’re laying down and they’re spooning or they’re sitting in his lap. He can and will shower them with kisses.

Eliwood isn’t as affectionate as Hector, but if he’s able to, he clings onto his partners. He likes to hug them from behind before kissing them on the cheek.

Lyn isn’t as affectionate. She isn’t great at showing her emotions with actions, but she doesn’t mind being shown in love. She shows her affection in other ways.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Eliwood can be seen staring off into space without Hector and Lyn around. His mother would tease him, and his knights know that he’s thinking about his partners.

When Hector is missing his lovers, he is often seen training more often. He uses it to distract himself from missing the two.

Lyn likes to wear Eliwood’s and Hector’s clothes when she misses them. She spends her time between Pherea and Ostia, and they always make sure to have one or two articles of clothes that Lyn finds comfort with in the territory.

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Eliwood knows he wasn’t the greatest partner for a while as he was dealing with his grief of losing his father and becoming marquess of Pharea. However, even through his grief, he would defeat his relationship with the other two nobles, despite getting some backlash due to the nature of their relationship.

Before Uther passed, he gave Hector his blessing to follow his heart in any way it leads him. Knowing this, Hector has no issue defeating and fighting for his relationship. Nothing and no one will pull him away from his loves.

Lyn had the choice to return to Sacae, but she decided to remain in Lycia as Caelin became shared land between the two. She misses her life in the plains, but she wouldn’t leave their sides if given the choice again.

[mannatea]

part 8

Shhh you all know this is what I was waiting for!!!

The fact that it's been "five days" and Hector and Eliwood are still hanging out in Laus is wild. I like that they talk about why Uther isn't taking action, and that the reason is related to Bern (and fear that if King Desmond sees anything, he'll not hesitate to come for Lycia).

This makes sense when you think about how Uther's only been marquess for a short time; this is an incredible amount of pressure. Also, this whole conversation paints Hector as being quite knowledgeable and capable. <3

Like not only does he know these things, but he also knows that they're being spied on and watched...and that if he supports his brother too earnestly, people will realize something is wrong. It's great that he admits he's not proud of his bad reputation, but that he's using it to help his friend (and stay out of his brother's way, rather than hinder him) is nice. I love Hector so much, he's such a great character.

TIME FOR ME TO GO AND HELP THE REAL MAIN CHARACTER, BYE LAUS. ERIK, YOU'RE LUCKY WE LET YOU LIVE

I love that everyone is fully, 100% with her on trying to get back into the castle/trying to get Hausen back. Kent and Sain together could force Lyn to leave, especially with Wil and Florina's help, but all her friends are firmly on her side and also want to try to save Lord Hausen.

So you're telling me that Kent went out to scope things out by himself? Wild. If word took a few days to get to Hector and Eliwood in Laus, then it would take them another couple of days to get to Caelin themselves. I mean, it makes sense that Lyn and Friends fled the castle and had to wait for an opportunity to sneak back in while the area's still literally crawling with occupying forces. Kent counts approximately fifty soldiers, so Sain is right. That's basically a suicide mission.

Anyway, I do like that overhearing all this about Laus means that they know not only where to send someone, but that the chance of getting reinforcements might not be zero. I love that Wil is willing to scamper off to Laus while the others remain in hiding, but we LOVE Florina stepping up!

I love how all Florina's friends are so proud of her bravery and gallantry here UGHH IT'S SO GOOD. The idea that Florina's really come into her own. She also barely stutters talking to Eliwood. <3

This is the lucky Eliwood level-up image.

Lyn's just...Lyn. It's okay, Erk. You can say it. Anyway, I blasted in this chapter.

And blasted.

And by blasted I mean...got supports.

What kind of shipper would I be if I didn't try to get the good good supports first?

Honestly, this is super funny to me. Kent also says looking after Lyn is his duty but he's very ummm...normal about it. Erk, though? Erk tries WAY too hard. LOL

Eliwood! PLEASE. I love the boys so much.

It's okay, Kent. I support your nagging ways.

I forgot how bananas Rebecca is. This support is such a wild experience. Erk is over-the-top but so is Rebecca. Her whole "SHH this is how I prefer to remember it so don't spoil it by correcting me!" thing is hilarious.

AND THEN WE HAVE HTE QUEEN

LMFAO. Their supports take forever to get. I had to end turn a billion times.

The way Lyn just lays right into Hector. I don't think I ever noticed the way she compares Hector to Kent and Sain before, though. That's super interesting. Judging by the rest of the conversation, I get the feeling that this actually isn't her being critical; she's just explaining her thought process.

And it makes sense. Hector's a very strong and capable fighter (like Sain and Kent are) but the difference she notes is more or less in form. Her knights were taught how to fight and Hector taught himself, so he lacks the teamwork ability and knowledge/intuition that Kent and Sain possess.

And like, despite him obviously having never learned these fundamental things about combat fighting, he's a strong opponent. From Lyn, this is definitely a compliment. (Except the part where she says Hector is a maniac, but she's not wrong. LOL at Eliwood defending him, though!)

But it's cool to get this glimpse into Hector's fighting style; he's as strong as a trained knight, but he doesn't fight like one.

I don't feel bad for Darin here, but I can't blame him for being kind of scared and pissed off that Ephidel has killed Santaruz and Hausen. Rage-inducing to know their deaths will be blamed on you.

But again, what choice does he have now? He's in too deep, especially now that Marquess Hausen has been stabbed.

Another QUEEN is here. Leilaaaaaa. I love her.

Also can we get an F in the chat for Hausen? Bro is doing his best, just living his own fucking life, and he gets poisoned almost to death and then stabbed. Rather unfair, really.

SUPPORTS GOTTEN:

Hector/Eliwood B

Kent/Lyn C

Kent/Sain C

Oswin/Serra C

Erk/Priscilla C

Lowen/Rebecca C

:3

[sacaeblade]

as the moon, so the sun

The Sword of Spirits had not been her birthright.

When her father had pressed a sword into her small hands for the first time, it had been a regular iron sword that you could buy anywhere. Whether her father had traded for it in Bulgar or bought it from a traveling merchant, she didn't know. All that mattered to her is that with a sword of her own, she could learn how to fight, how to defend her tribe. She did not need a special blade to do that.

Even after the loss of her tribe, she did not need a special blade to avenge them.

An iron sword and a trainee tactician by her side were all she had at the start of her journey. They were then joined by two knights looking not for Lyn, Hassar's daughter, but for Lyndis, Madelyn's daughter, to bring her back to Caelin as its heir. One lone traveler became two. Then two became four.

All four of them carried either iron weapons or none at all when they left Bulgar. Before leaving the land of her birth for the first time, Lyn directed her small band to a humble altar to pray for safe passage. For the first time in her life, she would leave the plains that had raised her to make the trek across the mountains to Lycia. She would pray for the spirits' protection on this journey so far away from the only home she had ever known.

The spirits had grander plans than a mere blessing, though.

"Ah. Hm… It’s the power of the spirits. Lyn, they have looked into your soul, and they call out to you.”

The priest at the temple said something strange when she placed her hand on the sword enshrined in the altar. She sought the spirits' blessing, but never did she think the legendary blade would respond to her in this way. She was not anyone special. She was the daughter of a massacred tribe and heir to a territory she had never even seen before.

A single iron sword was the only belonging she had to her name and it hadn't been enough to protect what she held dear.

“You are its rightful owner. You are to wield the Mani Katti. I never dared hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."

Perhaps the most famous blade in all of Sacae, behind only Hanon's bow in terms of notoriety, the Mani Katti felt as if the hilt had been crafted in the perfect mold of her hand. It felt like a limb she hadn't even realized she was missing until now, a comfortable weight that just felt right.

The iron sword her father had given her was a sword, but Mani Katti was her sword.

Even as their tiny group grew in size to fourteen people, Mani Katti remained at her side. A year later, when they split apart and then regrouped under a different banner, Mani Katti stayed by her side as faithfully as the moon in the night sky. Across the continent and to the ends of the Earth, the same sword hung at her waist.

When people spoke of her years down the line as one of the people who had traveled with Eliwood and Hector, they would describe her as a woman of Sacaean descent with hair and eyes as green as the grass of her homelands and the Sword of Spirits by her side. Even as the years passed and the exact details about that non-traditional lady became hazy in the annals of time, the image of a woman of the plains with a sword at her side would endure.

What many did not realize, though, was that she had another sword, equally as beloved as Mani Katti.

When the Dragon's Gate had opened, the Archsage himself had handed her a second sword: “A spirit-inhabited sword, the partner of the Mani Katti. This is the Sol Katti.”

If Mani Katti was the moon, then its sister sword was the sun. Gleaming and radiant, she could tell the raw power infused in its blade just touching its hilt and feeling its weight. It mattered not that it wasn't one of the legendary weapons like the Archsage had prepared for Eliwood and Hector, not when she had connected so deeply with Mani Katti in the first place.

She hadn't even known that Mani Katti had a partner, but perhaps in that moment she had finally understood why a blade of hidden heritage had called out to her. Two swords, so different and yet so alike, who could understand them better than Lyn?

But for all its power, Sol Katti was meant for killing dragons. In a world where the Dragon's Gate had been closed for good, there was no need for such a sword to exist. Once again, Sol Katti would fade out of the collective memory of those who were not there at that final battle, passed down only in mythos.

Those who did remember, however, knew that Lyn kept two swords by her side.

Weapon awakened: Mani Katti > Sol Katti

[mysmashplaythroughs]

Fire Emblem Binding Blade Playthrough

Fighter: Roy.

Game: Fire Emblem The Binding Blade, Game Boy Advance. First Released on March 29th 2002.

ENTRY WARNING: This post will contain spoilers for Fire Emblem 6, I do my best to avoid spoiling plot elements of Fire Emblem 7 but it is possible to infer things from the details I give since that game is a prequel to 6. I will also use read-more as most of the screenshots for this game are from the late-game so more spoilery than the usual pictures I use.

Fighter Bio.

In the continent of Elibe, Roy was born to the Marquess of Pherae, Eliwood in the Lycian League. Roy knew little of his Mother who died shortly after his birth, he was brought up alongside Wolt who is considered his ‘milk-brother’. At the age of Ten he travelled with his Father to meet Eliwood’s best friend Hector the marquess of Ostia, the most powerful state of the Lycian League where Roy met and became close friends with Hector’s daughter Lilina. Five years later Roy was studying in Ostia when he was summoned home following news that Eliwood had fallen ill. Lilina was visiting Pherea at the time but soon found she had to barricade herself and Eliwood in the castle following a siege by a large bandit mob. Roy returned home and with his small band of knights that had accompanied him fought off the bandits. Meeting with his Father he was asked to lead the forces of Pherea to join the armies of the rest of the Lycian League as Eliwood was too sick to fight and another country, Bern was preparing for war. Eliwood also asked Lilina to return to Ostia so she could take command there whilst her father Hector was rallying the Lycian League’s forces. On his journey to Araphen where the leaders of each part of the Lycian League planned to band together their armies, Roy is asked by a priest called Elen to save her Mistress who is being held hostage by some Bern forces. After saving the noblewoman she reveals herself to be Guinivere the Princess of Bern and younger sister of its King Zephiel. Guinivere sought to negotiate peace with the Lycian League to avoid a bloody war from breaking out and asked Roy to help her meet with the leaders in Araphen which he agreed to.

Roy arrived at Araphen however to find the armies of Lycia had been decimated and most of the leaders killed by an army of dragon riders. Hector met Roy and in his last moments warned him that Bern was in control of powerful dragons as well as entrusting him with the leadership of the remaining Lycian forces in his stead. Roy travelled next to Ostia which had been taken over by traitors who sought an alliance with Bern and had taken over Castle Ostia with Lilina held hostage. Roy lead the first ever successful siege of the castle in Ostia’s history and saved the forces trapped within as well as Lilina. Lilina in return joined with Roy and revealed to him Durandal, a sword once wielded by Eliwood and one of the eight Legendary weapons said to have defeated the Dragons during the war between humans and dragons known as the Scouring over a thousand years earlier. Following this battle Roy faces many more hardships and gradually gains more allies in his fight against Bern and its allies, discovering the other Legendary weapons as he goes as well as the Binding Blade, a sword said to be stronger than any of the Legendary weapons possessing mysterious powers based upon the wielder such as reacting to their desires, healing them and having fire elemental properties. Roy is the only one who has been deemed worthy to wield the blade since it was used in the Scouring a thousand years earlier. Roy also finds himself in command of the army of Etruria, a country that had almost fallen to a traitorous rebellion of those who sought to ally themselves with Bern until Roy’s forces managed to take them down.

Roy learnt from Guinivere how Zephiel’s childhood where his Father had attempted to murder him had led to him losing all faith in humanity and seeking to awaken the Dark Dragon sealed away in the Scouring as well as plunging the continent into a war that would allow Dragonkind to return and wipe humanity away to become the dominant species. With this new knowledge Roy invaded Bern Palace and attempted to reason with Zephiel but could not convince him to change course, leading to Roy having to defeat the King once and for all. Following his defeat, Zephiel’s greatsword Eckesachs reacted to the other Legendary weapons Roy had gathered and revealed to him the way to the Dragon Sanctuary, which contained the final remains of Bern’s army as well as the Dark Dragon Idunn. During his earlier travels Roy had found and helped protect a hidden village in the desert of Nabata called Arcadia. This hidden village was home to the few surviving descendants of the dragons that did not take part in the Scouring war and lived peacefully with humans. Fae, the only pure dragon remaining in Arcadia is a young manakete who eventually joins Eliwoods forces. She along with the rest of Roy’s forces meets Jahn, the only remaining natural dragon in Elibe at Dragon Sanctuary. Jahn informs the group of how the Dark Dragon Idunn was originally a Divine Dragon similar to Fae who was captured by the Dragons warring with humans during the Scouring. They were finding it hard to replenish their forces due to low birth rates in their species and came up with a plan, they turned Idunn into a Demon Dragon in order for her to produce War Dragons, Dragons created only for War that know nothing other than bloodshed. Even after this Idunn refused to do so and ultimately it took her heart being completely destroyed turning her into a mindless husk for the Dragons to finally begin their plan. It was too late by then however and when Hartmut the Champion who wielded the Binding Blade during the Scouring confronted Idunn and learnt of her history he took pity on her, through this the Binding Blade instead of killing her in their confrontation merely put her to sleep and sealed her away for a thousand years, until she was unsealed by King Zephiel.

Having heard all of this, Fae feared she could end up sharing the same fate as Idunn and become a monster too. Roy reassures Fae that he believes both she and Idunn can avoid that fate and realises he cannot kill Idunn but instead wishes to save her soul. With his will and the power of the Binding Blade he fights through Jahn’s War Dragons as well as Jahn himself before facing Idunn. Defeating her Roy manages to restore her soul with the power of the Binding Blade and helps her along with Fae to disappear to Arcadia where she can begin a new life with Fae’s help and friendship. Eventually Fae makes her laugh for the first time in thousands of years suggesting she is finally beginning to regain her true self. Following the war, Roy first attends the crowning of Guinivere as the new Queen of Bern before he returns home and eventually becomes the new Marquess of Pherae. Lilina also returns to Ostia and manages to unite all of Lycia becoming its Queen. Roy marries Lilina becoming the King Consort with the continent finding peace.

Despite his young age of 15 Roy is a capable leader who manages to build a large loyal army during his journey. His youth does make him often doubt himself and whether he should be in the position he is but his sense of duty and commitment to his allies and loved ones results in him not backing down. It is also this occasional lack of confidence that gives him the compassion and ability to hear his enemies out that helps him save possible allies as well as some of his enemies. He can be fairly cunning, managing to see through a couple of characters who are allies or enemies in their attempts to trick him. Roy is very loyal to his friends not caring about their social standing, he also is not particularly good at dealing with romantic feelings others have for him, for example not picking up on Lilina’s obvious fondness for him until after his journey has ended. Roy begins as a lord with the ability to use Rapiers exclusive to him, this means he has an advantage against cavalry and armoured units. In the early game this is fairly effective however later in the game many cavalry and armoured enemies have lances which are strong against swords in the weapons triangle which results in Roy having a disadvantage with him being unable to use any other weapon but swords. Roy also struggles as he is unable to promote until very late in the game, due to this he falls behind other units in his army being essentially a weaker Hero unit with low movement and only able to use swords, as well as maxing his stats fairly early since he cannot promote until a set point in the game, meaning he will not gain anything from defeating enemies and is really just stealing exp other units could use. Being a lord Roy is also required to seize thrones on the maps to achieve victory, which means he must go with the rest of the group across the map and therefore be escorted by stronger units. Following him gaining the Binding Blade Roy is able to promote into a Great Lord and becomes a lot stronger. The Binding Blade allows Roy to attack with fire and from two spaces away as well as being strong against dragons. Roy still in his promoted form isn’t as strong as other units who are able to wield the other Legendary weapons and therefore also are good against Dragons, but he is definitely more capable than he was earlier in the game. Roy also benefits from having high supports with other characters that give him some stat boosts that help make him stronger.

Friends: Roy has a loyal following who join his army during his fight against Bern, Wolt and Lilina are close friends from his childhood and he also is close with Cecilia who was his teacher in the past as well as Marcus who is an old knight in service of Pherae and Merlinus, a vassal of Eliwoods who serves as an advisor to Roy. Roy relies on both Merlinus and Marcus’s experience when approaching the situations he faces and trusts them both in their judgement. Roy takes care of Fae as he realises not letting her join his army will likely result in her being captured or worse by enemies and therefore he allows her to help fight, Roy also reassures Fae when she voices her fears of one day becoming an enemy of humanity. Roy helps Princess Guinivere and shares her belief in peace which makes him loyal to her and trust her despite being the Princess of Bern, the enemy nation he is fighting against. Also since I feel it is an important addition that Shadow Dragon did not have in the series and relates to relationships, I’d like to add this game is the first on my list that has the support system. With this system certain characters who spend a lot of time close to each other on the battlefield build up affinity and when able to can have support conversations where they build their bonds with each other. Roy is able to support with the joint most characters in the game alongside Lilina. There are various female characters who depending on how high a level of support Roy builds with him can marry him in the ending of the game with them being Lilina, Cecilia, Sue, Sophia, Shanna and Larum or alternately he can end the game not marrying any of them. It is generally accepted Lilina is the closest to a canon partner for Roy which is why in his bio I put the ending involving him marrying her.

Enemies/Rivals: Roy is willing to have compassion and try to understand his enemies, but he is also strong in his ideals and willing to fight against those who can be stopped no other way as well as those who hurt innocent people. When it comes to enemies Roy has there are not many who have directly wronged him, his Father is sick but alive and his Mother died of natural causes when he was young, some bandits attempt to attack Pherae early on but are stopped before they harm Eliwood or Lilina. Roy deals with many traitors to Lycia with one of the most notable being Leygance who takes control of Ostia castle and attempts to kill Lilina, however the main instigator of the war and therefore Roy’s main enemy is the country of Bern. The majority of Bern’s highest generals such as Murdock, Brunnya and Galle are all more loyal to their King and country rather than sadistic or evil, Roy still battles them however as he understands the alternative would lead to the destruction of Lycia and as he eventually learns all of humanity. Narcian is probably the worst of the high level generals of Bern but Roy although he definitely has to deal with Narcian’s traps and attacks doesn’t interact with him much. Zephiel is the closest Roy has to an arch-enemy in his quest, Roy learns of Zephiel’s past and attempts to reason with him, however when Zephiel will not accept this claiming all of humanity to be evil, Roy strongly rebukes him with his belief that ultimately mankind is good and calls Zephiel out on losing his faith in not just humanity but by extension himself, fighting and eventually killing the King. Roy’s final enemies are the dragons in the Dragon Sanctuary, the War Dragons are just mindless beasts created for war that Roy takes down, he tries to talk sense to Jahn the Fire Dragon telling him of Arcadia where dragons and humans live in peace. Jahn is surprised by this but ultimately rejects the idea that Dragons and Humans can ever live in peace which results in Roy having to slay him before taking on Idunn. Idunn despite being the ultimate Dark Dragon Roy realises is not his enemy, finding out she was once a Divine Dragon who was twisted until she was left heartless as simply a weapon for other dragons. Roy uses his compassion with the power of the Binding Blade to save Idunn rather than killing her and brings an end to the war.

Crossovers with other Smash characters: Elibe was the first location in the Fire Emblem series to be set on an entirely new unconnected world to the previous Fire Emblem games, due to this despite later crossovers Roy’s story did not intersect or connect with the other characters from the series who appear in Smash Bros. Roy has appeared in spinoff crossovers however appearing as an Einherjar in the land of Ylisse which are cards that form into spirits, these are not the actual characters however so this does not mean Roy himself experienced these events, however the real Chrom, Lucina and Robin met with and fought alongside the Einherjar version of Roy. This also meant that Roy appeared alongside the other Einherjar such as Marth and Ike who similarly weren’t the actual characters. Roy also appeared alongside Marth, Lucina, Robin and Ike as illusions in Fire Emblem Echoes Shadows of Valentia where they would fight alongside Alm and Celica the Lords of that game. Roy also appeared alongside Marth, Ike, Lucina, Robin, Chrom, Corrin and Byleth as an Emblem, spirits contained within special rings that lend their power to those who wear them. These Emblems are explicitly not the original characters but essentially echoes of them with their personalities and memories, this does bring together every Fire Emblem character who has appeared as a fighter in Smash Bros however. Finally there’s Fire Emblem Heroes which has versions of the vast majority of Fire Emblem characters from throughout the series including every Lord from the series. These all are recreations once again rather than the actual canon characters being similar to Einherjars and summoned by the Summoner and other characters.

Why this game?

It’s once again a very simple case of this is the only game with Roy in it. Given how this game is not freely available in English however I would definitely have gone for a remake version if it was available and if one does come out one day I will return to it to do another playthrough and possibly write a second post up based on that specifically.

My past with this game.

I went over the story in my entry for Marth but as I said there, Fire Emblem was a series that was first introduced to me through Super Smash Bros. When the first Fire Emblem game left Japan as I said before I believed that Eliwood was Roy with simply a different name and I did not play far enough into the game at the time to see Roy’s actual appearance towards the end of that game. Due to this for a long time I didn’t realise that Roy’s game was actually one that hadn’t left Japan until years later, however when I learnt this I became really interested in the game because I really liked the characters in Eliwood’s game (released here as simply Fire Emblem but in regards to the series referred to as ‘The Blazing Blade’ often) and learning that that game was actually a prequel to Roy’s game made me really interested in seeing what this future version of Elibe would be like. I believe around the time I learnt about this the concept of prequels was something new to me which I had mostly heard of due to the Star Wars prequels, so I was interested in seeing what happened to Hector, Lyn and Eliwood in Binding Blade. I did remember reading Roy's trophy entry in Melee however unlike Marths it didn't stand out particularly to me.

I would spoil myself later down the line on what did happen and I realised it wasn’t really nice with Lyn not being directly mentioned (and the implication she’d died between games), Hector dying and Eliwood spending the game too ill to fight. I think when I finally got my head around it all however, I found this all really interesting, I had heard that Binding Blade was considered essentially a copy of Marth’s games to the point I’d seen lots of pictures floating around online which point out all the similar characters like how Wolt the archer is essentially Gordin from Shadow Dragon, Marcus is the Jagen and many other similarities. I also remembered hearing a lot about how Roy was possibly the weakest Lord in the series. I did find it cool however in that they took what was in the original game some fairly minor characters with Hector and Eliwood, whose role in the game was just as the sick Father (which was honestly a rarity in a series where Father figures rarely live beyond the prologue) and made them into the main heroes of the next game, not to mention with this being the first game to come outside of Japan they became fairly fondly remembered by fans in the West (Eliwood probably the least out of the three but he’s my personal favourite Lord in the series). I waited a long time similarly to other games such as Mother 3 for an official release, but sadly to this day we still haven’t seen one, with the closest being that on the Switch online if you download the Japanese GBA Online you can play the game in Japanese.

Of course, due to this eventually I decided to try an alternative just to play the game for myself. Admittedly despite this however I did not get far into the game I think reaching Chapter 4 before I ended up playing other games. I think probably the thing that interested me the most with this game was something a bit ridiculous, but having scoured the Fire Emblem wikis as well as sites like Serenes Forest a lot and looking at all the units, classes and characters, honestly the most interesting thing for me in the game was Zephiel, specifically because his class is a King. Due to the whole basic description for someone really unfamiliar with videogames of saying Strategy RPGs are like Chess, I found it interesting in the whole series there was only ever one character whose class was just King with said class being like the third final promotion of a General. Add to that the unique sprites and animations for the King class which didn’t appear in the other GBA games and how I loved the sprites and animations for the Knight and General classes already before and I wanted to play through the game just to see it for myself (even if I’d seen it long before playing myself through youtube videos and things.) Beyond this, it’s hard to really say much more relating to my past with this game without simply talking about its prequel which I plan on going over in a later post, so that’s all I have to say really on this part.

My Smash Playthrough.

For this playthrough as stated earlier I had to use a translation hack in order to play. I only do this when I have no other choice in order to play the game and luckily in recent years a lot of other games I have been able to play officially which back when I started this were not available. I believe sadly as this game is definitely not one of the most fondly remembered ones in the series it will likely be a while before it gets an official release outside of Japan which is a shame, especially given Roy being part of the reason Fire Emblem was first introduced to the West. (It’s been said a few times before on various sites as trivia but Roy technically first appeared in Super Smash Bros Melee before his game released so in a sense that was his ‘original game’.) The version I played was using a pretty old translation by Dark Twilkitri in 2005 going by the notes I have. Given just how long ago now I found this game and how little I tend to take part in the scene I want to make it clear I would have no idea where to look if you wish to play the game yourself, you’ll have to look for yourselves into the matter if you wish to play it, the Fire Emblem Wiki does seem to have a fair bit of information from what I’ve seen so I’d suggest checking there first.

Now, onto the actual playthrough, I’m lucky sometimes that I’ve talked to friends over Discord often about my progress in the various games I played for my list so I’m able to check some of the stuff I said at the time to remind myself. Given this playthrough was in 2017 (which feels like a whole other age at this point) I was glad to be able to remind myself of some things I said back then, starting with how because there was an optional tutorial you could play through, the game just drops you in with little explanation of things. The tutorial is interesting in itself as it involves Roy battling against some friendly soldiers including Bors who is part of your group in the main game whilst being taught the basics by Cecilia. Honestly I wish this sort of thing was done more often with games, I do understand with the sequel as it was the first game released outside of Japan them having the tutorial be part of the story, but I think having tutorials be essentially an optional view into the characters during peaceful times can be a nice little thing to help build up the characters slightly, and helps it being optional in making future playthroughs feel less of a drag at the start. I also commented when playing through about how little damage your units seem to be able to do to the bosses of the first few chapters with me having to hope I’d get a hit with a 20% accuracy hammer just to take the boss down to lower health and gang up with my whole group on them. Again a lot of this is going off of my memory of something around 7 years ago so I can’t remember specifics, but I believe the hit rates in this game are considered somewhat infamously low.

I also realise looking back I went straight from playing Shadow Dragon to this game, that might be why I found it quite a jump in how that game took a lot of the more modern additions to the series compared to Binding Blade which at the time was a lot more simplified in its features compared to FE1-5 being a soft reboot of the series as well as the first handheld game. Similarly to my playthrough of Shadow Dragon and something I have carried on in future Fire Emblem games, when deciding on who to use for my team, I decided to base the team off of the Spotpass characters who appear in Fire Emblem Awakening to represent the game, trying to keep their equipment close to what they had there. For this playthrough I focused on Roy, Lilina, Wolt, Shanna the Pegasus Knight, Lugh the Mage, Raigh the Dark Mage, Celicia a Valkyrie, Sophia a Sorceror and Perceval a Paladin. Of them all Sophia was easily the most difficult character to train up and use on my team, she joins in what I remember being one of the most irritating chapters in the game with really low stats, the chapter requires being completed in a set number of turns with her still alive in order to progress to the gaiden chapter (side chapters which often have the Legendary weapons in them required to get the best ending) and I read this was the best place to level her up which required her getting the final hit on most enemies encountered. Add to that this map being a desert (Which hugely limits most units movement) fog of war which makes it impossible to see much of the map and where enemies are as well as many enemy wyvern riders who can move much faster and further than you and it was an absolute nightmare that I somehow managed to overcome.

My favourite chapter as you can likely guess based on what I said earlier about my interest in the game mostly revolving around Zephiel was the chapter where you storm Bern Castle taking on Zephiel’s forces before battling the King himself. There were some irritating parts such as various mages who will cast beserk on your army causing them to start attacking your other units, however with the right equipment you can overcome this. This chapter also involves Roy having the Binding Blade (called in the translation I used the Sealed Sword) which is his ultimate weapon, so it’s fun finally getting to have Roy use this sword on all the enemy troops and eventually use it in his final battle against Zephiel’s Eckesachs sword. The chapters following this that can only be played if you got all the Legendary weapons are still fun but this chapter was probably the highlight for me personally. Idunn (called Idoun in the translation I used) is often cited as one of the easiest (if not the easiest) final bosses in the series, I can’t honestly remember the battle with her, but given how difficult I’ve remembered others being that might be telling of how easy it was, I did still enjoy it from what I remember though. Honestly as a final boss I’ve grown to quite like Idunn as a concept being essentially a corrupted Divine Dragon in contrast to the other (at this point in the series) final boss Dragons being often Dark Dragons that went against the Light Dragon. Zephiel similar to Garnef in a way was definitely the main driving force of the story overall with Idunn being more a victim than anything which is why I like the final battle involves Roy not trying to kill her but save her from what was done to her.

One final notable thing in the game is there’s a point where you have two different paths you can take, one will result in you fighting in the icy land of Ilia, home to many of the Pegasus Knights in the Elibe games and the other will take place in Sacae, grasslands home to many tribes and in the prequel Lyn. I decided to go with the Ilia route, I’m not really sure why now but I know because I have the exclusive character from that path on my team, I don’t remember there being any real reason for my playthrough however that I picked that route over the Sacae one as I don’t think there’s any additional item or weapon I needed there. The music for the game is pretty nice, probably my favourite tracks are Beyond Distant Skies, Battle for whose sake, Shaman in the Dark and Far from Arcadia, there’s some pretty nice fan remixes as well as official remixes of some of these tracks in later games that are worth listening to. Probably my absolute favourite thing in these games are the battle sprites. It feels a bit hard to talk about them regarding this game specifically as by the time I played it I had already seen them in Blazing Blade and Sacred Stones which was the final GBA Fire Emblem and had even more new sprites leaving this game feeling lacking, however I still have to give credit to Binding Blade as it was the first game to introduce these sprites with all the awesome animations I love. I said before Zephiel’s sprites are unique to this game however and are a highlight along with Roy’s animations which definitely are best when he’s finally wielding the Binding Blade with the fire effects. Honestly probably the only regret I have when it comes to this game getting a remake is it’ll likely be in 3D and therefore lacking this great sprite-work.

Specific aspects about the game relating to Roy in Smash.

Similar to Marth, this was probably the easiest aspect of the game for me because it’s not possible to finish the game without Roy having the Binding Blade and it’s foolish to use anything else with him once he has it (I believe, there may be some well known tactic I’m unaware of like a Light Brand being somehow superior to it, still for me a casual player the Binding Blade was great to have Roy use). It’s irritating that the sword has a limited number of uses, but luckily because you get it so late in the game that likely won’t be an issue, still it is best to not waste it on particularly weak enemies. Roy’s class promotes into a Great Lord when he gets the Binding Blade, but the only difference really is the battle sprite he uses and in that case it’s not very easy to see the difference, his armour is mostly a bit better defined from what I can tell, the main difference being he has unique animations when using the Binding Blade which often involves it using fire elements in the attacks Roy uses.

Credits.

For information on this game including dates of releases I must give credit to the Fire Emblem Wiki and Serenes Forest for additional information such as Spotpass Teams in Awakening, for the translation used I would like to thank Dark Twilkitri for their work.

[salsarey]

Eliwood, Knight of Lycia

[archivedflammes]

The world was young, the mountains green, No stain yet on the moon was seen, No words were laid on stream or stone When Durin woke and walked alone.

He named the nameless hills and dells; He drank from yet untasted wells;

He stooped and looked in Mirrormere, and saw a crown of stars appear,

As gems upon a silver thread, Above the shadows of his head.

[first-flower-of-my-house]

[themxtleycrew]

“Dorcas…? I feel like I’m seeing you everywhere today.”

@txctical-pursuit

"I'm not Dorcas, Dorcas is in the training arena. Come on Mark, stop playing around, it's me, Dorcas."

"Mark must be working himself too hard Dorcas, we need to get him to his Dorcas so he can rest."

[royofpherae]

Feh manga #67

[four-loose-screws]

FE6 Novelization Translation - Chapter 14 Section 1

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

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Chapter 14 - Breath of Fate (Section 1)

*Note: The 1st 13 chapters are FE7's novelization.

There was once a man named Damas.

In the center of the continent, sandwiched between the largest and most powerful countries of Etruria and Bern, was the Lycian League. Within one of its various territories, House Pherae, was Bolm Mountain, which Damas had claimed as the stronghold for his bandits. The scope of their operations was small. They were a scruffy group who, at best, could normally only target defenseless travelers and lightly guarded merchant caravans. When they were lucky, they could attack a small village.

They had no interest in hard labor. It was good enough for them to steal money and food from others.

That was why Damas' activity as a bandit never became greater than small attacks. He was small fry who had never even once thought about attacking a noble's estate or a castle’s treasury. 

But when Bern's army suddenly started to invade other countries, he was forced to take actions that were much more bold and daring.

Bern first annexed its neighboring country of Sacae, then Ilia, before finally turning its focus towards Lycia.

All of the knights of Lycia were currently gathering within Marquess Araphen’s territory to prepare for the threat of Bern’s arrival.

To answer their call, because Marquess Eliwood of Pherae was bedridden with an illness, it was decided that his son Roy, next-in-line for his title, would represent Pherae in his place. As part of that decision, the knights of Pherae traveled to retrieve him from Ostia, where he was currently studying.

The only people left in the castle were a small number of troops and the deeply ill marquess.

That was enough information to spur Damas’ timid heart that betrayed his tough face to action.

He took his men with him and made it to Pherae Castle without any roadblocks, but the raised drawbridge, deep moat, and arrows shot over the castle wall prevented them from entry.

Damas' bandits had never attacked a castle before. The remaining knights put up a greater fight than they anticipated, and as they hesitated, Roy returned with the rest of Pherae's army.

“You idiots! While you were all lollygagging about, now these guys have showed up!!”

To hide the fact that this was all a result of Damas’ reckless lack of planning, he started shouting at his men, but it was already far too late. Before the brave and renowned knights of Pherae, they were like leaves being swatted away into the wind.

Within the blink of an eye, all of his bandits were defeated, and a single young soldier was closing in on him, sword in hand.

But he was no ordinary young soldier.

He was a boy about to come of age, with a head of hair as red as a blazing fire - he was none other than Roy himself, next-in-line of Pherae.

“Curse you! Like hell I’m going to die here!!” Damas, now in a state of utter desperation, screamed at Roy and raised his steel axe.

However, the sharp, thin point of Roy’s sword - a rapier - was already aimed at his heart, moving as quickly as a bolt of lightning.

There was no need for Damas to die here. If only his greed had not lured him into choosing a target he could not handle at his mediocre strength, this would not have been the end of his story.

-

The knights of Pherae routed the bandits without taking any major losses nor even sustaining any injuries, and passed through the castle gate.

As they did so, the cheers of the soldiers still stationed at the castle welcomed them back.

As Roy looked around, everyone showed him expressions of joy upon seeing the son of their beloved lord return home safely. It filled them with the confidence that they could guard their castle even in their currently compromised numbers.

Roy responded by waving at them. “Thank goodness… It looks like almost no one got hurt.”

“That does indeed seem to be the case. It appears that this group of bandits attempted to storm the castle without even preparing a single battering ram.” Marcus, standing beside Roy, said with a pained laugh.

Marcas was an older, veteran soldier who had fought through countless battles as the general of the knights of Pherae. Both his hair and chinstrap beard were entirely gray, and deep wrinkles were carved into his face, but he had become an indispensable leader within Pherae’s army.

“I’m happy to say you’re right, General Marcus! When Lance appeared to report the news of the attack to us with his face as white as a sheet, I thought for sure that it was Bern’s army attacking the castle!”

“Alen, I thought that even the worst might happen, and decided that I should tell Lord Roy straight away. Underestimating any enemy could put us in a life-threatening situation.”

Two cavaliers came up from behind them and started bickering with each other.

Alen was from a noble house that had served House Pherae for generations. He was a bit impulsive and hot-headed.

Lance, on the other hand, had only been serving Marquess Eliwood for a few years, and was still an inexperienced new recruit compared to the other members of the knights. However, he was fiercely loyal, and a calm, collected man who always fought with his focus on the battle before him.

They each acknowledged the other’s strength, and thought of them as a worthy rival. Their relationship could be described as that of friends. And because of that relationship, they could express to each other their honest feelings. But they would often say too much, so it was not rare for them to start arguing like they were now.

‘They’re at it again,’ Roy thought, overhearing their exchange, as an archer walked up to him.

“Still, Lord Roy. I was surprised when I saw you face the enemy leader all on your own! Please refrain from putting yourself in danger by going out on the front line!” Said Wolt, a member of the army’s archer unit.

Wolt was Roy’s milk brother, and as such, they were the same age, raised the same as brothers throughout their entire childhood. Because of their connection, Wolt was always worried for Roy’s safety.

His mother Rebecca had been Roy’s wet nurse, and she was stern whenever she told Wolt to protect him. But it was more so his deeply serious nature than his mother’s words that made him scold Roy for his reckless actions.

“I understand. But for me to be alone in the back while everyone else is fighting…” Roy frowned.

“What are you saying?! If anything ever happened to you, then it would make everyone living in Pherae suffer!”

“I know what you’re saying, Wolt, but still…”

“Don’t be like that! Of course Sir Wolt is worried about you!” Interjected Bors, commander of Ostia’s armor knights.

He wore a full suit of armor over his muscular body, which was already like a suit of armor on its own, and had a calm smile on his face that made him likable to everyone. “While I’ve been out fighting, I’ve been worried about Lady Lilina’s well-being this entire time.”

Bors was a retainer of Lilina, Marquess Ostia’s daughter, who had traveled to Pherae to pay a visit to the bedridden Eliwood. He was assigned to serve as her guard on her way home, so he had joined up with the Knights of Pherae while they were in Ostia to retrieve Roy.

However, just as they were nearing the castle, Lance arrived with the report that it was being attacked by bandits.

Upon hearing the news, Bors became so worried for Lilina that it made him jump.

Bors’ words made Roy want to see his father and his childhood friend safe as soon as he possibly could, and so he started moving through the castle even faster.

-

“Roy, you've returned!” When his son arrived in the throne room, Eliwood pushed his body to get up out of bed and greet him.

Marquess Pherae, deeply respected by all the knights of Lycia, was so ill that his cheeks were deeply sunken in, and his muscles had already weakened significantly. Both were symptoms characteristic of a transmittable disease that had ravaged the continent several years prior. Yet the light in his blue eyes that looked at his son was still filled with his knowledge and strong will.

Someone else also rushed over upon seeing Roy - Lady Lilina of Ostia herself.

“Roy!” The moment she saw him, a smile like a flower in bloom spread across her face.

Her father, Hector, marquess of Ostia, the leading house of the Lycian League, shared a deep bond of friendship with Eliwood. They had been friends since childhood, when they met while in Ostia, working hard at their studies together.

Her long hair was as beautiful and lustrous as silk, and her eyes that looked at Roy invoked the same feeling as a calm sea. Just by looking at him, anyone could tell that her father Hector was a big, strong lord his people could rely on; but she was much more like her mother Florina, giving off the sense that she was gentle and ladylike.

“Father! Lilina! …I’m happy to see you both safe.” Upon seeing the two people he had worried about safe and sound, Roy placed a hand on his chest.

“Roy, you must be exhausted after coming all this way.” Eliwood said.

“Not at all, Father! How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. I still have plenty of life left in me. I’m sorry to get straight to the point, Roy, but��� you know the reason why I personally summoned you back to Pherae… right?”

The son nodded at his father’s question. “To lead Pherae’s army and join the Lycian League’s army in your place.”

“That is correct. As you know, Bern to the east has started to invade Lycian territory. To honor the age-old treaty signed by all members of the League, we must send an army to help protect this land.”

“I understand.” He’d heard the words of the Lycian League treaty so many times throughout his childhood that he knew it by heart.

If another country were to ever invade Lycia, all of its territories would band together and fight their foreign invaders. It was an agreement made several hundred years ago to guarantee their safety.

“It was difficult to ask you to return while you are in the middle of your studies, but in my current condition… I would not want to bring everyone else down…”

“Father…” The pained look on his father’s face also hurt Roy as well.

What Eliwood really wanted was to lead the army himself. For both his beloved homeland, and his dearest friend Marquess Ostia… However, he was frustrated that he could not do anything on his own, and regretted that he must entrust this responsibility to his young son instead. Those feelings were written all over his face.

Immediately picking up on Eliwood’s feelings, Lilina said as cheerfully as she could, “Lord Eliwood, I will go with Roy! Father should be with the League’s main army, and if I can be of even a little help to Roy with my magic, then…”

“No, Lilina. You should return home to Ostia.”

“Huh…? But why?”

“Ostia is without its lord at the moment. The people are probably living in fear every day. As the person next-in-line to become their marquess, there are other duties that you must fulfill. You understand that, don’t you?”

“...I do.” Lilina was Hector’s only child. Eliwood was right. She needed to take his place while he was away.

Her only possible response to Eliwood’s argument was to nod.

Eliwood shifted his posture to stand at attention, then turned back towards his son and said, “Roy, you will first meet up with a group of mercenaries I have signed a contract with at the Lycian-Bern border. Merlinus will go with you. He may be easily scared, but he is knowledgeable, and will be of great help to you.”

“Thank you for everything, Father.”

“You'll be fine. If anyone can do this, it's you! Fight honorably as the heir to House Pherae!”

“Yes sir!” Roy said in response to his father, who was wrapping his weakened arms around his shoulders as tightly as he could.

-

At dawn, the knights of Pherae all gathered at the castle gate, having rested their tired bodies after their fight against the bandits. Their overall number of cavalier units was especially high. This was because the knights of Pherae’s greatest skill was their maneuver warfare tactics that expertly utilized cavaliers’ mobility.

“All units, move out!” 

At Roy's orders, the knights were to go with him to meet up with the mercenaries Eliwood hired, and so they all traveled into northern Pherae, near the border with Bern.

They marched with Roy as the vanguard, while Marcus, Alen, Lance, and Wolt all followed him closely.

Behind them was Bors of the Ostian armor knights, who was originally supposed to retrieve Lilina. Roy was worried about Lilina, but since she couldn't go with him, she wanted Bors to take her place.

Finally, in the very rear was Merlinus, one of House Pherae's government officials, and the supply convoy he commanded. The group managed a fleet of horse drawn carriages filled with provisions and supplies essential for battle. They followed magnificently behind the soldiers.

The current season was early summer. The vegetation that grew along either side of the road was all a beautiful bright green.

Roy glanced back past his army and at Pherae Castle getting smaller and smaller. It was the place where he was born, that he knew inside and out.

He vowed that he would return home alive, then turned back around to look straight ahead.

☆

[starts-the-moon]

Headcanons for Roy x Sue

Roy really enjoys doing outdoors activities with Sue, such as hiking, camping, fishing and hunting. He feels it's relaxing

Roy likes it when Sue sings to him, Sacae folksongs or anything really

Sue is an early riser, she wakes up to see the sunrise every morning. She often wakes Roy to have lazy morning sex

Sue likes painting pictures of nature and animals. Roy often gifts her sketchbooks, canvas and brushes

Roy likes to write poems in his diary and Sue keeps some in her bedside

Fae is always roaming in Pherae and she has her own room in the castle

They traveled together once or twice with Fae. Sue toured her around Sacae and Roy showed her Lycia

In her wedding, Sue wore beautiful wreath of ivy in her hair which was the symbol of her motherland

Autumn wedding. She walked barefooted on a field of leaves to reach her groom

When the two were about to kiss, an eagle landed next to them and spread the wings, covering the two. This symbolized their union, and the bird or prey reminded them to protect those under their care

After Sue refused Roy's first proposal, Roy met her again in Sacae when he had gone to meet Dayan. He was dumbstruck when he saw Sue, but this time she simply said with a calm smile: 'yes Roy' and he immediately understood

Sacae threw a big party to celebrate the bethroral. He held her close as they danced the night away around the bonfire

When Sue first arrived Pherae Castle, every kind of rumours started around her, that she was an exotic beauty brought as Roy's slave, a barbarian from the mountains, or even a witch. But that was soon put to rest

They decided to spend the anniversary of their wedding camping in the wilderness

Sue becomes a respected diplomat. She improves relations between Sacae and and Pherae. In Lycia she is the person to talk about Sacae matters

Roy gifted Sue a pendant of a doe and the doe became her symbol and protected animal

As the lady of the castle, Sue takes the noblewomen to horse riding and when it's raining she gives meditation lessons. At first they thought Sue was crazy, as they were expecting tea parties and sewing; but Sue was patient and with time they loved it

Sue found an injured eaglet, she brought home and trained it to fly. The eagle become very fond of Roy and often landed in their shoulders

Pherae castle is filled with animals: dogs, cats, birds and even wolves. Some pets sleep in their bedroom and Roy has no say in that

Sue brought new traditions to Pherae like falconry, which the other nobles thought was odd, but fun. She also introduced the custom of asking for the blessing of the birds, and celebrating every equinox

He does everything to protect Sue from political intrigue in the court but she is just "relax darling". He finds her calmness refreshing

When Eliwood passed away Roy seemed to spiral into despair, but Sue comforts him, she takes him out to walks in the forest and sunrise while they talk about Eliwood, and Roy eventually comes to terms with his passing

Sue hates prisons and in silence, with Roy's blessing, she takes care of the prisoners in the castle

Roy and Sue name their children after nature: flower, rivers, stones, natural phenomenons

Wolt, Lilina and Fae are among the godparents of their children

Visits to grandpa Dayan. They see him once a year and bring gifts from Pherae. Their children are quite familiar with the forest and Way of Sacae, Sue instructs them in the traditions and the warrior code of her tribe

Their children only become fully aware of their parents power and heroism, by hearing the story from their knights or when they go to study in Ostia and they are recognized and asked about the 'heroine' Sue and 'legendary' Roy

When Roy talked to his children about the past it was stories about a war, not about heroic deeds. Sue rarely talked about it

Sue never wears the extravagant clothes and jewels that she is gifted from dignitaries or nobles. She puts them in the closet. Roy just smiles at her saying he knows she doesn't like them

Roy knows exactly how to make Sue laugh and he loves how Sue's lips curve around when she smiles

[mannatea]

part 5!

There's something SO insane about the power plays in Lycia. I almost feel like Lundgren trying to kill his own brother on the down-low is almost the most sane thing that's happened in the last 20 years.

The whole thing with Marquess Santaruz (Lord Helman) is interesting too, btw. That the marquess has no children...and at his age... Is this not another inheritance squabble in the making in the post-game? It should be. Surely he has some relatives... But then, there should also be an inheritance squabble over Caelin, too, even with Lundgren out of the picture. Like you're telling me that these old men had no children, not even bastard children? If Hausen loved his wife and never wanted to take another and have more children: okay. But Lundgren, too? Lundgren would have definitely married and had a slew of children to solidify his place in the family line!

Don't get me wrong, I think one of FE7's strengths is that it's a pretty simple/basic bitch game. Like even a dumbass can understand the plot. But tiny details like this send my brain into overdrive. I now need a post-game fic where as Hausen lays dying Lyn has to deal with claims to the throne from cousins...while Santaruz is also hashing out some bullshit.

Anyway, it's crazy how Elbert was close friends with Helman, and like, oops...no big deal. Helman's just kind of like...friendship ended with Elbert. </3 Darin is my new best friend! <3

It would actually be SUPER interesting if Helman's plan was to see Santaruz ceded to Pherae upon his death.

The tutorial was so annoying and then they do this which is trying to tell you about how to get supports and me, playing this game in 2003, was like. "Hector, Eliwood, Lyn, and Ninian are the only characters who can support. Got it." God I was so stupid.

Anyway, IT'S HECTOR TIME.

"EWWW!" god Serra where would we be without you?

Matthew is a suck up.

OSWIN. <3 <3 <3

Oswin is a really fun character. He follows Hector around but he doesn't defer to him the way Kent and Sain do to Lyn or Marcus and Lowen do to Elwiood. He's a pretty severe guy, but he's not without a sense of humor.

Also look at these Eliwood level ups.

Anyway my strat is mostly to steal Marcus's weapons and leave him out as bait. Works every time. <3 I love u Marcus, but you will not be stealing everyone's XP, thanks.

This is honestly just super sad when you know what's actually going on with Uther.

I love that Hector just drops this bit about experienced bounty hunters and mercenaries going missing, but knowing what we do of Fiora and what happens to her entire wing of knights, it really makes you wonder how many other hired mercenaries and such had no survivors return. Hmmm.

Hector goes awoooo confirmed.

Caelin's very popular. But also, Matthew must have stumbled on Guy in Caelin as he was leaving (following Lyn's reunion with her grandfather, of course).

Get got, Guy. I forgot how Matthew is basically a master manipulator and Guy is so sweet. Omg.

Built Ford Tough™. You sound like a commercial, Hector.

It's true. Hector's high strength is bonkers.

I love how when Eliwood claps back, Hector's like...hmm...true. 😂 I love them so much.

Look at this insane Rebecca level up.

YESSSSSS.

Fuckin'...Darin.........Asshole.......piece of shit....Hate HIM.

Chancellor Reissmann moonlights as steward of Santaruz? Crazy. Kidding, kidding. This man's liege is dead like 25 seconds and he's like, "I guess this makes me the steward. Help???"

Hector's advice is good, obviously, but it's kind of funny to think about how this guy is going to wait for the Lycian League to meet but this quest feels like it takes a year and a half. He'll be waiting a while. Hahaha.

SUPPORTS GOTTEN:

Hector/Eliwood C Support