lyon
...Back home...
It almost feels strange.
We've been on the run
for so long...
I can hardly believe I'm
back at the castle.
selena
Prince Lyon, we should
search for the emperor.
The battle may be over, but
there may be traitors left.
We cannot let them get to
the emperor before we do!
Who knows what they'd do,
now that they're cornered...
riev
I am one step ahead, General Selena.
I sent Valter to look for him.
(Selena starts.)
selena
Valter?! Why him?
Prince, we have to--
(Valter approaches.)
valter
I found him!
I found the emperor!
But... He is not alone.
His guardian...
lyon
Who is it?
Is it a traitor?
valter
Hah... Why spoil the surprise?
I was going to kill him and
bring the emperor here, but...
He told me the most
interesting story.
I figured you wouldn't believe
me, so I left him alive.
I wonder how you'll react
to it, Selena.
(Lyon starts.)
lyon
...!
selena
...We must hurry, Prince!
(They descend into the castle dungeon, where Vigarde sits.)
selena
E...Emperor Vigarde...!
vigarde
......
lyon
Careful, Selena!
He's not alone!
(Selena starts.)
selena
It can't be...
(Duessel approaches.)
selena
Duessel...
You rescued the emperor?
duessel
Come now, Selena.
Don't be foolish.
selena
...You turned against
us as well...
duessel
How could I not?
I know too much now.
I can never go back...
lyon
...Selena, I've heard enough.
Attack, before he harms my father!
selena
No, Prince Lyon.
I wish to hear what he
has to say for himself.
lyon
But--
riev
He already told Valter,
Prince.
There's no stopping it now...
Let this happen.
lyon
......
selena
Duessel...
Please, speak to me.
Why did you turn on
the emperor?
duessel
The emperor is dead,
Selena.
That is the truth of
this entire war.
selena
...Don't be daft, Duessel.
He's standing right next
to you!
duessel
He is, but...
Explain this to me.
What manner of living man
reacts like this to injury?
(Selena starts.)
selena
Duessel! Don't--!
(Duessel strikes Vigarde.)
selena
Duessel...
How could you?!
No more words!
Prepare yourself!
duessel
Be silent for a moment,
Selena, and listen!
selena
I have no reason to listen
to a traitor like you!
duessel
Not me, Selena.
The emperor.
Listen to him...
selena
What...?
vigarde
......
selena
He's not...
...He's not saying a word...
duessel
Exactly, Selena. Nothing.
Not even the slightest grunt!
The wound I just inflicted upon
his body is grievous...
Look how he bleeds, and yet,
no reaction. He hardly flinched!
selena
......
That's...
That's impossible...
duessel
Prince Lyon performed dark
sorcery on his father's corpse.
He reanimated it, but his self
is all but gone.
He is nothing more than a
puppet now...
The emperor as we knew him
is dead.
selena
No... No, you're mistaken!
You have to be...
Surely there's some kind
of explanation for...
duessel
That is what I seek.
Prince Lyon... I have one question
for you, and one alone.
lyon
Huh...?
duessel
Did you murder your father?
lyon
......
(Selena turns to Lyon.)
selena
Answer the question,
Prince.
lyon
...Sigh...
(Lyon steps closer.)
lyon
...I did not.
I swear it.
I did not kill my father.
What reason could I possibly
have had to kill him?
duessel
Emperor Vigarde would never
have started this war.
He was an obstacle in the
way of your plans, Prince.
lyon
No!
My plans...
My father, he...
(Lyon trembles.)
The only reason I've done all
this is because he passed!
selena
He... passed?
When? No more lies, Prince!
I want the full truth!
lyon
Then you'll have it.
In short...
A little over a year ago,
my father fell sick.
The healers did all they
could, but...
Well, it was too much.
The illness took his life.
You accused me of murdering
my father, Duessel...
But the truth could not be
further from that.
I only wanted to SAVE him!
To bring him back...!
duessel
Bring him back?
From the dead?!
lyon
Yes, Duessel!
It sounds mad, doesn't it?
We kept his death a secret
and got to work.
You see, my court mages and I had
been studying our Sacred Stone.
selena
The Fire Emblem...
lyon
The power of the Sacred Stones
is nothing short of miraculous.
We've already used it in the
past, a few times.
Do you recall the story I told
you, Duessel?
About the little girl from Serafew
whose life we saved?
The Sacred Stone's power made
that miracle possible.
duessel
......
lyon
...But I was too slow.
I couldn't save my father.
Before we could figure out
how to cure his illness...
He died. And then, the problem
became even more difficult.
To cheat death... It seemed an
insurmountable challenge.
selena
And yet, you did it...
You revived him!
lyon
Eventually, I managed to unlock...
a different power in the Stone.
It was divided in two. One, the
Fire Emblem. And the other...
selena
What is that? A pitch-black
gemstone...
duessel
Dark as the night's sky...
lyon
I call it the Dark Stone.
Its power dwarfs even that
of the Sacred Stones.
With this... I made my father's
body move. Nothing more.
I was forced to accept defeat...
I am not good enough.
(Lyon sobs.)
I'm useless... My father is gone
forever, and I could do nothing!
duessel
Prince... Please, dry your
tears. You did all you could.
lyon
......
duessel
But, I don't understand.
Why wage this war?
You should have simply
announced his death, and taken his place as
emperor of Grado!
What possessed you
to do all this?!
lyon
It gets worse. I may not have
been able to save my father...
But we had found other uses
for the Sacred Stone's magic.
We had a vision of Grado's future...
It still keeps me up at night.
A terrible earthquake will destroy
our country and kill our people.
(Selena and Duessel both start.)
selena
What?!
duessel
That cannot be!
lyon
I had hoped my father would know
what to do, but then...
There is only one way I can save Grado.
I must destroy the Sacred Stones...
With them gone, the limits placed on
my Dark Stone's magic will disappear.
And then... I can use all of that magic
to stop the calamity!
I can build a bright future for Grado...
A future my father would be proud of.
But I need your help...
Please, Generals! You have to trust me!
duessel
......
And you would build that future on all
of this suffering and death?
Even if we survive, the entire world
will despise us for what we've done!
You sentence Grado to an even worse
fate than the one you gleaned!
This is not what your father would
have wanted...
lyon
General Duessel...
duessel
I shall leave now. Do with...
this cadaver as you must.
Next we meet... It shall be
with our weapons drawn.
selena
Duessel, wait!
duessel
Goodbye, Selena.
It has been an honor.
But I can see it in your eyes...
You will not join me.
Follow your heart,
as I shall follow mine.
(Duessel leaves.)
riev
Heh heh heh...
What next, Selena?
Was he correct? Will you truly
remain loyal to our prince?
selena
......
Prince Lyon... I told you once a piece
of your father lives on in you.
With him gone...
All I can do is remain at your side.
For you are His Majesty's heir, and
you shall carry on his vision.
We shall protect his legacy...
Our glorious empire, together.
lyon
(smiles) I'm grateful, Selena...
riev
(smiles) Heh heh heh...
Thank goodness.
I was afraid I'd have
to kill you...
selena
I just... want to ask... What will we do
with Emperor Vigarde's remains now?
lyon
(serious) As one who no longer lives,
he can feel no pain.
This makes him an exceptional
tool for war...
I understand it will pain you.
It pains me, as well.
But we cannot discard such
a powerful weapon...
Officially, he shall abdicate
the throne to me hence.
The secret stays between
us few that already know.
Is that acceptable to you,
Selena?
selena
...I understand.
Allow me to renew my vows
to you, Prince Lyon.
No... That won't do anymore.
On my name as Fluorspar,
I shall remain steadfast evermore
in my loyalty to Grado and...
To you, Emperor Lyon.
lyon
......
(Valter approaches.)
valter
Ah, you're still
here.
Where's Duessel?
Did you kill him?
lyon
...It doesn't matter.
What's wrong, Valter?
valter
A messenger arrived.
It's from Jehanna.
Frelian troops have taken
Jehanna Hall!
(Lyon starts.)
lyon
What?! Frelian troops?
Are you certain, Valter?
valter
Apparently, Glen and Caellach
are still alive, but...
Looks like we'll need to go
save their sorry hides.
riev
Heh heh heh... Such unreliable
underlings they are...
I suggest we hasten our step
toward the desert, Prince.
It would not do to lose half
our army.
lyon
Yes... Let's go, everyone!
Leave some of your monsters
to protect Grado Keep, Riev.
riev
As you command.
Heh heh heh...