Mordred (Japanese:モルドレッドMordred) is the king ofEtruria inFire Emblem: The Binding Blade.

Biography

Mordred is king ofEtruria and the father ofMyrddin. A year prior^[1] to theDisturbance of Bern, Myrddin was poisoned and presumed dead. The loss of his son caused Mordred to fall into deep grief. As a consequence, he ignored the governance of Etruria, seeming detached from reality. His condition allowed the high chancellor of Etruria,Roartz, to essentially take command of the country.^[2]

During the Disturbance, afterRoy freed theWestern Isles from Etruria's rule, Roartz, together with the lordArcardo, staged a coup d'état. They took control of Aquileia, Etruria's capital, and took Mordred hostage. The threat to Mordred's life served to force the two generalsDouglas andPerceval into siding with the revolutionaries against the approaching Lycian Army accompanied by the last general,Cecilia.^[3]

Unknown to Mordred, however, his son still lived. Under the guise of the simple bard Elffin, Myrddin had already joined the Lycian Army, causing Perceval to defect. Even so, Douglas remained by Mordred's side, fighting against the Lycian Army until the very moment Aquileia was liberated from the Bernese wyvern generalNarcian.

Now free, Mordred immediately asks Roy to recapture the Saint's Tower from Bern's remaining forces. In return, he allows Roy to take anything useful from the tower, including the legendary weaponAureola. Even so, Myrddin did not reveal his identity and stayed with the now Etrurian Army, leaving Mordred to still grieve him. Only after the Disturbance of Bern did Myrddin return to his father's side.

Personality

Mordred is deeply affected by his grief for his son. He no longer pays attention to his own kingdom, appearing detached from reality.^[2] Due to the depth of his grief, it is fair to presume he deeply loves his son. In his interaction with Roy, Mordred is curt. He merely introduces himself before asking Roy for another favor, after which he thanks Roy and leaves without another word, which Roy interprets as a sign of Mordred's grief still affecting him, even right after Mordred has been freed from the threat to his life.^[4]

TheGenerals of Etruria show great loyalty to Mordred. Prior to Myrddin's alleged death, the generals believed in Mordred's will as aiding the good of Etruria,^[5] implying that Mordred was a kind and just ruler. ParticularlyDouglas would give his life to protect Mordred's, even when he knows opposing the Lycian Army is pointless.^[6]

Other appearances

Fire Emblem: Hasha no Tsurugi

Mordred briefly appears in a flashback inChapter 29, whenNarcian remindsDouglas that Mordred will be killed if he refuses to fight the Lycian Army. Douglas reminisces that he has served Mordred for twenty years now, and renews his vow to lay down his life for his king.

During the battle for Aquileia,Al andFae search for Mordred. With both Douglas andJemmie defeated, Narcian rushes toward the tower where Mordred is held in order to directly threaten the Lycian Army with his hostage. Mordred makes his first proper appearance inChapter 31, when Narcian breaks into his room. He lies in bed in the dark, only tiredly lamenting the state of Bern as Narcian holds a sword to his throat. He does not resist, which enrages Narcian, though Fae breaks through the ground and absconds with Mordred atop his bed before Narcian can kill him. Al drives Narcian out of the tower, securing Mordred's safety.

After Aquileia is retaken, the three Generals of Etruria visit Mordred's bedside, where he laments not resisting Bern all the while still mourning his son. Elffin does not reveal himself to his father, saying that he will see Mordred when the fighting is over. However, at Al's suggestion, Elffin plays music by Mordred's window. Mordred recognizes the music his son adored, which grants him a restful sleep for the first time since Myrddin's apparent death.

Etymology and other languages

References

This article is part ofProject Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in theFire Emblem series.