#kattalksfe

Since it is making the rounds again on xitter, a very popular criticism towards Echoes' story is the inclusion of classism in a game where its main character is the lost prince of an entire empire. It is argued that just the mere existence of this twist invalidates the entire theme of the game, that is to say "anyone can become a hero"

And this never made sense to me, because it's not the game's main theme. It is an aspect that informs you a lot about Rigel and Zofia's values, but never the main point of the game. Professor Bopper made an excellent short video on the subject. He explains it far more eloquently than I ever could do so myself through a literary lens so please give it a watch. However, I would like to provide evidence from the game's story to further support this sentiment.

To illustrate what I mean, this argument starts falling apart as early as Alm's very first meeting with Lukas and more evidently, Clive.

The reason Alm leaves Ram Village aside from wanting a chance to finally see the world beyond it (and potentially see Celica again) is to fill in for Mycen, who refused to join the Deliverance. This is how Alm leverages his value for the cause to Lukas:

Alm: Sir Mycen has been teaching me to use a blade since I was a boy. I've received tutelage in military tactics, medicine, weather, terrain... I know as much about war as any man who has never seen one can. Let me fight for you with my grandfather's gifts. I'll prove he's no cowardly old man. He's a warrior who trains warriors.

And this was Lukas' response to it:

Lukas: Why not? Alm presents a good case. He has a hero's blood in him. ...And clearly a hero's fire. His presence is sure to raise the troops' morale. And for my part, I'm curious to see what a self-proclaimed warrior can do. Especially now that he'll be doing it for the Deliverance.

Keep in mind that Lukas is quite shrewd and also crafty. In order to safely retreat from Zofia castle, the Deliverance used Rigelian hostages that were trying to leave the kingdom. Lukas has shown that he is ready to do what is necessary to ensure success if the worst comes. It's exactly what lets him support Clive's idea of making Alm the group's leader.

Clive: This needs to happen, Fernand. You know it as well as I. It's true the Deliverance began as a group of like-minded Zofian knights, but it's grown into an army where most of our volunteers are of common birth. We share a cause, but little else. I know not how to speak to their hearts. Sir Mycen began as a common soldier before rising to a knight and a count. His story resonates with these people. Do you not agree that his grandson is just the banner they would rally to?

A lot of emphasis is placed on the fact that Alm is Mycen's grandson by "blood". Mycen was an option in the first place because he is a man that could rally BOTH the commoners and the noble knights within the army (with Fernand as the exception but that's another topic entirely). However, within the same conversation, Lukas argues that Alm has shown promise which is why this decision is more sound to him than you would believe.

Lukas: Knights don't have a monopoly on skill, and Alm is as able a fighter as any. Clive has done all he can to hold the Deliverance together thus far, but if our ship is astray, then we must chart a new course. Alm is that course.

During this entire scene, with just Alm, you have him judged based on who he is related to while also measuring his skill on the battlefield. Additionally, as Fernand is ranting about the state of the Deliverence, he drags Forsyth and Python for being commoners, so Clive defends them both.

Clive: Both of them have proven themselves on the battlefield time and again! Are you suggesting I deny my men fair reward for their achievements? What incentive would they have then?! The damned army wouldn't function!

Even this early into the story we have both aspects highlighted primarily by people who are older and more experienced than Alm. And If I am gonna be even more precise, Gaiden's script implied something similar during the same sequence but with no mention of a person's merit.

Clive: So, you're Alm? Thank you for saving my sister. Well, I've got a favor to ask of you. Starting today, will you lead our forces? That's why we sought Sir Mycen, Zofia's hero, but for some reason, he's refused us. Therefore, I'd like you to command our units in his place. So, Alm. I'm counting on you to save Zofia.

With all that I have mentioned so far, we can safely surmise that this is plain hypocrisy, and it's 100% intended by the narrative. Our primary vessel of such hypocrisy in Echoes is Clive himself.

While in Gaiden, Alm's legitimacy as Mycen's kin was never doubted by any of the characters within the army, Echoes gives Clive a subplot where he does exactly that. It begins as early as the end of Act 1, as Clive is present when Alm speaks with an old timer about his grandfather. And it's a major part of Act 3 later. Clive decides to keep his doubts to himself, which is very in character for him, man has a tendency to a turn a blind eye for his own sake.

Fernand: ...Oh, I can assure you it is no folly. My source has known Sir Mycen for years. The old knight has no family. Heh. Perhaps he made some orphan his ward so he wouldn't have to die alone. Clive: You lie... And yet there is the matter of what the old man at the castle said... Fernand: Ha ha ha! Oh, Clive. You've become the very picture of absurdity. Once you were a man to whom the lineage of our noble houses meant all. But now you take for your future king a boy you don't know from a gutter rat! Clive: ......

Apart from getting to the sluice gate, major events during Alm's Act 3 involve stopping Mathilda's execution as well as saving Delthea from Tatarrah's control. Noticeably, Clive is more distant to Alm than usual for a significant portion of this act as he questions whether or not giving leadership to the boy was a mistake. In spite of that, he is adamant about rescuing Mathilda, and begins protesting when Alm desires to help save Delthea in the same earnest way as he wants to help Mathilda. Clive doubting his leader's origins internally only adds to this disagreement. And of course, Alm sees right through this contradiction.

Clive: Forgive me if I am out of place. I do not mean to question your leadership. But the purpose of the Deliverance is not to save one girl at a time, correct? Sometimes we must examine a situation more dispassionately. Alm: ...... Suppose it wasn't a village maiden. Suppose it was a princess or some noble daughter. Then would you go save her? Clive: Well... That's hardly the same thing. Alm: It's exactly the same thing. Look, I know I can't save everyone, and that I'll have to make hard choices. But those choices can't ever be based on the station of a person's birth. I thought you felt the same. Clive: I... I do. Alm: Then humor me this time. Because I'm going to need your sword. Clive: ......

Regardless whether or not you reach Mathilda on time, Clive will finally voice his opinion that he may have had a serious lapse in judgement.

Clive: ...... I wish I could stand by my choices, unwavering. I have always done what I thought to be right, even when my heart disagreed. But now I must face cold reality. I may have made a terrible error.

Alm will not defend himself here, nor will question Clive about what he knows, but, he will own up to his reasoning as to why he must lead and what he wants to do for the people. Upon witnessing his earnest wish to help Fernand despite it all, Clive puts his trust back into Alm. And in the event of Mathilda dying he retracts any harsh words he may have thrown out in a moment of grief.

To cap off on Clive, nothing speaks more about his thoughts on the nobility and common folk than his entire support chain with Python... which you can only unlock upon beating the DLC so I do not blame people for not seeing it, but it needs to be mentioned. Throughout it, the pair has a respectable back and forth about privilege and the wide gap between the knights of Zofia and the new recruits within the Deliverance. Said gap is nicely displayed in their own debate, so here's an excerpt from their A support:

Clive: Python, I believe in structure. There should be a king and a nobility, and beneath them, common people. That is the structure I was born into. And, to be blunt, I still believe it is the structure a kingdom needs to survive. So I apologize if that does not sit well with you. Python: ...... Clive: But I CAN believe all that and still have tremendous respect for you. I mean what I say, Python: Noble or common, any man who fights at my side is my ally and friend. I just wanted you to know that. Python: ...I really got your silk stockings in a bunch, didn't I? Well so long as we're leveling with each other, I think you're dead wrong. Nobles living fancy while the people starve ain't structure—it's privilege. And I hate any man who looks down on me because of it. Now, does that mean I hate you? No. You may not be my FAVORITE person in all the land, but— Clive: Clearly not.

They both acknowledge that while they can never agree on this nor be friends really at that matter, they can both do their best to see this war to the end. Broadly speaking, while Clive is quite contradictory on the subject thanks to his upbringing, he is well meaning enough even though he doesn't go about it in the best way. In that sense he matches his sister Clair quite nicely, though I would say her own ignorance is more played up for laughs.

Before I circle back to Alm, I need to briefly mention Forsyth here as well, because he is the best example of earning one's place on the Deliverance side. While gullible and serious to a fault, he worked diligently for his spot as the lieutenant of the Deliverance/One Kingdom's knights. Forsyth is perfectly aware of his station, and while Python had given up on going up any further, he did no such thing. In his words during the retreat from Zofia castle, he knows what he is capable and he will become a knight. In his second and third base conversations, he talks about it not being easy at all but he appreciates the support he has gotten so far which only made him work harder. Forsyth also takes his failures very personally, which can range from moping around to more... let's say, emotional outbursts as seen in the drama cd. Looking as far as back as the time before him and Python had joined the Deliverance, Forsyth wanted to believe that he would be judged fairly:

Forsyth: I admit you...could be right. But I also hear their leader, Sir Clive, is a just and reasonable man. I wager he'll judge us based on what we can do and not the station of our birth. Or perhaps you'd rather turn around and continue working for Lord Dunderhead? Python: Ha! Not bloody likely. So is leaving the soldier game for good completely off the table at this point? Forsyth: You're welcome to return home and be a carpenter like your father. Python: Eh? Ugh... The only thing I hate more than swords is hammers... Forsyth: There you go, then. You're a gifted archer, so use the gifts you have. You won't catch me running home to be some bookworm like my sire. I've made a name for myself as a warrior. May as well take that to its logical conclusion and do some more warring.

Interestingly enough Forsyth mentions that it's an honor to fight with Mycen's grandson in his first base conversation so I thought I should point it out.

Moving along, what about Alm's contributions? During the game's story he is lauded for his leadership as he grows more into his role, and time and time again he exceeds expectations. He is quite rash and impulsive all things considering, especially at the beginning. When he becomes the leader of the Deliverance, it is to primarily be a symbol, while Clive and Lukas would handle the rest to account for his lack of experience. Alm's story as a whole is about how his narrowminded ideas of justice and the world at large will be shaken to the very core as he gains more and more responsibility, Mycen warns him of such during the end of Act 1:

Mycen: So I ask again: Are you ready to take the lives of others into your hands? Are you ready to shoulder all of their burdens? Their desires? And are you ready to fight and bleed until Zofia and all of Valentia is saved? Alm: I am. I know I may be in over my head, and I still have much to learn. But when I say I will fight for my kingdom, I will fight for my kingdom. No one will stop me. Nothing will break me. I'll see it through to the very end.

And guess what, Alm was right, he greatly underestimated what was ahead of him. Minutes after this conversation he messes up with Celica, which started their entire argument. Alm is a teenager that grew up in the countryside, and he sure acts like one. Teeangers more often than not believe that they know everything about the world before their frontal lobe even fully forms, I mean, I sure as hell acted like that at his age. Why doesn't the lost princess of Zofia just magically appear and fix all of this if she is indeed alive?

If there is one issue I have when it comes Alm's rise into his position is that I wish he had more moments, or rather just more pronounced moments of personal failure as a leader. The drama cd made an attempt at making his naivety detrimental to the movement. Was it a good attempt? Ummmm... not exactly??? But it was an attempt nonetheless. Celica meanwhile had plenty of scenes that express how her flaws affect her journey so I just wish Alm had gotten a similar treatment. That was your certified "Kat bemoans Echoes' mysoginy" moment for this post folks.

That aside, he does get better at playing the hero and being the leader in Act 3 onwards. He beats Berkut on more than one occasion, to a point that it forces Berkut to use methods beneath him in order to win. He is charismatic and a skilled fighter. Alm can successfully save Mathilda, prove Clive wrong when he rescues Delthea and in turn Clive fully places his faith in him. You can see it as such in his third base conversation among other examples:

Clive: Look how far we've come, Alm. In truth, there were times along the way where I often questioned my choices, but now, I do believe them all to have been sound. Thank you, Alm, for being everything I hoped you would be. ...Enough woolgathering, though. Rigel Castle is in sight. Lead us to the end of this wretched war once and for all.

While Alm's reasons for saving Zofia/Valentia have always been noble overall (albeit juvenile), they become less shallow and a bit more personal, because in Act 4 he realizes how he messed up with Celica during their quarell and now pledges himself to give her back her kingdom. It's cute and still points out just how young he is. Speaking of the story emphasizing how Alm is just a teenager- how about we actually look into the reveal that apparently "ruined the theme".

So what does this plot twist actually change in the grand scheme of things? Quite frankly, nothing. On a personal level though, everything.

Nothing in a sense that well, regardless whether or not Alm was Rudolf's son, he was still on his way to become king, people around him basically expected that from him at this point. He was still raised as a commoner by Mycen and taught thoroughly in the art of warfare. He still won all of his battles as the leader of the Deliverance, and more importantly he fought for the kingdom, and by extension Celica. More importantly however is the prophecy. His fate was predetermined, the brand on his left hand (right arm in Gaiden) was the proof that already. Him and Celica were always supposed to be the ones to save Valentia from the twilight of its gods (bad pun I am aware, I am channeling my inner Alm). It's standard Fire Emblem that the lord is going to answer their calling and save the world from peril. It's no different in Echoes.

Everything in a sense that Alm's world completely shatters, his own sense of self is challenged and he is once again pushed into a role he never really asked for. His true identity robs him of his blood connections and everything that was familiar to him. I had expressed before in my Berkut analysis that one of Alm's core character traits that sets him apart from most of the other lords in the series is his deep attachment to who he is as person, or rather how he is Mycen's grandson. It's a "fact" that he uses to convince Lukas that he is suited for the Deliverance at the very beginning of the game, which I had referenced in this very post. He had his doubts during Act 3 & 4 but he would push them down at any given opportunity, which is why he never pressed Clive to explain himself. Alm falling apart upon understanding the gravity of his actions is nothing less than understandable. Which leads us to this important exchange between him and Mycen:

Alm: And what of my peace?! Mycen: This is not the time for mourning or self-pity, boy. Rudolf’s purpose now falls to you. The true foe you must defeat is Duma. As well as the zealots tainted by his madness who seek control of Valentia: Jedah and his Duma Faithful. If you do not hurry, Celica’s life will also be in peril.

In his whirlwind of emotions, Alm is pulled back into reality when Mycen reminds him that Celica is still at risk. Celica was always in some way part of Alm's goal(s) during the story, it's a personal matter to him.

Lords across the Fire Emblem series had all lost family members and are all pushed into roles of leadership at a relatively young age. However what makes most of them different from Alm is that they were raised for their future roles in some shape form, they were just put into that position sooner rather than later. The only sort of exceptions to the rule aside from our local farm boy are: Lyn, who regardless of her ending relinquishes the Caelin territory to Ostia anyway & Micaiah, who isn't given enough time to have her feelings on becoming queen of Daein explored by the narrative compared to her being the Maiden of Dawn. Alm meanwhile was specifically raised as a commoner, and he behaves accordingly, despite eventually wanting to fulfill his new role. Of note is his changed stance with Berkut, as he desperately tries to keep his only remaining blood relative alive. Alm utterly fails at doing that because he is basically repeating his behavior from Act 1:

Alm: The path ahead is a difficult one for us all. So help us, Berkut. Lend us your strength! Rigel’s people trust and love you far more than me. You and I are cousins, after all. Family. I didn’t think I had any family in this world, and yet, here you are. I know we can be close friends as well. Let’s work together, Berkut. Put all we have toward ensuring all Valentia is— Berkut: Silence.

It's basically a repeat of how he hurt Celica all that time ago. He doesn't see the full picture (and in this case he never will) and spoke of his wants instead. Why can't Berkut put our past behind us so we could be family? Alm being the heir to throne of Rigel destroyed everything Berkut was supposed to become. Much like how in Act 1, promoting Alm as the leader of the Deliverance spat on everything Fernand has believed in and endangered his own place in the world.

Not being able to let go of his feelings on the subject, at least temporarily, is shown in Alm's C support with Mycen, where he refuses to speak to him until he sorts things out. And in B & A, Alm explains that it's because he is "not his grandson anymore", that originally joined the deliverance to prove that even a tiny part of Mycen lives on in him. It only further reinforces Alm's attachment to blood ties, as he only ever had his grandfather for family prior to... everything.

Another pretty substantial piece of evidence that proves the value of the twist itself is the Mycen-Rudolf memory prism:

Rudolf: Promise me, my friend. Promise you will shape my boy into a true champion before that day comes. If he stays in Rigel, the Duma Faithful will doubtless attempt to take his life. I want none to know of him so he has a chance to grow up hale and happy. This is the only thing I can do for him as his father. Mycen: ...Very well, my friend. I promise to take care of him. I'll do what it takes to make him the finest champion.

In Gaiden, Rudolf's plan seemed overly complicated for what he was trying to achieve. Echoes incorporating Duma and Mila's ethos through Rigel and Zofia overall gives us a better reason as to why. In Rigel, as strength and contribution are valued above all else, then it only makes sense that Rudolf, a Rigelian Emperor, wishes for his child to grow into a fierce warrior that could defeat him in combat. In his own words nothing could have made him prouder in this scenario. Simply hiding Alm away to them suddenly show up as the secret heir all along would be contradictory to everything Rigel stands for as a country. That is what I mean by: Rudolf's son or not, Alm still had to work to earn the position he was gonna end up in anyway.

Also can I point out that Alm's first real moment as the next Rigelian emperor also involves his personal feelings, because in spite of the fact that he is doing what was imposed on him by... basically everyone, he will still be himself at the end of the day. This whole scene is just really neat, very Fire Emblem, I clap every time:

Clive: …… Even if we escape from Duma’s control, a starving people can know no peace. Villains and thieves will arise to feed on the weakest and most vulnerable. Are you prepared to inflict that upon the world? Alm: I will dedicate my life as emperor to ensuring such a thing doesn’t happen. And yes, I know as well as anyone that there will be losses along the way. I think I’ve learned that much by now… But when I think of the next thousand years, I don’t want this. I want to leave behind a world where we shape our lives by our own hands. Where we make our own mistakes and fix them—as many times as necessary. That’s a world worthy of a future. Clive: …So be it. If you have the determination to see it through, I’ll not object. I am yours to command, Your Excellency.

Idk if I am properly articulating my thoughts on the subject here but what I am trying to say is that my usual response to that critique is: "Well, yeah that was pretty much the point."

Anyway the point I am trying to make is that you can perfectly enjoy their relationship even though it is absolutely unhealthy. The messiness of if it all informs you a lot of things about the setting and the characters involved. Was it executed well? Eh not reallyyyy, as I wish Rinea had more chances to express her thoughts rather than being used as a plot device in order to humanize Berkut or more accurately- not be so underwritten cuz *cough Echoes has a misogyny problem.