Fernand (Fire Emblem)



Fernand is a villain of Fire Emblem Echoes.

Synopsis
The son of a noble family, Fernand's and Clive's families knew each other for a long time, leading him to grow up with Clive and Clair like siblings. Fernand had an elder sister as well as two younger siblings. The latter were a result of his father's second marriage, but he was nonetheless very close to them both. Seeing the injustices lead by Desaix, Fernand, Clive, Clair, and Mathilda established the Deliverance, an organization dedicated to protecting Zofia and eventually, overthrowing Desaix.

While Fernand was a dedicated knight who believed in protecting the masses, a massive drought had plagued Zofia for the past few years. Many of the commoners felt that the nobles were hording resources to protect themselves while ignoring the masses. This lead to a large rebellion in which Fernand's family estate was caught in, resulting in their death. This left a large fissure in his heart as, while he still continued to oppose Desaix, he grew to despise the common masses.

He first appears following a battle in Southern Zofia, where, upon learning of the fall of the Southern Outpost, he rode out in order to aid Clive's sister, Clair, who had been taken captive at the outpost. However, the group led by Alm and Lukas had already liberated the Outpost and freed Clair before Fernand's arrival. Fernand is frustrated that Lukas would have allowed common villagers to join the Deliverance, but is convinced to accept them by Clair, who reminds him of Clive's belief that a soldier's worth should not determined by their birth. He eventually returns to the Deliverance Hideout in disgust, after Clair chooses to remain with Alm's group instead of returning with him.

Shortly after, Alm and his group arrive at the Deliverance Hideout, and are greeted heartily by Clive, who is grateful to them for rescuing his sister. Clive decides that, with the increasing number of commoners joining the Deliverance, he should cede the Deliverance's leadership to Alm, the grandson of the legendary knight Mycen, as he believes that Mycen's story of rising above his common birth to become a knight and count of Zofia resonates with the commoners, and Mycen's grandson would be better suited to lead them. Fernand is outraged by this, and abandons the Deliverance on the spot, rather than allow himself to be led by a common villager such as Alm. He leaves the Deliverance Hideout, and is arrested by Desaix's soldiers shortly after.

Following his arrest, Fernand is brought before Desaix at Zofia Castle. Fernand tells Desaix of his decision to quit the Deliverance, and of its new leader. Desaix mulls over this new information, before determining that, rather than killing Fernand, he should instead serve under Berkut, the imperial prince of Rigel, who Desaix claims better befits Fernand's ideals. Fernand tells Berkut of Alm, the commoner now leading the Deliverance, to which Berkut responds that a commoner cannot hope to successfully lead an army of knights. Fernand is immediately enraptured by Berkut's words. The two observe the battle between the Deliverance and Desaix's forces, but the Deliverance proves victorious, forcing Berkut to retreat, with Fernand following him.

Fernand later appears as part of a battalion led by Zakson of the Rigelian army in northern Zofia. The members of the Deliverance are shocked to see Fernand as part of the Rigelian army, but Fernand explains that he believes Rigel's morals and standards to be worth fighting for, and that he would rather see Berkut unite Valentia under Rigel's rule, than fight for Zofia alongside a group of commoners. Fernand claims that Clive was wrong in making Alm leader of the Deliverance, as his main reasoning, that Alm was Mycen's grandson, was a lie. This, together with a similar claim made by a man at Zofia Castle, plants doubts in Clive's mind. Battle ensues, and the Deliverance once again are successful, forcing Fernand to retreat. He rejoins Berkut's group at the Forest Crossroads, where Berkut decides to challenge the Deliverance himself for "sport", with a small group consisting of himself, Fernand, and a single Paladin. This proves to be a misjudgment on Berkut's part, and he is defeated and forced to withdraw.

Before departing for Rigel, Fernand visits Desaix's Fortress, where Clive's lover Mathilda is being held prisoner. Fernand informs Mathilda of his decision to leave the Deliverance, stating he has no desire to fight for Zofia again, despite Mathilda's attempts to convince him to reconsider; however, he does muse that, with Mathilda by his side, he might have remained with the Deliverance. Fernand departs, saying what he expects to be his final farewell to Mathilda, as she is due to be put to death by Desaix.

Fernand next encounters the Deliverance on the border between Zofia and Rigel, where Berkut intends to defend Rigel to atone for his failure in the Forest Crossroads. Despite their best efforts, Alm once again prevails against them, making Fernand convince Berkut to withdraw.