Pelleas

Pelleas ​is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. He is believed to be the son of Ashnard and the prince of Daein. He has a strong devotion to his country and desires to free it from oppression by the Begnion Occupational Army. Pelleas acts as a figurehead for the Daein Liberation Army, which he entrusts Micaiah to lead in his stead as the commanding general.

He is one of the two characters who can be unlocked during the second playthrough of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and onwards, and one of the two playable characters in the game able to wield Dark Magic, Lehran being the other.

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Pelleas grew up in an orphanage in Daein, having no idea of his supposed royal blood. When he was thirteen years old, he made a pact with the spirits to protect him and grant him magical power, thus he obtained the mark of the Spirit Charmer. It was because of this mark, and Pelleas’s blue, curly hair, similar to Ashnard’s, that led Izuka, who was at this time already working for the Begnion Senate, to claim that Pelleas was Ashnard’s only son. He showed Pelleas’s mark to Almedha (who was half-mad with grief from losing her birth-right, her son, and her brother Rajaion) and she immediately believed Izuka’s story, as did Pelleas. Izuka continued to spread the rumor of Ashnard’s heir, and this led to the formation of the Liberation Army of Daein. The rumors eventually caught the attention of the Dawn Brigade, who joined forces with the liberation army, with Micaiah as its commander.

It is on Pelleas’s behalf that the Liberation Army overthrows the Occupational Army. Just before their assault on Daein Keep, Pelleas, despite his lack of talent in speech-making, delivers a speech of encouragement that reflects the one Elincia, as a princess, had made near the end of Path of Radiance.

On the day of his coronation, Izuka fools him into signing a Blood Pact with Begnion that forces him to follow the orders of Begnion’s Senate; should he not, the senate would invoke the pact’s curse, leading to the slow deaths of all of Daein’s citizens. This pact is what forces Pelleas to send the Daein Army against the Laguz Alliance. Later, he presents the national weapons of Daein to the original members of the Dawn Brigade for their service, the weapons being Caladbolg, Lughnasadh, and Tarvos, to Edward, Leonardo, and Nolan, respectively. Upon conferring with Micaiah, he frantically begins to research a means of dispelling the pact, and learns that its curse can only be prevented if the signer of the pact is killed by a third party. He then asks that Micaiah kill him to save Daein.

At this point, the player is given the option of having either Micaiah or Tauroneo kill him. Either option will result in the player finding out that killing Pelleas was futile, as dispelling the blood pact also requires the destruction of the document itself. In this case, the mark of the blood pact will transfer to Micaiah, and remains on her wrist until the second requirement is met. However, in all subsequent playthroughs, the player can have Micaiah refuse the request altogether. In this case, Pelleas realizes that killing Lekain would also dispel the blood pact, and he thus begins to regain his confidence. He also finds out that his mother is a Dragon Laguz, and this is what first leads him to question his heritage.

He will later fight with Tibarn’s Hawk Army in Part IV. During that time, Almedha would try to cling to him, prompting Pelleas to keep his distance for a while out of discomfort. Eventually, perhaps because he feels he doesn’t deserve a mother’s love for his actions (and the fact that he doubts his heritage by now), he rejects his mother and takes to the field, feeling the need to be useful. When Tibarn’s group confront Izuka, Pelleas learns from him that he is not the true heir: he was merely intended to be Izuka’s puppet. Izuka had apparently been promised dominion over Daein if he fulfilled the senate’s wishes.

If Pelleas is brought to the Tower of Guidance, he can exact his revenge on Lekain for using him, stating that his newfound friends give him the strength to face him. After the battle, the pact is destroyed and the mark vanishes from Pelleas’s wrist. Later, when Pelleas faces Sephiran, the chancellor confirms to Pelleas what Izuka told him, stating that the true heir is a dragon-laguz Branded. Sephiran also admits that he alone was responsible for binding Daein in the blood pact, since he needed Daein involved in the war to awake the goddess Ashera. Upon this note, Pelleas shows no mercy towards Sephiran.

During the epilogue of the second play-through, Pelleas will reveal to his “mother” Almedha the truth about his mark and his lack of royal blood. However, he does admit that, for the short time that he had known Almedha, he was happy that he was able to feel a mother’s love for the first time in his life. If certain conditions are met throughout the second playthrough or onwards, Pelleas will subtly reveal to Almedha that the missing heir of Daein is in fact Soren, being a dragon-tribe Branded.

Afterwards, it is said that Pelleas willingly abdicates the throne to Micaiah, and instead chose to serve at the official Daein court, learning to speak easily to all.

It is never revealed who Pelleas’s biological family is or what happened to them.