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Fire Emblem story information
General Gawain
By: Aurabolt
Summary
To Ike, Mist and the Greil's Mercenaries he was a father, tactician and
warrior of incredible strength. To certain circles inside Daein and
Begnion, he was General Gawain, the Divine Knight and one of the Four
Riders of Daein.
History
Originally, Greil was a citizen of Daein. He worked his way up the
ranks of the Daein Army where he became General Gawain, one of the Four
Riders of Daein. The Four Riders were the most powerful soldiers in
Daein and the royal family's most trusted vassals. It's not known when
but it's most likely while in Daein he met and married Elena, Ike and
Mist's mother.
Sometime after the Serenes
Massacre, Elena was asked by King Ashnard to help a Heron princess he
had captive. Elena and the princess came to trust each other to the
point where the princess entrusted Lehran's medallion to Elena. Shortly
after,
the princess died. Realizing the danger they were in, Elena and Gawain
fled Daein. The two moved to Gallia and it is around this time Gawain
changed his name to Greil. Ike and Mist were born to them and Greil
began to look for work in the Crimea.
Alas, this
young family would not stay content for long. Perhaps taken by
curiosity, Greil picked up the Medallion they took from Daein. The
moment he held it, his mind was shattered. Taking up his sword in his
other hand, he cut down everyone in town. A group of trained soldiers
from Daein came to subdue him and take back the medallion by force. He
killed them all with ease. Elena finally took it from his hands at the
cost of her life.
When the ex-general regained
his senses he was horrified at the atrocity he committed. To prevent a
second tragedy, he slashed the tendons of his sword arm and hired Volke
to kill him if he should ever go mad under the medallion's influence
again. He moved to Crimea with his family where he created the
mercenary guild Greil's Mercenaries. Because he could not wield a sword
he chose Urvan, a powerful axe as his new weapon.
Shortly after Crimea fell during the Mad King's War, fate saw it fit
that then Princess Elincia would hire the Greil's Mercenaries to escort
her to Gallia's King Caingehis. With Daein hot on their heels, Greil
leads the guild and their client into Gallia, where Daein's army would
dare not follow. To increase the guild's chances of safely delivering
their client Greil orders Ike to escort the princess further into
Gallia while he, Gatrie and Shinon diverts the Daein soldiers away from
them. It's during this time Greil chances on Mia, frees her from
captivity and hires her.
After getting Elincia to
safety, Ike and the rest of the guild catch up to their leader inside
an abandoned castle. They enter to find Greil holding his own against
General Petrine, one of Daein's Four Riders. Realizing she cannot
overcome the legendary ex-general's brute strength, she orders he
soldiers to take him and the guild. Before that can happen, Ranulf
and a group of soldiers from Gallia enter the castle and chase away
most of the Daein soldiers.
Petrine refuses to
stand down at first but when the Black Knight arrives, she withdraws
from the area. Greil and the Black Knight exchange glances with each
other. No doubt Greil himself knew the identity of the man concealed in
ebon armor. Later that night Greil and Ike talk about the future of the
guild as they walk into the forest. Greil commends Ike for a job well
done thus far before going further into the forest alone.
It turns out the Black Knight was waiting for him in the forest. Greil
takes out Urvan and the two clash blades—Urvan against Ragnell.
Despite the obvious disadvantage Greil's weapon has against his
opponent's, he holds his own for the time being. Displeased with the
way their duel is going, the Black Knight offers his own sword to Greil
and unsheaths a similar-looking sword, Alondite, from his
pack.
When asked by Greil what his motive is, the Black Knight explains that
he has long awaited the day he could challenge General Gawain, Rider of
Daein. Greil remarks that he since discarded the name "Gawain". At the
same time, he tosses Ragnell away and brandishes Urvan. "Do you want to
die?" the Black Knight asks in amazement. Greil replies, with a hint of
amusement, that he knows who the Black Knight is and tells him that he
cannot prevail against his former teacher.
Ike knew that one day he would replace his father as leader of the
Greil's Mercenaries. Fate decided that the day would come much sooner
than anyone expected. In an instant, the duel is ended. With one swift
blow, the Black Knight impales Greil with Alondite.
"Is that all there
is? No challenge? No resistance?" the Black Knight asks in
disappointment as he removes his
sword. Mortally wounded, Greil begs Ike to forget about avenging him
and take care of his sister and the guild. As Ike carries him back to
the place where the guild is staying, Greil dies. They bury him nearby
and use his favorite axe as a grave marker.
Although Ike technically didn't honor is father's last wishes in
Radiant Dawn, it may have been
his father's memory that spares King
Caineghis from Ashera's Judgement. When he and Giffca meet up with the
other survivors he presents Ike with Urvan, saying he had a feeling he
would need the last part of his father still in this world.
When
Ike defeated Zelgius he learned the reason he wanted to fight Greil was
like Ike, he was trained by
Greil when they were soldiers in Daein. However he was unaware that,
between
when they were soldiers in Daein and when they fought that night, Greil
crippled himself. When Zelgius learnt Ike had been trained by his old
master, he became hopeful of once again seeing the rare form of
swordplay most only know after they've been slain by it. Ike asks
Zelgius if he could see his father in his swordsmanship. Zelgius
commends him, saying he did and that Greil couldn't have chosen a
better person to carry on his legacy.
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