Scenario:Amelia - Strength of a Father's Love
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Strength of a Father's Love
As Amelia, her knights, and the crew travel into the forest to investigate the feral monsters, they are set upon by a horde of frenzied monsters. Amelia leads a counterattack, but her focus is disrupted when one of her knights loses his composure and admits that the previous captain, Amelia's father, died because of him. Before she can pry for more details, more monsters come to attack.
The day after the foundation day parade, (Captain) and crew follow Amelia as she leads her group of knights into the forest.
Amelia: The herb you're searching for is one of Aelvoth Kingdom's most crucial exports.
Amelia: In the past, we had a persistent problem with poachers, which is why the knights came to guard the herb's natural habitat.
Amelia: We didn't have any issues keeping the forest safe, until around four years ago when everything changed with the monsters...
Vyrn: Even with the poachers gone, it's still a problem if people can't get access to the herbs, huh...
Amelia: Dealing with the monsters as soon as possible is our top priority, which is why I hope we'll see some results from today's investigation.
Gelt: To be honest, we wanted to get to the bottom of this before Amelia became captain.
Gelt: But the knights didn't get far with me at the helm!
Gelt: I'm really not cut out for leadership, so I've got to say... Thank goodness Captain Amelia took over!
Amelia: You're selling yourself too short, Vice Captain!
Amelia: I know you took great care to make sure no one was hurt while you were in command.
Amelia: The knights all said they appreciated that you valued their safety first, instead of pushing for results and putting anyone at risk.
Gelt: Heheh, please. You'll make me blush.
Amelia: I'm just telling the truth. Right?
Knight: ...
Amelia: Is... something wrong? Are you feeling all right?
Knight: Ah, yes, sorry... I was just lost in thought. We all depend on the vice captain quite a bit!
Gelt: Is that the best compliment you can muster? You could learn a thing or two from Captain Amelia about buttering people up!
Knight: C-cut it out with the headlock, Vice Captain! You're squeezing too... Gah...
Vyrn: Haha! Look at the big guy fishing for some love!
Amelia: Hehe, you'll have to forgive us. I realize it's entirely unprofessional to be joking around before such an important mission.
Lyria: No, not at all! It's nice to see how well you get along.
Amelia: With so many good people in our ranks, the knights of Aelvoth are naturally close-knit.
Amelia: Even before I became captain—when I was simply my father's daughter—everyone was kind to me...
Amelia: I found myself admiring all the wonderful people within the order and wished to one day fight alongside them as a fellow knight.
Lyria: Is that why you started training with your father from a young age?
Amelia: Yes, though I never expected to ascend the ranks so quickly...
Amelia: But with everyone giving me their full support, I decided I would follow in my father's footsteps and become captain.
Lyria: That's really amazing. I'm sure your father would be so proud of you!
Amelia: Hehe... I hope so.
Knight: Vice Captain... You can... release me now...
With his arm still wrapped around the knight, Gelt leans over to whisper.
Gelt: Thinking about what happened two years ago?
Knight: I...
Gelt: Snap out of it. Otherwise you'll end up burdening Amelia with your inattention.
Knight: ...
Gelt: I know you want to make this operation a success because of what happened with the old captain.
Gelt: I let you join us because you said you'd keep your head on straight, but at this rate, I'm going to have to send you back.
Knight: Sorry, sir. I should've trained harder to ready myself. It's just... Something feels off here...
Gelt: What do you mean?
Knight: It's like there's a sudden, inexplicable fear suffocating me... I was besieged by the same feeling that day two years ago...
Gelt: Is that right...
Gelt: Whatever it is, you can't let it rule over you. You decided to stick with Amelia and move forward alongside her, remember?
Straightening up, Gelt gives the knight a hearty clap on the back.
Gelt: We're also counting on you. You're the only one that saw the dark shade back then, right? The thing causing the monsters to go nuts.
Gelt: So get it together! We need your eyes on the lookout!
Knight: Yes, sir...
Amelia: ...!
At the front of the party, Amelia suddenly comes to a halt and draws her twin blades from their sheathes.
Amelia: I can sense monsters nearby... They're close! Ready yourselves!
A horde of snarling monsters bursts through the brush not a moment later.
Their eyes glow ominously as they stomp forward, filled to the brim with unnatural aggression.
Vyrn: What the heck... The whole bunch of 'em are going crazy...
Amelia: Hold your formation! Keep calm, and fight with all you have! We can take anything on so long as we fight together!
Amelia: Knights of Aelvoth, raise your blades... Serve with courage and devotion! Advance!
Gelt: Raaaah! Chaaaarge!
At Amelia's command, the knights rush forward to meet the monsters with their blades.
They battle fiercely, a stark contrast to their happy-go-lucky demeanor not a moment before.
But out of all the knights, Amelia's display of swordsmanship is unmatched.
Amelia: Hah!
Amelia: Rah!
Vyrn: Holy smokes... She's unstoppable!
Gelt: Didn't see that coming, did you? The captain was her father's best pupil! Nobody holds a candle to her swordsmanship and commitment to the knight code!
Gelt: She eats rampaging monsters like these for breakfast!
Lyria: I can see why you all respect her so much!
Knight: Pant... I'll fight... to the very last...
Feral Monster: Groaar...
Knight: ...!
Y-you're...
Y-you're...
Knight: Aaahh! Captain! Captain Eric!
Knight: Ah... Aaahh...
One glare from the monster that haunts his nightmares causes the knight to freeze up in terror.
Feral Monster: Groooar!
The monster, sensing easy prey, descends upon the knight.
Amelia: No!
Feral Monster: Grar!
Amelia: What's wrong? Are you injured?
Knight: Captain... Amelia...
Knight: Sob... Aaahhh...
The moment he sees Amelia, the knight sinks to his knees, all strength leaving his body as he cries.
Amelia: So you weren't feeling okay after all... I should have noticed sooner.
Knight: N-no, it's... not your fault, Captain... I just... I remembered that day...
Amelia: What are you talking about?
Knight: The day our previous captain... Your father... He died because of me...
Amelia: Huh?
Gelt: Damn it... I told him to snap out of it!
Taken aback by the sudden revelation, Amelia stares dumbly at the sobbing knight.
Vyrn: Captain Twinblades, behind you! Watch out!
Amelia: Ah!
Amelia: I'm sorry... We'll have to save this conversation for later!
Turning back around to face the snarling monsters, Amelia readjusts her sword grip and readies herself to fight again.
Strength of a Father's Love: Scene 2
The distraught knight reveals that Amelia's father died while protecting him from monsters. Instead of blaming him, Amelia comforts the knight and rallies everyone around to raise their spirits. After traveling farther into the forest, they run into a dark shade that is likely driving the monsters feral. It nearly swallows Amelia in its black mist, but (Captain) grabs her in the nick of time and sends the both of them tumbling down a cliff.
Gelt: Is that the last one? Guess we managed to pull through...
Gelt looks over at Amelia, who has knelt down beside the traumatized knight.
Amelia: Two years ago, the vice captain reported that my father was blindsided by a monster attack.
Amelia: But I didn't hear anything beyond that. So tell me... what exactly happened that day?
Knight: It was... my first official day on the job. I was overjoyed to be able to fight alongside the captain I'd admired so much...
Knight: But I wasn't ready to be in the field. I just... froze up when a monster came at me...
Knight: It looked exactly like the one from a moment ago... When it lunged for my neck, the captain protected me and was wounded in the process...
Amelia: I see...
Upon hearing the truth, the other knights in the party begin to whisper among themselves.
Lyria: This probably wasn't the best time to bring it up...
Vyrn: Yeah, no kidding... I don't blame 'em for being surprised, but it's pretty dangerous to be distracted out here...
Gelt: ...!
Clenching his fists, Gelt kneels before Amelia and bows his head.
Gelt: Amelia, my sincerest apologies! I was merely attending to Captain Eric's final request.
Gelt: He asked me to tell everyone, even you and the royal family, that he simply lost to a monster and perished.
Amelia: But... why...
Gelt: He knew you would become captain someday. I imagine he didn't want the truth to corrupt your love for the order.
Gelt: I'm so sorry! I'm the one who agreed that hiding the truth would be for the best! This is my fault, not this young soldier's...
Amelia: ...
Amelia fixes Gelt with a gentle smile and shakes her head.
Amelia: You've nothing to apologize for. My father didn't want the truth hidden to protect me.
Amelia: I doubt he thought for a moment that I would do something like take revenge. He was the one who instilled the knight code within me, after all.
Amelia: In fact, if I came to resent anyone because of his death, Father would have risen from the grave to yell at me for failing the code.
Knight: Then... why would he have asked us to hide the truth?
Amelia: Because he wanted to protect you.
Amelia: For a Grand Knight such as my father to die protecting someone... I imagine there would've been a hunt to persecute the person responsible for his death.
Amelia: But it's the monster that's at fault. My father understood that, and he didn't want anyone mistakenly condemning you instead.
Amelia: Besides... If the last captain wasn't able to save himself, then it was his own fault for not training harder.
Knight: How can you say that? Captain Eric was skilled beyond compare—
Amelia: If that were true, he'd still be alive.
Amelia: Only he was responsible for his own death. You have no reason to blame yourself.
Amelia straightens up, before bowing her head.
Amelia: I'm sorry. You must have suffered greatly because my father insisted on keeping secrets.
Amelia: You came today to make up for his death, didn't you?
Amelia: Thank you for your bravery.
Knight: Captain Amelia...
Drawing her swords as she stands, Amelia looks around at the faces of her knights.
Amelia: The day we buried my father, I made a vow before his grave.
Amelia: I swore to become a knight worthy of carrying on my father's legacy—to purge evil and protect those in need.
Amelia: But I understand I'm not yet strong enough to carry that burden alone... So please, lend me your strength! Let us push forward and fight together!
The knights raise their fists and cheer, invigorated by their captain's speech.
Vyrn: Heheh, think I'm starting to see why you all chose to follow her.
Lyria: Yeah, she's so strong and noble...
Gelt: That's our captain for you!
Gelt: Still... I can't believe how useless I was. I meant to shield her...
Gelt: But now she's covering for the rest of us instead, even though she's the one who's hurting the most.
Amelia: Now, up on your feet! We're counting on you to spot the dark shade that's responsible for all this!
Knight: Sniffle... Yes, Captain! I'll see this duty through to completion!
Once the knight wipes his tears and scrambles back onto his feet, Amelia starts readying the group to move out again.
Amelia: ...
Only (Captain) catches her stormy expression as she walks past.
The investigation party travels even deeper into the forest, but soon enough, something else seems to go wrong.
Lyria: Pant... Gasp... Nngh...
Gelt: What's wrong? Are you hurt?
Lyria: No, it's just... I'm not sure why, but I suddenly got hit by a wave of intense sorrow...
Vyrn: Same here. My heart's pounding, like I've just had a bad dream or something...
Knight: That's exactly what happened to me two years ago. I got overwhelmed by all these sudden emotions and panicked...
Gelt: This must be what's driving the monsters crazy. We need to figure out what's causing it and put a plug in it...
Amelia: Why... How did things...
Amelia: Ah! Did I say something?
Amelia: My sincerest apologies. This isn't the time to be getting lost in thought.
Knight: Oh... There it is!
The knight points at a menacing figure shrouded in dark mist.
Shadowy Figure: Ahh... Aaahh!
Knight: It's the apparition I saw two years ago!
Lyria: I can sense so much hatred and pain... Is its aura what's causing us to be paralyzed by negative emotions?
Gelt: Then we've got to take it down! All hands, surround it—
Gelt: What? Captain Amelia!
Instead of issuing commands and working with her fellow knights, Amelia rushes forward without a word.
Amelia: You... You're the reason why my father...
Amelia: I won't forgive you... I'll never forgive you! Raaaghh!
Vyrn: Captain Twinblades is acting like a totally different person!
Gelt: She's been completely taken over by its aura! We need to help her, fast!
Feral Monster: Grooar!
Gelt: Damn it! I don't have time for you!
Amelia: Haaaagh!
As Gelt and the other knights confront the monsters, Amelia reaches the figure and attacks.
Amelia: My swords go right through it? But how?
Shadowy Figure: I will kill... all trespassers of the forest!
Amelia: ...!
Oh no!
Oh no!
Right as the figure's black mist threatens to swallow Amelia whole, (Captain) dashes forward and grabs her by the hand.
(Captain)'s momentum drags Amelia away—and off the edge of the cliff the figure had been standing on.
Amelia: Ahhh!
Gelt: (Captain)!
(Captain) grabs onto the thick ivy growing on the cliff, slowing their descent as the vegetation peels off the cliff face.
Strength of a Father's Love: Scene 3
With only (Captain) around to hear, Amelia admits that she was shocked to hear the truth about her father and expresses her grief about his death. Once she calms down, Amelia notices a small cabin nearby and finds a journal detailing the life of a mage and his daughter. She realizes the dark shade is the mage, transformed by his hatred for the poachers that murdered his daughter. Using this information, she manages to speak to the shade and calm his fury, allowing him to pass on and free the monsters from his control. With everything settled, Amelia joins (Captain)'s crew to improve herself and become a better captain.
Amelia: Ngh...
Amelia: Oh, (Captain)...
Amelia: I'm fine, thanks to you. You whisked me away from danger.
Amelia: ...
Amelia: I'm sorry for losing my composure. As the captain of the knights, I shouldn't have...
Choose: Captain Eric was your dad, wasn't he?
Amelia: Huh?
Choose: Don't tell me the truth didn't hurt.
Amelia: ...
Amelia: And here I thought I had kept my composure...
Suspicions confirmed, (Captain) asks, "Why did you hide how you really felt from everyone?"
Amelia: Why? Because I'm the captain...
Amelia: Even if they understand how I really feel, it's my duty to be strong for all of us.
Amelia wipes away the tears welling up in her eyes.
Amelia: I always had my doubts anyway. My father wouldn't have simply lost to a monster and died...
Amelia: He was more than strong enough to defeat any monster, as long as it was a fair fight.
Amelia: I should be proud that he gave his life to save someone else...
Choose: But you would've rather he lived.
Amelia: ...
Amelia: Oh, Father... I wish you had come back... I wish you'd lived...
Choose: You can cry. There's no one else here.
Amelia: But you are...
Choose: I'm not one of your knights, so it's okay.
Amelia: Sniffle... When you... put it that way...
Amelia: Ahhh... Ahhh!
Amelia's wails echo throughout the cave.
Her shoulders shake as years of frustration and regret spill out alongside every sob.
(Captain) watches over her without judgement, silently letting her have this moment of reprieve from her responsibilities.
Perhaps better than anyone else, (Captain) understands what it's like to miss one's parent and yearn for their love.
Amelia: I'm sorry for unloading on you like this, (Captain).
Choose: Got it all out of your system?
Amelia: Hehe... Yeah!
Amelia: We should head back soon. I can't let the vice captain do my job for me.
Amelia: Wait... What is that?
Noticing her surroundings for the first time, Amelia walks over to what looks like an abandoned cabin.
After confirming that there's no one inside, she comes across a journal on a table.
Amelia: (Captain), look at this!
At Amelia's urging, (Captain) begins to read the journal.
Shadowy Figure: Despite the horrific injuries I sustained developing the spell to control monsters, it was worth it for the rewards we now reap.
Shadowy Figure: I shall remain hidden to fulfill my role as this forest's guardian. No longer will poachers lay waste to its natural splendor and steal away the herbs.
Shadowy Figure: My daughter, who came with me, is overjoyed. It brings a smile to my face to watch her delight in spending time with the animals.
Amelia: A father and his daughter lived in this cabin, but where are they now?
Amelia flips through the journal to reach the last entry.
Shadowy Figure: My daughter is dead. She went to feed the animals when poachers caught her. They killed her so that their presence would be kept secret.
Shadowy Figure: Those murderers... How could they... How dare they!
Shadowy Figure: I'll kill every last one of them... They shall fall before the magic I spent all these years perfecting!
Amelia: This last page was written four years ago... That was around when the monsters started growing feral...
Amelia: I'm beginning to see what happened.
Choose: Don't leave me hanging.
Amelia: That figure shrouded in mist earlier... That must be the father that lived here.
Amelia: He used magic to control the monsters, in order to exact his revenge... But his hatred proved to be too strong.
Amelia: The monsters began to attack anyone who entered the forest, regardless of who they were. Then the father became swallowed up by his own magic and ended up like that...
Amelia: If we free him from his grief, we might just be able to stop his spell that's driving the monsters crazy.
Amelia: (Captain), we need to get back to everyone else!
Elsewhere, the knights' battle with the monsters grows desperate.
Knight: Rgh! Is there a point... in struggling like this? Maybe we're already done for...
Gelt: Captain Amelia is alive and well! Keep your wits about you! Hold the line until she returns!
Knight: Y-yes, sir!
Knight: Raagh! I won't lose to my fear!
Gelt: (The black mist is starting to get to everyone... Amelia, where are you?)
Amelia: Apologies for the wait! Everyone, hang in there a little longer! I have a strategy ready!
Dodging and parrying her way forward, Amelia rushes toward the shadowy figure.
Gelt: Captain Amelia, get away from that thing! It's too dangerous!
Gelt: (Captain)! I do, but...
Amelia slides to a stop before her target and stares resolutely at him through the darkness.
Shadowy Figure: Poachers... Murderers... I'll kill you all!
Amelia: Ngh!
Amelia: (So much sadness and hatred... This is what he's been racked with this whole time.)
With tears clouding her vision, Amelia pushes ahead to kneel before the figure.
Amelia: I read your journal. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Amelia: The pain you felt must've been unimaginable... Enough to forget who you even are...
Amelia: It was the fault of us knights that those poachers even slipped into here in the first place. Your hatred should be directed at us...
Shadowy Figure: Kill... Kill! I'll kill you!
As he screams in anguish, a wave of black mist surges through the area, washing over Amelia and devouring her completely.
Amelia: Agh... Can't... breathe...
Struggling for air, Amelia almost doesn't notice her swords glowing in their sheaths.
Shadowy Figure: Graaagh! Hot! It burns!
Amelia: My blades purified the mist? Is this... Father's doing?
Shadowy Figure: Father... Father?
Amelia: (Something's different about him now... Maybe I can finally get through to him!)
Amelia: That's right. You were once a father, and you had a daughter you loved very much.
Amelia: She must be very lonely where she's waiting on the other side. Please, there's no need to suffer in this world any longer.
Amelia: I'm sure she misses you. If I were her, I'd be very sad without my father by my side.
Amelia: It's time to join her. Don't you want to see your daughter?
Shadowy Figure: My... daughter...
Gelt: The mist is fading...
Amelia: (The light from my father's swords actually managed to bring him back to his senses, at least a little bit...)
Whether it was the work of her father's spirit or an aspect of the swords themselves, Amelia doesn't know.
All she can say for certain is that her heart swells with warmth as she thinks of her father's love.
Amelia: Thank you for protecting this forest. We knights will keep everything safe from now on...
Amelia: So you can rest easy with your daughter.
Shadowy Figure: My daughter... Yes, my beloved daughter...
The figure fades away, purified of the darkness that once consumed it.
Fighting knights and monsters alike pause, their minds restored, before the monsters scamper away.
Amid the cheers of her knights, Amelia offers up a silent prayer for those departed.
A few days pass.
Amelia: Thanks to your efforts, the monsters have returned to normal. We couldn't have done it without you and your crew, (Captain)!
Vyrn: What're you talking about? You're the one who solved everything!
Lyria: Besides, we should be the ones thanking you! (Captain) came back safe and sound, and we got the herbs we needed!
Amelia: Hehe, you guys are way too kind!
Amelia: Speaking of which... I actually have a little favor I'd like to ask...
Amelia: With all that's happened, I realized I still have a lot of room left to grow.
Amelia: (Captain) helped me see that. Seriously, you're wise beyond your years.
Amelia: Which is why I'd like you to let me join your crew!
Vyrn: Huh? But you're the captain of Aelvoth's knights! Can you really just up and leave?
Gelt: You've got nothing to worry about! I'll be serving as temporary captain while Captain Amelia's gone!
Amelia: Gelt! Why are you and the rest of the knights here?
Knight: What kind of knights would we be if we didn't send our captain off?
Amelia watches in complete shock as knight after knight files into the port, packing the place completely full.
Amelia: You... You really didn't need to. I caused so much trouble for everyone before I became captain...
Knight: There's no need to stand on ceremony with us! We followed you because we wanted to, Captain!
Gelt: I can hold the fort here just fine! This isn't my first time taking over for a bit, after all.
Gelt: So go out there and soak up all the knowledge you can! We can wait a year or two!
Knight: Don't take too long though! With the vice captain in charge, my neck might break from all his headlocks.
Gelt: What was that, you rascal? Are you rejecting my love?
Knight: Gaaah... Stop squeezing so hard...
Vyrn: Hahaha! You guys really get along super well, huh?
Gelt: Sorry for springing this on you out of nowhere, but consider it a request from us too!
Gelt: (Captain), you're the first person our captain has opened up to since her father passed.
Gelt: You might just be the friend she's needed all this time!
Amelia: Friend...
Amelia: Oh... Now that I think about it, I've been speaking more casually with you, haven't I?
Choose: It's fine. I prefer it this way.
Amelia: Hehe, that sounds good to me.
Gelt: Now let's make it official...
At Gelt's signal, every knight stands at attention.
Gelt: Please take care of our captain!
Amelia: The skies are waiting for us!
Choose: Yeah! Let's grow together.
Amelia: ...!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Amelia: Gelt! Everyone! I promise I won't let you down!
Knights: Safe travels, Captain Amelia!
With the blessing of her knights, Amelia joins (Captain) aboard the Grandcypher.
Though she has already come far on her own merits, she's ready to learn even more from a fellow captain.
Only time will tell what other adventures await in the wide blue skies for her.