Emmeryn's Sacrifice

[Red Falcon]

Alright, I just don't get this. The game tells us what a noble act her death was; so noble was it that it causes the fighting men of another country to give up, and she is spoken of as a paragon of virtue for years after her death. Her death was not a sacrifice. Her options were either to get shot by an arrow and die or fall to her death. Like a terminal cancer patient that would rather end their life on their own terms rather than die in a hospital. An understandable and perhaps respectable gesture, but not a sacrifice. Knowing King Gangrel, we have no reason to believe she was ever getting off that rock, no matter what Chrom did. You could argue that she was trying to save Chrom from his own stupidity, but that only speaks ill of Chrom, not well of Emmeryn.

Emmeryn sacrificed her life to take herself out of the equation. She was leverage to use and without her Gangrel had nothing. She had the choice to live. But decided to die to prevent Chrom from having to make a tough decision, or worse forfeit the Fire Emblem. Which may have occured out of deperation. Fortunately we have the hindsight to say, oh it's obvious that Gangrel would have done this, etc. etc. so Chrom most definitely shouldn't have done that and would only be super stupid because of it. Hindsight. Remember that Emmeryn and Chrom are monarchy trying to repair the relationship (and trust) with Plegia, and therefore Gangrel. Emmeryn put her country and her people before her own life which was very noble indeed. She became a martyr of peace. I'm shocked that this could be debatable.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Red Falcon

[Beelzebub]

Emmeryn sacrificed her life to take herself out of the equation. She was leverage to use and without her Gangrel had nothing. She had the choice to live. But decided to die to prevent Chrom from having to make a tough decision, or worse forfeit the Fire Emblem. Which may have occured out of deperation. Fortunately we have the hindsight to say, oh it's obvious that Gangrel would have done this, etc. etc. so Chrom most definitely shouldn't have done that and would only be super stupid because of it. Hindsight. Remember that Emmeryn and Chrom are monarchy trying to repair the relationship (and trust) with Plegia, and therefore Gangrel. Emmeryn put her country and her people before her own life which was very noble indeed. She became a martyr of peace. I'm shocked that this could be debatable.

This was well written. I agree that she's a martyr, but that still does not make her death a sacrifice, much less one that "Has the power to change the world". You mention hindsight, but I think that's irrelevant, as years after her death her sacrifice is still held up as such a noble act:

Walhart

You think that's what you've done? What your sister did before you? No, she shouted some nonsense and leapt off a rock! Such weakness!

Chrom

Wrong. Not weakness—strength. That one act lives on, and WILL live on, longer than all your conquests...

Doing what she did was the right thing to do there, I agree, but was it truly an act that deserves to live on through the ages? My point is that she was dead the moment she got on that rock; calling her death a sacrifice implies she gives up something she no longer had.

Here's an example: If you've seen the show 24, in the second season Jack's boss, who's dying of radiation poisoning, decides to sacrifice himself rather than have Jack do it because he'll be dead in a few hours anyway. Doesn't it seem intuitive that had Jack done it his sacrifice would have been much, much more meaningful? That's not to say the boss didn't do the right thing, but he only gave up hours of his life, not decades. You can say such a thing is hindsight, and that he could have gotten better, or they could have cured his poisoning through plot magic or something, but I don't think that cuts it. Emmeryn's death just wasn't as meaningful as the game wants us to believe.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Beelzebub

[Moira]

Walhart

You think that's what you've done? What your sister did before you? No, she shouted some nonsense and leapt off a rock! Such weakness!

Chrom

Wrong. Not weakness—strength. That one act lives on, and WILL live on, longer than all your conquests...

I can't blame Chrom for thinking that his older sisters actions would live on, especially because of how much the people allegedly liked her. I would imagine that since she was a ruler her death would live on, because she was an important person and her actions caused some major events to take place. (whether or not it actually should have). But Walhart's conquests will probably be remembered as well, simply because they were major events in the history of this setting.

Also, you say that her death wasn't as meaningful as the game wants us to believe, but where is the game trying to make us think her death is more meaningful than it should be?

Edited July 21, 2014 by Fluorspar

[Baldrick]

where is the game trying to make us think her death is more meaningful than it should be?

"See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

[Moira]

"See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

I would say that's more or less Emmeryn and her naive belief that all humans want peace in the end, and that she believed it would affect them in this way. That's not "the game" putting emphasis on her death, that's just her character. Her belief in this is shown constantly, and her bad judgements and decisions that come from it are also shown.

The fact that it actually does change the world seems like the writers either also naively believing in those ideals or just trying to wrap it up in a nice cute package with good sentiments and whatnot. It would make more sense to me if it was more about the sentiment and less about it actually making tons of sense, like most of awakening.

[Czar_Yoshi]

But Walhart's conquests will probably be remembered as well, simply because they were major events in the history of this setting.

Technically Chrom wasn't saying Walhart's conquests will be forgotten, just that they will be ended.

If real life is any example, though, then they definitely will be remembered.

[Moira]

Technically Chrom wasn't saying Walhart's conquests will be forgotten, just that they will be ended.

If real life is any example, though, then they definitely will be remembered.

Yeah, but I think Crom was putting more importance on his sister's actions for obvious reasons and something like a conquest to that scale is going to be remembered for a very long time in comparison. This could also be the message that peaceful actions are always better and more important than ones of war.

[Interceptor]

No, my argument isn't about me hoping nobody looks behind the curtain, it's about Awakening hoping nobody looks behind the curtain. And yes, it is possible to determine intentions when looking at how things are portrayed.

It's possible to guess at intentions, sure. There's no way to verify that your assumptions are correct, and therein lies the problem: you can't prove it.

As was said earlier, if you want to challenge established beliefs, the burden of proof falls on you.

And here is where you accidentally put your finger on the essential problem (I replaced your emphasis with my own). Look at the bolded portions. Beliefs? Apparently this is more like a religion than it is a science. I've repeatedly asked for evidence of the various assertions that people have made in this thread, and no smoking gun has yet emerged. All I get in response are weak, contradictory points that don't stand up to scrutiny.

How can you say that the burden of proof falls upon me, when the religion isn't evidence-based in the first place? Where's the proof that this "the game says XYZ" business isn't some collective wishful thinking? I've shot holes in everything that's been presented, and frankly I'm a little shocked that it's as weak as it is.

I was sure that there'd be at least something that was unequivocal, but either the script provides thin gruel to go on, or the lot of you are horrible sleuths.

-----

And now for Part 2:

... You're not seriously denying the context here, are you? Of course she has guards, things are still turbulent and there is a neighboring nation that wants to see her head on a stick (y'know, the bad guys?). Ylisse is not stupid enough to entirely ditch a concept as basic as security against unforeseen measures, which is what the guards exist for in the first place.

There's basic security, and then there's what actually happened. The guards aren't unusual. What's unusual is that 1) there are soldiers in full parade-style stormtrooper gear, and 2) they are in the CG, photo-bombing like Chris Bosh. Neither of those two things are necessary, not unless you're expecting a full-scale battle on city streets in broad daylight, and/or are intentionally making a show of force.

Note that the second thing in particular is somewhat fundamentally incompatible with the idea of Emm as some sort of Peace Paragon, sort of like delivering democracy with cruise missiles.

Emm with the sun shining on her (strong connotations)

It was a nice day. Look at this picture:

The sun is also shining on these random assholes. Which of them are Christ-figures? Also:

tl;dr the sunshine is meaningless. Let it go.

The game never actively calls her out on her bad decisions.

This logic is rejected. Chrom is one of the main characters, and he not only called her out right in front of everyone, but went completely unchallenged. If the characters in this game are truly the voice of the writers, as some people in this thread claim, why isn't this completely fatal to your point?

Each of the consequences of her bad decisions are blamed entirely on our established villain, Plegia.

Wrong. You can't escape the counter-factual, because the conflict between Chrom and Emm brings it directly to the fore. What would have happened if Emm hadn't made poor decisions? Chrom looks like a prophet, because he predicted what would happen.

http://wordsinasentence.com/incredulous-in-a-sentence/

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/incredulous (example sentences)

Remember what I just said about you looking like an ass? It's one thing to be arrogant, then it's another thing entirely to be arrogant and incorrect. I'd expect an apology, but heaven forbid you realize that you're wrong.

A person can be incredulous, a thing a person does can be incredulous (like an expression), but not just a thing by itself. I would never describe a viewpoint as "incredulous", though my tone or manner might be. Your own citations say the same thing.

The chapter after her leap is her miraculously changing the hearts of many a soldier because she was oh so selfless.

Or because Gangrel was a horrible person:

Chrom: Perhaps this explains why your own soldiers refuse to stand behind you? You are a poison. A festering wound. And I will do what my sister could not.

This is an especially delicious line, because it not only establishes another reason for the Plegians to turn tail, but it also calls attention to the fact that Emmeryn failed to solve the essential problem. And just in case that was too deep a point for the listening audience, Chrom and his crew proceed to demonstrate the solution by killing Gangrel.

And just in case you missed the point on Gangrel, you get another bite at the apple in Valm.

In the same breath of criticism, Chrom is indirectly glorifying her selflessness. This is precisely the issue. Despite how obviously stupid her decision to return to Ylisse is, the game still tries to prop it up as an act of selflessness.

Alternatively: a desperate last-ditch attempt to keep his older sister from marching towards her death. Or does anyone else besides RJW think he should have directly defied her orders?

[RJWalker]

Alternatively: a desperate last-ditch attempt to keep his older sister from marching towards her death. Or does anyone else besides RJW think he should have directly defied her orders?

To stop her from doing stupid things? I hope they think that. Instead of following her orders like a dumb shit, he should have stopped her. Ranks means nothing if you're doing something fucking stupid.

I mean, a lot good it did when Leif orders Dorias to retake Alster, didn't it? And hey, Malledus should have totally allowed Marth to run back to save his sister. Or to save the decoy.

And the sunlight in totally relevant in the second pic of Walhart. You can't possibly miss obvious stuff like that.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Ranger Jack Walker

[Interceptor]

To stop her from doing stupid things? I hope they think that. Instead of following her orders like a dumb shit, he should have stopped her. Ranks means nothing if you're doing something fucking stupid.

"Stopped her". This again. What do you propose that he does? Punch her in the face? Challenge her to a duel? Trip her as she tries to walk away? Deface all of her maps so that she gets lost and can't find her way back to Ylisstol?

[RJWalker]

"Stopped her". This again. What do you propose that he does? Punch her in the face? Challenge her to a duel? Trip her as she tries to walk away? Deface all of her maps so that she gets lost and can't find her way back to Ylisstol?

Stop her as in stop her from leaving. Is that really a concept that's hard to understand? Do whatever it takes to stop her from carrying out her stupid decision.

And yes, sometimes action is necessary and just words may not be enough. I don't know about you but if someone I cared about was making such an extremely stupid decision, I might just punch them in the face. Emmeryn certainly needs one for more reasons than just that.

[CrimeanRoyalKnight]

Well, to stop her, he could've ordered the sheperds to... ehh... ehhh... well... she's still the Exalt, I don't think he could've stopped her if he wanted to; or at least it's how I imagine it: the sheperds would never say no to their Queen.

Honestly though, I didn't read the plot enough. I might as well start my homosexy playthrough to re-read the story of the first arc and see if things are really how Interceptor says.

[RJWalker]

Well, to stop her, he could've ordered the sheperds to... ehh... ehhh... well... she's still the Exalt, I don't think he could've stopped her if he wanted to; or at least it's how I imagine it: the sheperds would never say no to their Queen.

Honestly though, I didn't read the plot enough. I might as well start my homosexy playthrough to re-read the story of the first arc and see if things are really how Interceptor says.

If they're going to blind follow orders, they're better off calling themselves 'the Sheep' rather than 'the Shepherds'. Sometimes, you need some sense knocked into you, even if that may be in a literal sense.

[Interceptor]

Well, to stop her, he could've ordered the sheperds to... ehh... ehhh... well... she's still the Exalt, I don't think he could've stopped her if he wanted to; or at least it's how I imagine it: the sheperds would never say no to their Queen.

Yes, precisely. And don't forget that Phila is also there, and she absolutely doesn't take orders from Chrom. I can't imagine Frederick siding with him, either. The idea of Chrom "stopping" Emmeryn is a sort of simplistic fantasy.

Honestly though, I didn't read the plot enough. I might as well start my homosexy playthrough to re-read the story of the first arc and see if things are really how Interceptor says.

Or maybe you can do a better job of finding evidence for Emm's sainthood than the others have been able to do. The script is posted on the wiki, and basically complete.

[RJWalker]

Yes, precisely. And don't forget that Phila is also there, and she absolutely doesn't take orders from Chrom. I can't imagine Frederick siding with him, either. The idea of Chrom "stopping" Emmeryn is a sort of simplistic fantasy.

Or maybe you can do a better job of finding evidence for Emm's sainthood than the others have been able to do. The script is posted on the wiki, and basically complete.

So what? Does it mean he should let her walk into an obvious trap? You're reasoning is really weak. Perhaps he should just punch her. What's she (or Phila or anyone really) going to do? Execute him?

Why is this so hard for you to understand? If your leader is making a disastrous decision, you don't follow that decision and don't let them either. Whatever it takes. Doing anything else just shows their own stupidity. Punch her if necessarily. Hell, she certainly needs one. But do something. Anything. Don't stand there like goddamn idiot.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Ranger Jack Walker

[CrimeanRoyalKnight]

Or maybe you can do a better job of finding evidence for Emm's sainthood than the others have been able to do. The script is posted on the wiki, and basically complete.

It's not that I really care about this whole thing ;;

Besides I gtg play vidiya now. Maybe tomorrow.

If they're going to blind follow orders, they're better off calling themselves 'the Sheep' rather than 'the Shepherds'. Sometimes, you need some sense knocked into you, even if that may be in a literal sense.

But the fact is, Emmeryn has a squadron of Pegasus Knights by her side, and I'm sure the Shepherds wouldn't want to defy their beloved queen; they are not her brothers either, so they don't have the intimacy and trust Chrom has with Emmeryn.

Sure, they might go "I don't think that's a good idea", but Emmeryn's opinions have a lot of power and they wouldn't want to defy her seeing how characters in the game act.

[Jotari]

Not going to bother reading six pages of people complaining about a character I don't have any strong feelings for one way or another. Just want to chime in and say, Emmeryn's Sacrifice probably had less to do with sacrifice and more to do with Gangrel than her. He was shown to be a huge asshole all round, Emmeryn's death was likely the straw that broke the camel's back. Less "Oh Emmeryn with her super pure pureness gave her life for peace. Let's all be peaceful!" and more "Man our king Gangrel is a real asshole. Forcing super pure pureness to off herself like that. What a dick. I don't want to fight for a guy like that anymore." Also helps that the entire population wasn't there and wouldn't have a detail account of how likely she could have survived had she not jumped.

[RJWalker]

But the fact is, Emmeryn has a squadron of Pegasus Knights by her side, and I'm sure the Shepherds wouldn't want to defy their beloved queen; they are not her brothers either, so they don't have the intimacy and trust Chrom has with Emmeryn.

Sure, they might go "I don't think that's a good idea", but Emmeryn's opinions have a lot of power and they wouldn't want to defy her seeing how characters in the game act.

See, all that really shows just how terrible a leader Emmeryn is if she is going to be that stubborn.

Having power doesn't mean you allow someone to make a really bad decision. Take Malledus. Even though Marth is the prince and heir, he still prevents Marth from running back to save Elice or going after the decoy. And Marth, being a good leader, realizes just how bad a decision it would be go back. Malledus literally bars Marth's path. Just stands in his way. And Marth comes to his senses. Perhaps Chrom should have done the same. There is no excuse for just standing there. It's no like the same chapter doesn't have an example of a character punching someone with a lot more authoirty to knock some sense into them.

[Ownagepuffs]

Not going to bother reading six pages of people complaining about a character I don't have any strong feelings for one way or another. Just want to chime in and say, Emmeryn's Sacrifice probably had less to do with sacrifice and more to do with Gangrel than her. He was shown to be a huge asshole all round, Emmeryn's death was likely the straw that broke the camel's back. Less "Oh Emmeryn with her super pure pureness gave her life for peace. Let's all be peaceful!" and more "Man our king Gangrel is a real asshole. Forcing super pure pureness to off herself like that. What a dick. I don't want to fight for a guy like that anymore." Also helps that the entire population wasn't there and wouldn't have a detail account of how likely she could have survived had she not jumped.

I disagree. The game frames their change of heart in a way that credits Emm more than it discredits Gangrel.

Soldier

Forgive me, sir, but I...I no longer see the justice in hunting these people down. I accept any punishment you see fit, but after all that's happened...I just can't.

Wyvern Rider

How dare you question the general's orders! You know full well the punishment for insubordination is death!

Soldier

B-but, sir! These people are—

Mustafa

These questions are not ours to ponder, lad. The soldier does not judge. The soldier delivers judgment.

Soldier

Sir, I... I cannot raise my lance against them. Even if... Even if it means death.

Mustafa

...You were there when Emmeryn spoke, weren't you? So be it! Those of you unwilling to fight are dismissed!

And earlier in the chapter

Mustafa

Ylisseans! I offer you mercy! Surrender to me now and live!

Basilio

Surrender? Sorry, I'm not familiar with the word.

Mustafa

Emmeryn would not have wished for this to come to bloodshed.

The game makes it seem like Emm changed their hearts, not that they had a change or heart due to Gangrel being a dick.

See, all that really shows just how terrible a leader Emmeryn is if she is going to be that stubborn.

Having power doesn't mean you allow someone to make a really bad decision. Take Malledus. Even though Marth is the prince and heir, he still prevents Marth from running back to save Elice or going after the decoy. And Marth, being a good leader, realizes just how bad a decision it would be go back. Malledus literally bars Marth's path. Just stands in his way. And Marth comes to his senses. Perhaps Chrom should have done the same. There is no excuse for just standing there. It's no like the same chapter doesn't have an example of a character punching someone with a lot more authoirty to knock some sense into them.

There's even an example of that in this game.

Basilio

The Mad King knew our scouts would relay this information back. It's clearly a provocation—a hot brand to the buttocks! We should consider our options carefully before jumping to any—

Chrom

Shepherds! We march to Plegia!

Basilio

*Ahem* Well, that would be ONE option, yes... But perhaps we've seen enough royalty waltzing into traps for one war already, eh?

Chrom

I don't care if it's a trap, Basilio. He's going to murder my sister!

Flavia

Peace, Chrom. Breathe a moment. No one's suggesting we don't act. We're simply saying we should act WISELY. We'll need guts AND wits in equal measure if we're to save your sister.

Robin

The khans are right. I'll think of something, Chrom. I promise.

Instead of blindly charging in there, the Khans warn Chrom that it is a bad idea. Chrom, who's been proven to at least have half a brain, realizes that they are correct and decides to take a more cautious approach. So no, the "no one could have stopped Emmeryn" excuse does not hold up.

[Interceptor]

So what? Does it mean he should let her walk into an obvious trap? You're reasoning is really weak. Perhaps he should just punch her. What's she (or Phila or anyone really) going to do? Execute him?

Good lord. Yes, it does mean that when Chrom loses his last bid to convince Emm with his words and arguments, he lets her go rather than upend the command structure and start a Ylissean civil war in the middle of a crisis. What on earth do you expect is going to happen when two sides won't back down, and one of them resorts to violence? People are going to take sides.

When I mentioned the punching thing, it was in jest, i.e. something so obviously ridiculous that you'd get the point that he had no choice. I was not expecting people to be so unworldly that they'd take it seriously.

Why is this so hard for you to understand?

Oh I understand your point, I am completely taken aback by how naive it was.

I disagree. The game frames their change of heart in a way that credits Emm more than it discredits Gangrel. [...] The game makes it seem like Emm changed their hearts, not that they had a change or heart due to Gangrel being a dick.

More of this "the game" business, when actually it's just a single magnanimous Plegian general talking. Also, you cut out a HUGE amount of context, namely this:

Soldier: But I don't wish to abandon you, sir!

Mustafa: I cannot defy the king, lad. I know him well. He would murder my wife and child to set an example. I will accept the blame for your actions today. Now go!

Soldier: W-wait, General! I see a cause worth fighting for, one I believe in: loyalty to my general

Note that Mustafa fights for Gangrel for a very personal reason, and then the Soldiers join with him to fight against Chrom anyway. Literally they put loyalty to their commander over anything that Emmeryn said. So much for that!

Hilariously, the helpful Wyvern Rider reminds us what the punishment for insubordination is. Pay close attention, RJW!

There's even an example of that in this game. [...] Instead of blindly charging in there, the Khans warn Chrom that it is a bad idea. Chrom, who's been proven to at least have half a brain, realizes that they are correct and decides to take a more cautious approach. So no, the "no one could have stopped Emmeryn" excuse does not hold up.

Emm DOES listen to reason at first: she agrees to Frederick's idea of retreating to the eastern palace (end of Chapter 6). But at the end of Chapter 7, she changes her mind, and nothing that Chrom says (and he tries, repeatedly) alters her course:

Emmeryn: Come, Phila. We must go.

This is a dismissal. Go read the entire thing; Emm is not wavering, Chrom cannot talk her down. Not even Frederick or Phila try to change her mind.

[RJWalker]

No, that still does exist meeting her walk into a trap. All your post do is she that neither Chrom nor Emmeryn (but her especially) don't deserve to be in charge.

You may have suggested the punching idea in jest but it rely is the best course of action.

I mean, it's not like the following cutscene didn't feature a character punching some one with authority that they card about to knock some sense into them. No, that would be stupid, right? Oh wait....

[Moira]

The sun is also shining on these random assholes. Which of them are Christ-figures?

Obviously Chrom's future wife would have the sun shining on her while she walks through the crowd. That's clearly the purpose of the sun right?

[Czar_Yoshi]

It's possible to guess at intentions, sure. There's no way to verify that your assumptions are correct, and therein lies the problem: you can't prove it.

And here is where you accidentally put your finger on the essential problem (I replaced your emphasis with my own). Look at the bolded portions. Beliefs? Apparently this is more like a religion than it is a science. I've repeatedly asked for evidence of the various assertions that people have made in this thread, and no smoking gun has yet emerged. All I get in response are weak, contradictory points that don't stand up to scrutiny.

How can you say that the burden of proof falls upon me, when the religion isn't evidence-based in the first place? Where's the proof that this "the game says XYZ" business isn't some collective wishful thinking? I've shot holes in everything that's been presented, and frankly I'm a little shocked that it's as weak as it is.

I was sure that there'd be at least something that was unequivocal, but either the script provides thin gruel to go on, or the lot of you are horrible sleuths.

If you have that much trouble discerning what I'm talking about, even with me here to inform you when you (deliberately?) misinterpret me, no wonder you don't think it's possible to discern author intentions. If it really wasn't, though, why do you think things like this would exist: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnAesop

I guess since there's no way to know what author intentions actually are, all those are just examples of people randomly extrapolating things without any idea of what they're talking about, right?

In any case, change "belief" to "idea" and answer that again without getting hung up on one word. It's generally accepted that the game portrays Emmeryn (or at least tries to) as a good ruler/paragon of peace/whatever synonym for good you prefer. If you think it doesn't and are trying to change people's minds, you bear the burden of proof. Sure, you can just keep doing what you're doing now and say "I already proved it, you need to prove she's good", but that's not going to convince anyone and you know it.

[Ownagepuffs]

I decided to stop replying to you (Interceptor) after you blatantly ignored the context of the images you posted. I was pretty done when you likened Walhart's image to Emm's. Do you even context? Do you even associated dialogue? Do you even focal point? What about the events that precede and proceed those images? You ignored all of that and said "they have sunlight so your point is false!" But I have to reply now since you of all people are trying to give me a lecture on ignoring context.

More of this "the game" business, when actually it's just a single magnanimous Plegian general talking. Also, you cut out a HUGE amount of context, namely this:

Soldier: But I don't wish to abandon you, sir!
Mustafa: I cannot defy the king, lad. I know him well. He would murder my wife and child to set an example. I will accept the blame for your actions today. Now go!
Soldier: W-wait, General! I see a cause worth fighting for, one I believe in: loyalty to my general

Note that Mustafa fights for Gangrel for a very personal reason, and then the Soldiers join with him to fight against Chrom anyway. Literally they put loyalty to their commander over anything that Emmeryn said. So much for that!

The game lacks a narrator. Every message that it tries to convey is through the dialogue of the characters. I believe this has been stated to you multiple times. The soldier acted as a microcosm of the Plegian military. The fact that the soldier stayed and fought for Mustafa is irrelevant, what matters here is that he had a drastic and sudden change of heart, regardless of how temporary it was, due to Emmeryn's words. Emm's morality speech and Christ-like sacrifice reached him. The game, through its characters, indirectly glorifies Emmeryn's actions.

You think the soldier was the only one whose heart changed? Your memory must be a bit foggy. Here, let me refresh it with a scene from the chapter that comes directly afterwards.

>Soldier enters

Soldier
Y-Your Highness! Dire news!

Gangrel
Oh? Speak.

Soldier
Our troops are laying down their weapons and deserting en masse! Please, sire... I am but a messenger... Have mercy...

>Scene change

Frederick
Milord, I've a report from Khan Flavia. The Plegian army is in disarray.

Chrom
How do you mean?

Frederick
It seems many of their soldiers are opposed to further violence. There has been infighting, desertion... Gangrel is trying to stamp out the mutiny by force, but with little success. Outside of a few faithful who serve him directly, his army has all but collapsed.

Chrom
This is incredible news. But why...? ...Emmeryn.

Frederick
Yes, milord. Emmeryn. The report says Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field. Her words, and her sacrifice, have made her a folk hero of sorts.

Chrom
Emmeryn... Why did it take me so long to understand? She believed all people desire peace. She knew, deep down, the Plegians wanted it, too. It just took her to bring it to the surface.

The most hilarious part of this is that they chanted her fucking name. If this isn't glorification to you, then I think you might as well stop posting.

Emm DOES listen to reason at first: she agrees to Frederick's idea of retreating to the eastern palace (end of Chapter 6). But at the end of Chapter 7, she changes her mind, and nothing that Chrom says (and he tries, repeatedly) alters her course:

Emmeryn: Come, Phila. We must go.

This is a dismissal. Go read the entire thing; Emm is not wavering, Chrom cannot talk her down. Not even Frederick or Phila try to change her mind.

Emm wanted to go back because she's Emmeryn. Chrom wanted to charge into Plegia because they were going to murder his damn sister. If Chrom could be talked out of it, then so could Emm. All it really does is make Emm seem stubborn.

But here is the exact problem. I'm probably going in circles here trying to explain this to you, but whatever. A simple text reference isn't enough, you need a visual for this.

http://youtu.be/a2sA0gGcpBA?t=27m39s

27:39 - 29:58

Watch it. The music sets the mood for the entire scene. As I've said before, the crux of the entire scene was Chrom's "Be selfish for once in your life!". That changed the context of the entirety of Emm's decision. Despite how stubborn, stupid, and arguably selfish her decision was, the game, through the dialogue of our only source of reliable narrative (the primary cast), still paints her decision as wise ( "As for the peace I seek... You cannot see who it is for. I have to go. I'm sorry—I truly am.), selfless, and noble.

[CrimeanRoyalKnight]

Frederick

Yes, milord. Emmeryn. The report says Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field. Her words, and her sacrifice, have made her a folk hero of sorts.

Chrom

Emmeryn... Why did it take me so long to understand? She believed all people desire peace. She knew, deep down, the Plegians wanted it, too. It just took her to bring it to the surface.

Well, if chanting someone's name while abandoning the field isn't being turned into a saint... 9_9