After the war, Rhea resumed her duties as the archbishop, and Seteth and Catherine joined her in rebuilding the Knights of Seiros. As ever, Seteth served as her second in command and Catherine remained one of her most trusted protectors. When the hard work was over and all had been restored, Seteth confessed his love to Catherine and asked her to marry him. Though initially reluctant, Catherine is said to have been persuaded to accept by a nudge from Rhea herself. The two were wed in a packed and lively ceremony, and afterward they lived out their lives happily as husband and wife.
vs. Edelgard/Manuela
As the new Adrestian emperor, Edelgard gave all she had to breathe new life into the government of Fodlan. Her first objective was to institute new class reforms and ensure the people's independence. For that reason, she sought the counsel of Manuela, whose vast array of contacts, talents, and experience proved invaluable. She became essential to Edelgard, and her skill as a physician kept the emperor in good health for many years. Both remained unmarried, and it is said that the two became extremely close over the years.
Which paired ending is better?
Catherine/Seteth
Edelgard/Manuela
Voting ended onJul 1
Support chain transcripts under the cut because I know those often colour people's feelings on the endings:
Catherine and Seteth
C
Seteth: How are you, Catherine? You look well enough.
Catherine: Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Never better.
Seteth: That is good. I cannot help but be concerned, given your tendency toward incautious behavior. While boldness can be a virtue, I do hope you will bear in mind that recklessness is not. A moment's negligence can lead to a mortal wound for even the most skilled fighter.
Catherine: You worry too much. If they saw me in action, the wounds themselves would cower!
Seteth: That is precisely the attitude that worries me. Especially given your history. You have been gravely injured before, as you no doubt recall.
Catherine: Me, "gravely injured"? When did that happen?
Seteth: You mean you have forgotten? It was during your days as a student at the Officers Academy. There was an excursion - a monster hunt. You charged ahead and left your fellow students behind. You ended up alone and surrounded. You almost died. Do you truly not remember?
Catherine: Are you sure? All I remember is cutting down monsters left and right.
Seteth: That is true enough. But you nearly bled to death in the aftermath. The archbishop was so concerned for your life that she tended your wounds personally.
Catherine: Oh! That was when that happened! Finally, it all fits together. Lady Rhea looking after me - now, that I remember clearly. That was the first time she ever spoke to me. I was lying on the ground, caked in mud, and she gently picked me up, even stroked my hair… the emotions were so overpowering that they must have just cleared away my memory of the whole incident. So, it was during the monster hunt! Thanks, Seteth. That's been bothering me for ages.
Seteth: That is not quite why I brought it up…
Catherine: Come to think of it, Lady Rhea hasn't healed me since then. Maybe if I get wounded badly enough, I'll have that honor again!
Seteth: I know you have a fondness for the archbishop, but do try to control yourself.
Catherine: We've got to find Lady Rhea, and then maybe someday she'll honor me like that again…
B
Catherine: Hey, Seteth, I've been meaning to ask you. What is your relationship with Lady Rhea?
Seteth: That is certainly an abrupt question.
Catherine: You're much closer to her than anyone else in the entire church. Certainly you're a good, upstanding person, but I can't help but feel there's something more to it.
Seteth: Supporting the archbishop is my sole professional interest. Personally, I consider her to be something akin to a companion.
Catherine: A companion?
Seteth: Yes. As in a traveling companion. Friends who walk the same path, toward the same destination.
Catherine: Hmm, companion, huh? A companion. I guess that does sound about right, now that you say it. Though, I'll confess to being quite jealous! Not many people can call themselves companions of Lady Rhea.
Seteth: I do not know how she feels about it.
Catherine: Oh, come on. You must trust that she feels the same about you.
Seteth: There is no need for that sort of trust. My duties are the same regardless of her perspective. I consider you to be a companion, also.
Catherine: A companion in fighting for the archbishop?
Seteth: Certainly. Our goals are firmly aligned when it comes to that, are they not?
Catherine: You're right, they are. I suppose you and I could be considered companions in that sense.
Seteth: I am pleased to hear my sentiment reciprocated. I rely on you a great deal, after all. More than most.
Catherine: Whoa, there, what's all this now? Flattery won't win you any prizes with me, Seteth.
Seteth: I do not flatter. I merely want you to understand why it matters to me that you be more cautious in battle. As your companion, it is my wish for you to be safe.
Catherine: Oh, good, we're back in familiar territory - with you admonishing me. Don't worry, I'll be careful. I'll always try to live up to your expectations. So don't expect too much, or you'll wear me out!
A
Catherine: Hiiiiiiyah! Take that, you goons! And that!
Seteth: Ugh, no. Catherine's at it again. She has charged too far forward. I'd better join her before she - hyah!
Catherine: Urgh… are you alright?
Seteth: That's what I was going to ask you. How could you be so reckless?!
Catherine: All those times you scolded me, and now you get yourself all beaten up. To think, nearly getting yourself killed in a minor skirmish like this one!
Seteth: Quite right. Thankfully, I am not badly hurt. My apologies. I didn't mean to worry you.
Catherine: What's gotten into you?
Seteth: How do you mean?
Catherine: Don't play dumb. I was supposed to patrol this area, not you. What are you even doing here?
Seteth: Just happened to be passing through?
Catherine: Seteth, this isn't like you bumped into me on a stroll around town. Nobody passes through a battlefield!
Seteth: Alright. I wanted to protect you.
Catherine: What?
Seteth: You'd pressed much too far ahead. I feared your life might be in danger. Once that thought occurred to me, I could not stand idly by. I had to shield you from harm.
Catherine: And you were injured in the process. I don't know what to say… Seteth. I didn't realize you worried so much about my safety. I apologize… and I'm grateful. I guess we really are companions.
Seteth: I did not do this merely to assist an ally. I did it for you. I don't want to lose you.
Catherine: I… I…
Seteth: And if I am willing to risk my life to protect you, just think how much scolding I am capable of. So you had best take better care of yourself.
Catherine: Alright. You've made your feelings clear. When you say it like that, I can't refuse. I'm sorry for making you worry all the time. I'll be more careful. I promise.
Seteth: Please do. For my sake and yours.
-
Edelgard and Manuela
Manuela: ♪ Mmm… mmm… mmm… ♪
[...]
Edelgard: That song…
Manuela: ♪ Mmm… mmm… ♪ ah! Hello, Edelgard.
Edelgard: Professor Manuela, that song you were humming… I feel as though I've heard it before, long ago. And I'm sure it was you singing it back then… at the opera house in the Imperial capital, perhaps?
Manuela: Why, yes! You must have seen me there. I am flattered you would remember it! I performed with the Mittelfrank Opera Company in Enbarr on numerous occasions.
Edelgard: So it was you. I went to that performance with my uncle. I wanted desperately to see it again, but after that night, he took me to seek asylum in the Kingdom… when I returned to the Empire several years later, you had already retired.
Manuela: Oh… that's a shame. So, you only got to hear me sing once?
Edelgard: Sadly, that's correct.
Manuela: Yet you still remember it… even the melody of the song I sang. I'm honored.
Edelgard: That's how much of an impression your voice left on me. I must ask… why did you retire so soon? You could have continued for another ten or twenty years.
Manuela: Indeed. Many singers perform for decades. But that wasn't for me. I wanted to go out on top. My voice is a gift from the goddess. However, as all things do, it will decline with age. One day, I will lose that gift. And so I decided I needed to learn to survive without it, long before that day came. I needed to prove to myself that I can live on… even after my voice returns to the goddess.
Edelgard: So despite your belief in the goddess, you wished to live by your own strength?
Manuela: It's hard for me to explain. The goddess supports me both spiritually and emotionally. Everything else is up to me.
B
Edelgard: Professor Manuela? May I come in?
[...]
Edelgard: Uh… this room! What… what happened here?!
Manuela: Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. Why? Is something the matter?
Edelgard: No, I just - can I help you tidy up? Actually, I have to know. How did you make such a mess in the first place?
Manuela: Please don't ask for the details. Suffice to say my room always looks like this after I've been dumped.
Edelgard: Oh, right. Well, let's see what we can do about it.
[...]
Manuela: Your help was unexpected, but appreciated, Edelgard. Now, what can I do for you?
Edelgard: I heard that you haven't been acting like yourself, so I came to see if you're doing alright. But the moment I saw you, I could tell you were troubled, so it seemed pointless to ask.
Manuela: I suppose it was rather obvious, wasn't it? Perhaps I should stop being quite so dramatic… all the same, dear, I'd like to repay you for helping me out. Name your prize.
Edelgard: I don't need a reward, but… if you wouldn't mind answering my question, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Manuela: Of course. What is it?
Edelgard: I once asked you why you chose to retire. You said that the goddess supports you emotionally, but it's up to you to take care of the rest. I have to admit that I don't quite understand what you meant by that… can you please explain?
Manuela: Did I say that? Hm, I suppose so… from joining the Mittelfrank Opera Company to becoming a diva of the grand stage… I went through so much to achieve what I did. Looking back, I don't know how I made it.
Edelgard: What happened during that time?
Manuela: A lot. My divinely gifted voice only got me to the edge of the stage. From there, I had to work hard to defeat my rivals. I did all of this by myself, through sheer force of will. All so I could stand center-stage.
Edelgard: Ah, I see I was wrong about something. I thought that being a devout believer implied a certain weakness of spirit. An inability to survive on your own. But you've proven me wrong, Professor Manuela.
C
Edelgard: …
[...]
Manuela: Something on your mind, Edelgard? This may not be the best place to sit and think. An archer might try to take a lucky shot at you.
Edelgard: Right you are. I appreciate your concern.
[...]
Edelgard: In here, I'm trapped in a whirlwind of political affairs. I just needed to escape for a moment to get some fresh air.
Manuela: I understand completely. May I ask what was on your mind? I'd like to help.
Edelgard: To be honest… I still can't forget what you told me before. I don't want you to misunderstand and think I'm against everything the church represents. There's good there, buried in the corruption. Still… I find it extremely difficult to step back and accept the good, overlooking all the rest. For the world to start anew, it's necessary for the nobility system and the Church of Seiros to both be completely crushed.
Manuela: Perhaps… I suppose that might be the only way for you to achieve your goals.
Edelgard: I believe so, but… then I think about people like you who are devoted to the goddess. People who are unlike the others, who are willing to fight for themselves rather than leaving everything in the hands of a higher power… when I achieve my aim, I'll be crushing their… crushing your emotional and spiritual support. Yet despite all that, you're still here. Still supporting me.
Manuela: Don't worry yourself about that, Edelgard. People are always weaker than you think, but never as weak as you expect. The goddess is our silent foundation. She watches over our every step, but never gets directly involved. You, on the other hand, want to support us with your own flesh and blood. To push us forward toward a better future.
Edelgard: …
Manuela: As it were, some problems require drastic measures. I believe you know that better than anyone. It takes strength to take those measures. That's why you inspire people. You're probably why some of them get out of bed in the morning.
Edelgard: You're too kind.
Manuela: Nah, I've just been around a bit longer than you, that's all. While we're on the subject… yes, the goddess does supply me with emotional support. But so do you. Whether you know it or not.
Edelgard: I… what do you mean by that?
Manuela: Just what I said, my dear. Just what I said.
Edelgard: Ugh, now I'm blushing. Let's change the subject, shall we?
Manuela: As you wish. I think I've said quite enough as it is!
