Dimitri vs Fleche Parallel
*SPOILERS FOR AZURE MOON CHAPTERS 14 AND 18 AS WELL AS (minor) SPOILERS FOR POST-GRONDER OF OTHER ROUTES*
Tw/Cw - Death, mentions of decapitation, trauma, and stabbing
Okay, but Dimitri and Fleche.
I'm in the middle of my Azure Moon replay, soaking in EVERYTHING,
and I just hit the end of Chapter 14.
Uh, as a reminder, this is the chapter after you've just reunited with your students and the monastery is being attacked. What's most important here is the dialogue Fleche shares with Randolph (the enemy general of this chapter whom you must defeat and Fleche's older brother). The transcript is as follows:
Randolph: It would seem the report that the Knights of Seiros have returned was accurate. This is going to take some effort.
Fleche: Brother... I heard a rumor that there is a vicious murderer among our enemies.
Randolph: Who knows if there's any truth to it. Though I admit we have lost some soldiers recently.
Randolph: Whether he's among them or not, taking on the Knights of Seiros is extremely dangerous.
Randolph: You're not ready for the front lines, Fleche. Stay in the back and support us from there. Understood?
Fleche: No! I want to stay with you! I have to---
Randolph: I need you to understand, Fleche. I will come back, I promise.
Fleche: Fine. I trust you, Brother. Please... be safe.
Randolph: All units, prepare to attack!
(Source: The game itself. I copied it from the Log)
Now, aside from the fact that Randolph using Fleche's name while Fleche only says "Brother" is heavily reminiscent of Seteth and Flayn (wow, even the names are similar - Fleche and Flayn), I was listening to this exchange intently.
You see, last time I listened, I was clowning on them because - duh, they're gonna die lol. Dimitri is on my side 🤪🤪🤪 (I later learned that my Dimitri was NOT that powerful, as this was my first playthrough and I had little experience back then. My current Dimitri would absolutely demolish though).
This time, however, I recalled Fleche from last time - she was the one to nearly assassinate Dimitri, and accidentally kill Rodrigue.
Before, I saw this conversation as relevant simply because, "Oh hey, that guy's gonna die! Yup, there he is. Wait, Dimitri, calm down-"
I completely forgot Fleche, so when she came and claimed we killed her brother, my mind blanked. I thought similarly to the rest of the army - her brother must've been some soldier we killed. Oops. ╮(╯_╰)╭
Then, as the conversation closed, a small thought dawned on me:
That reminds me of Dimitri.
To be blunt, a lot of things do (I think about Dimitri just about 24/7 and thusly, I think about Dimitri parallels non-stop) but this was a first for me - and the thought stuck.
Yes, yes... Fleche was like Dimitri - seeking revenge for fallen family, a vengeance that would take her life.
She reflected what Dimitri could've been - and is - in another route. Another way the story could've been told.
Allow me to explain:
Firstly, Fleche was worried for her brother, and she survived the battle where he died.
This was, oddly enough, the first thought to come to mind to explain this, but hear me out.
In an earlier conversation (pre-timeskip), just after the Jeralt is killed, Byleth speaks with Dimitri, where the latter reveals more about his experience back in Duscur, as a way to empathize with the Professor - including some words about his stepmother, whom he loved as his own flesh.
Dimitri: ... My stepmother, the kindest person I had ever known, left me behind and disappeared into the infernal flames. ...
(Source: The Cause of Sorrow/Script - Fire Emblem Wiki)
Dimitri and Gilbert's C-Support reveal that Dimitri would not have lived were it not for an external influence.
Dimitri: (To Gilbert) ... You saved my life at Duscur. I have only gratitude for you, no blame to speak of. ...
(Source: Dimitri/Supports - Fire Emblem Wiki)
No doubt, Dimitri was extremely worried for everyone of the Kingdom during that battle - friends and family alike - but I focus specifically on his stepmother mostly because it's later revealed that she has something to do with the Tragedy, and I sometimes like to have a tragic sense of humor :]
Similar to Dimitri's concern for his stepmother, Fleche worries deeply for her brother, Randolph. Both of them are kept from the front lines and live the battle, but still bear witness to the murder of their family - for Dimitri, that included his stepmother, and for Fleche, that's her brother. Both survived where their beloved family fell, and they had a feeling it would happen.
Second, Fleche seeks revenge.
This is not a hard one to prove. In Chapter 18, as Fleche prepares to kill Dimitri, she shouts:
"[The pain of being stabbed is] nothing compared to what my brother felt! You will never be forgiven, you know. I will never forgive you!"
(Source: Blood of the Eagle and Lion (Azure Moon)/Script - Fire Emblem Wiki)
If that's not vengeance, I don't know what is.
Third, her vengeance is her death, but she does collateral damage in the process.
This one is also fairly obvious - after stabbing Rodrigue she's killed - but there's also a bit more to it.
Yes, Rodrigue's death is an important step in Dimitri arc as it caused him to view both life and death differently, but you can also use it as parallel fodder (as I have).
You see, during other routes (Verdant Wind and Silver Snow specifically), Dimitri comes incredibly close to killing Edelgard (they are literally on the same battlefield, and she's even severely wounded in the process!) but he fails to finish the deed. He severely damages the Imperial army (alongside the Kingdom and Alliance forces, as cited in the event, "A Visitor"), but Edelgard lives. He dies.
Similarly, Fleche comes incredibly close to killing Dimitri. She even does collateral damage (aka she killed Rodrigue) - but she ultimately fails. Dimitri lives. She dies.
In essence, Fleche is a Dimitri that would've been - a Dimitri that is - had he not been corrected. Ironically enough, she helped him - saved his life even.
And people give all the credit to Byleth. ┐(´ー｀)┌
Anyways, that's just a thought I had that I may or may not have put too much thought into haha. I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed it but that's my two cents at the very least.
TL;DR - fleche is lowkey a manifest of dimitri
