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Can we please take a moment to appreciate Amalia's relationship with her father?

I know we often talk about how King Oakheart was the GOAT since he was the wisest, kindest, most open-minded of the royals shown in the entire show, but I don't think we talk about how great a father he was to Amalia nearly as much.

With the exception of season 1, when it was Armand who had to talk him out of grounding Amalia for running away and to let her have her fun, the king was consistently shown to be nothing but doting, understanding, and supportive of his daughter.

And even then, it was still established that the reason they were both so overprotective of Amalia and didn't let her leave the kingdom wasn't just so she'd fulfill her duties as Sadida Princess, but because they were still not over Queen Sheran Sharm's death and didn't want to lose her too.

Despite the sad, bitter undertone, Armand still admitted in season 4 that, even on his deathbed, their father kept on praising and calling for Amalia. And in season 3, regardless of his frail health, he was still there for her when her whole world was burning down around her and she needed him most. Which makes her grief over the fact that she didn't get to say goodbye to him all the more relatable and heartbreaking.

Throughout the entire show, King Oakheart has had the utmost faith and trust in his daughter. His pride and love for her unmeasurable and present throughout all their interactions.

Even when they had the classic father-daughter argument about his diet and eating habits. Those two were extremely close, which is why his death hits all the harder. Not only because the audience came to love him too, but because we know precisely how much he meant to Amalia.

The love and trust they had for each other was palpable all throughout the show.

Their overjoyed reaction upon being finally reunited in season 1 compared to Amalia's trepidation about meeting up again with her brother previous to returning home. As well as the king immediately believing Amalia as opposed to Armand.

The fact that, unlike season 1, where Amalia effectively ran away, in season 2 the king wasn't just aware of her true intentions all along and still let her go despite playing tough, but ordered Canar and Renate to prepare everything for her.

And why? Because Amalia is just as stubborn and adventurous as her mother. Awwww.

How about his heartbroken reaction at having to let her go and marry Count Harebourg? Or his overjoyed one when she returned in the end?

I really don't think we do that scene enough justice.

Upon preparing to depart, Amalia was the picture of grace and protocol. She remained poised and collected, addressing her father formally (using vous instead of tu in the original French), and promising to make him proud and find the way to save their forests.

Amalia acted every bit as regal, responsible, and business-driven as you'd expect a princess on a mission to be.

No, it was the king who loved his daughter and lamented having to see her go so much that he did not hesitate to throw protocol into the wind and tearfully hug his little flower goodbye in front of the entire kingdom.

And if that weren't enough, just look at this absolute sweetheart of a man when his little girl returns to him. Forget about Harebourg's help and saving their forests for a second; his baby is back and that's all that matters to him.

Not to mention how he listened to her when Amalia declared she had no intention of ever entering an arranged marriage again.

Sure, the season 3 artbook and their short conversation states all the king wanted before he died was to see her married and taken care of by someone who loved her. But the overwhelming presence of Aurora's relatives trying to court her indicates it was actually her and Armand's doing that Amalia was swamped with unwanted suitors and had her previous wishes repeatedly disrespected, not her father's.

But the true reason that short scene from the OVAs is so poignant, the reason it's so important to point out King Oakheart was always willing to ignore protocol for his little girl's sake, is the stark contrast it creates with the only other father-daughter relationship composed of royalty that we know of.

I'm talking, of course, about Aurora and the Osamodas King.

(Thanks @cocogum so much for these!)

The main reason this scene from the manga stuck with me at all was Aurora's line when her father explains he didn't tell her about the wedding to avoid upsetting her in her state.

To be precise, it was the overly formal tone that left an impression on me.

I'm using the original French because the translated version is far more casual ("I appreciate your caring about me, father..."), whereas the original and the Spanish translation are more faithful to what I believe to be ToT's intentions:

Roughly speaking, Aurora's line in French could be translated into "I appreciate your benevolence, father..."; an extremely formal way of speaking. Which does a wonderful job at highlighting a crucial difference between Aurora and her father and Amalia and King Oakheart: Despite working in tandem to take over the Sadida Kingdom, the former are nowhere near as close as the latter.

Just compare their interactions!

It's not just the fact that King Oakheart readily engulfs Amalia into a hug regardless of her age, it's the fact that he willingly and readily foregoes all protocol and expected formality out of genuinely devoted paternal love for her. Even when the entire Sadida Kingdom is looking!

By contrast, Aurora and her father remain distant and professional at all times, often holding stilted conversations with each other, even when they're completely alone.

That alone speaks volumes about which relationship is closer and healthier.

Of course, as much as I adore Amalia's bond with the king, we can't forget that he was still far from perfect. After all, it was his clear soft spot for Amalia and his constant lauding of her efforts and feats while remaining far more strict and critical of Armand that ended up fueling the latter's jealousy, bitterness, and feelings of inadecuacy towards his sister.

Was the king so demanding of Armand because he was the eldest as well as the future heir so he needed to be prepared and up to the challenges ahead? Was it perhaps because he was well aware of his son's worst tendencies and how they could get out of hand more easily than Amalia's? Was it because the two had very different ruling styles, with Oakheart being more progressive and Armand more conservative, so they were always meant to clash?

We might never know.

What we do know, however, is that his parenting style played a key role in shaping Amalia and Armand's relationship down the line. I'm proud of Armand for admitting his own shortcomings to her and for consoling her after his death. After all, it's not her fault if their father played favourites.

All in all, despite his own flaws, King Oakheart is easily the best monarch shown in the World of Twelve thanks to his wisdom, kindness, and progressive thinking. And while he may not have always been the best father, there's no denying he was still the best one Amalia and Armand could have asked for.

As Amalia said when Armand sacrificed himself, he would have been proud of the people his rambunctious children had become.

He will be sorely missed.

Renate Bertlmann, Journey, 2023

Streicheleinheiten 1976-2023 (Latex cuddles units), vintage hat suitcase, highchair, vintage toiletry fasks, condoms

116 x 50 x 50 cm © Carol Tachdjian

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