Ephraim

Restoration King
Ephraim
Species	Human
Class	Lord
Promotion	Great Lord
Affiliation	Renais
Hair color	Green
Eye color	Blue
Weaponry	Siegmund
Base	Renais
Relatives	Fado (father) Eirika (sister) L'Arachel, Tana (possible wives)
Debut	Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Ephraim is one of the two main characters featured in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. He and her twin sister Eirika are the heirs to the throne of Renais.

Background

Ephraim and Eirika were born to King Fado of Renais and were destined to inherit the throne someday. Ephraim and Eirika spent much time together and developed a close bond. However, Ephraim came to enjoy battle more despite his hopes for peace, while Eirika was the more overly peaceful one. When they were young, they were both given special bracelets that unknown to either of them, could be used to unlock the seal that hid the Sacred Stone of Renais within Renais Castle. Ephraim came to study in Grado, and he eventually chose to fight with the lance due to believing it to be the most superior of the weapons. He received intruction from one of the the legendary three generals of Grado, Duessel. There, he and Eirika also befriended the prince Lyon, and Lyon became Ephraim's best friend. He also came to rely on Lyon to help him learn history, although Father MacGregor and others looked down on Ephraim and did not think he would make a great king. Ephraim sometimes agreed, believing that Eirika was more fit to rule Renais. Additionally, he also came to befriend Princess Tana of Frelia and formed a strong rivalry with her brother Innes.

However, all of this changed when Grado suddenly invaded Renais and killed eventually their father. Ephraim led the Renais forces in attempting to repel the Grado army. As his forces dwindled, Ephraim often was forced to resort to guerilla tactics and focused on distracting the soldiers to prevent them from reaching his father and Eirika. He was accompanied in this endeavor by the knights Kyle, Forde and Orson. Eventually in "Chapter 5x: Unbroken Heart", Ephraim staged a siege of Renvall Castle, due to its importance in Grado's national defense as well as his belief that it was an unpredictable move. However, due to Orson's treachery, they were surrounded by Grado reinforcements lead by Valter immediately after completing their siege. Ephraim, Kyle and Forde were able to escape, and along the way Ephraim found the Manakete Myrrh imprisoned by the Grado soldiers, and rescued her. From her he learned more about Grado's dark plots. He then learned that Eirika had been lured into a trap at Renvall Castle by false rumors of Ephraim being apprehended by Grado forces, so he led his men back to Renvall to aid her. Afterwards, they all pulled back to Frelia to regroup. Despite all the dark happenings about Grado, Ephraim felt that if anyone, Lyon and Duessel would still sympathize with them.

Ephraim and Eirika then went down separate paths. Depending on which path was chosen, Ephraim was accompanied by either all the soldiers recruited up to that point or by Frelian reinforcements. Ephraim fought his way towards the Grado capital, encountering a phantom ship along the way, and also succeeding in swaying Duessel over to their side. But to his dismay, after killing Emperor Vigarde in "Chapter 14: Father and Son", Lyon claimed to have motivated the entire war with the aid of the Dark Stone, and the influence of the Great Demon had driven him to his mad war to destroy all the Sacred Stones. Ephraim then brought his men to the desert near Jehanna Hall to aid Eirika's group against Valter and Caellach in "Chapter 15: Scorched Sand". The twins reunited, they then set off to reclaim Renais Castle in "Chapter 16: Ruled by Madness", succeeding after killing Orson. They then used their bracelets to unlock the chamber holding the Sacred Stone. Their bracelets also transformed to allow them to promote to their new forms, and the Sacred Twin weapons of Renais were found, with Ephraim receiving the Flame Lance Siegmund.

They then traveled towards Rausten to find the last Sacred Stone, with Lyon destroying the Renais Stone at one point. Ephraim continued to attempt to reach out to Lyon, who eventually claimed to be in charge of his mental facilities, but the closest thing to a good thing Lyon would do in return was asking Ephraim to kill him before the Great Demon took over his body during a ceremony at the Darkling Woods. They eventually had their final battle with Lyon at the heart of the Darkling Woods in "Final Chapter: Sacred Stone". They succeeded in killing Lyon, and although the Great Demon was revived in the process they were able to bind his soul to the last Sacred Stone and then destroy his body, ending his terror for good. Ephraim then returned to Renais to begin reconstruction.

Possible Fates

Ephraim has five different potential endings, depending on whom he reaches an A Rank support with. The events of his default ending appear to occur in all four of the paired endings.

• Default Ending - Ephraim returns to Renais and as its king oversees the reconstruction of both Renais and the entire continent of Magvel, becoming a legend due to his success in doing so.
• Eirika and Ephraim's Ending- Ephraim and Eirika toiled together in rebuilding Renais and the lives of its people whom had been ravaged by war. They give the people new hope, and Eirika helps Ephraim to grow into becoming an honorable and trusted king.
• L'Arachel and Ephraim's Ending - Ephraim and L'Arachel both returned to their countries, but L'Arachel visited Renais often until the two eventually married. Their marriage tossed Renais into turmoil, but L'Arachel's self-centeredness "carried the day".
• Myrrh and Ephraim's Ending - Ephraim and Myrrh both return to their respective homes and dedicate themselves to their respective duties. However, Ephraim still found time to visit her often, although she never left the Darkling Woods.
• Tana and Ephraim's Ending - Ephraim and Tana were married after Renais became stable again. Innes initially protested this until he saw how happy Tana was and bestowed his blessings. This caused Renais and Frelia to be bound by blood as well as friendship.

Support Conversation Summaries

Ephraim is capable of having Support conversations with seven other characters:

• Duessel - In the first conversation, Ephraim apologizes to Duessel for making him side against Grado in the war, but Duessel dismisses this as nonsense and asks Ephraim to use him however he pleases in the war. Duessel than notes how advanced Ephraim's skills have become and reminisces about their first training sessions, and they agree to duel again after the battle to see how Ephraim had advanced in his training since then. In the next conversation Ephraim comes to talk to Duessel when he looks distracted, and Ephraim asks if he was thinking about Grado, wondering if he had made the wrong decision in asking Duessel to fight Grado in the war. Duessel tells him not to worry because his reasons are his own and he will fight the same regardless of the enemy. Ephraim than challenges Duessel to a rematch, having lost the first match. Ephraim presumably wins this one as the final conversation begins with Duessel commending Ephraim and saying he has nothing left to teach him, but Ephraim claims he still has much to learn from him. Ephraim then talks about his aspirations to become the greatest spearsman in Magvel due to his belief that the spear was the most superior of all weapons. He thanks the skills Duessel taught him for his still being alive and was glad that though their countries were friends, Duessel trained him like family. Duessel says that it is the nature of war that the young will surpass the old and as a warrior all he could do is improve his skills and pass them on to a student. He then says that his only regret in being branded a traitor is that he betrayed the emperor, but Ephraim rebutts that Grado had betrayed its former ideals and Duessel had remained loyal to his original oaths, going on to say that Duessel was the last true man of Grado if anything. Duessel then gives further words of inspiration to Ephraim and tells him to be a good king. Ephraim assures him that that has been his intention since he first held his spear, and he vows to never change but to let his faith and beliefs drive his every action as king.
• Eirika - In the first conversation Ephraim checks up on Eirika but she gets annoyed and embarrassed by him due to him treating her like a child in front of their comrades, after which Ephraim laughs at her for her embarrassment and says she hasn't changed at all. In the next conversation Ephraim gives her advice while she trains, but she admits that she wishes for a peaceful world where fighting is not required. Ephraim than confesses that although he also wants peace, there is something within his soul that hungers for battle and enjoys violence. Rather than condemn him for this, Eirika asks him to ensure that their fighting brings good to Renais and its people. In the final conversation they note the end of the war approaching, and begin to look forward to building a brighter future that they had envisioned long ago with Lyon. However, the mentioning of Lyon causes an awkward silence which ends when Eirika asks Ephraim to promise to never leave her alone. Ephraim accepts this, saying he knows her feelings better than anyone and that they were together even before they were born and would continue to stay together forever.
• Forde - During battle, Ephraim forces Forde to show him his painting he was hiding, which Forde first attempts to pass off as a topographic map of the battlefield. However, Ephraim commended Forde for his artistic values and says it reminds him of his younger days traveling with Eirika, although he also warns him that the battlefield is not a good place for him to indulge in his hobby. In the next conversation, Ephraim chastises Forde by comparing him to Franz, but Franz says that as a brother he should know its unfair to be compared with one's siblings. Ephraim admits this and as they muse on the roles their siblings play in their lives and the effects they have on them, Ephraim and Forde realize that they depend on Eirika and Franz more than they realized. In the final conversation, Ephraim asks to look at the painting again and "carry it in his heart" as it represents the peaceful Renais of the past that Ephraim wants to restore after winning the war. Forde lets Ephraim keep the painting and describes how his hobby started as a way of cheering a young Franz, although in exchange Forde asks for a vacation after the war, and Ephraim tells Forde to earn it if he really wanted it.
• Kyle - In the first conversation, Kyle scolds Ephraim for recklessly rushing the enemy in their last battle. Ephraim claims he is uninjured but Kyle insists that he not take such risks due to his importance to the army. Ephraim reluctantly allows the knights to take the lead instead and walks out on Kyle, but Kyle does not think Ephraim will follow through with his word and endeavors to stop him before he kills himself. In the second conversation, they argue over a recent order for any unit to restrain Ephraim if he tries rushing ahead of the knights, as Ephraim wants to revoke it so that the units do not put themselves at risk holding back their commander instead of engaging the enemy. In the last conversation Kyle apologizes to Ephraim, having reached an epiphany when Ephraim rode to Kyle when he was injured and asked the others to take care of Kyle and treat him as Ephraim's brother. Kyle says that he always thought of himself as a loyal retainer and failed to notice that their bond runs deeper. Ephraim admits that being raised as a prince he was taught to be detached but still kept attachments to Seth, Kyle and Forde, regarding them as his family. Kyle realizes his earlier decision was wrong and rescinds it, saying that it would help the soldiers' morale if their commander fought on the front lines. Ephraim also compromised by promising to be less reckless in the future.
• L'Arachel - L'Arachel questions Ephraim about why he's near her instead of fighting in the battle. Ephraim says he is waiting for the right moment, but L'Arachel wonders if he is using it as an excuse to talk to her, which leads Ephraim to deny dragging out the war without good reason. L'Arachel is assured by this and then offers to help him or any of his men when they're injured before leaving, leaving Ephraim to wonder if all Rausten women were as reliable and assertive as her. In the second conversation, L'Arachel notes that Ephraim is a reckless person, with Ephraim asserting that he does so to save lives. She theorizes that he has many scars under his armor and offers to heal them. Ephraim proceeds to begin removing his armor to show her, but this causes L'Arachel to freak out and accuse Ephraim of taking advantage of her in her confused state before running off, leaving behind a befuddled Ephraim. In the final conversation Ephraim confronts L'Arachel and tries to get her to not be so defensive, convincing L'Arachel to forgive him for the misunderstanding. L'Arachel says she had never seen a naked man before, and Ephraim angrily says he was only showing her his shoulder like she had asked, but L'Arachel claims that just seeing the naked shoulder was enough to disturb her sleep that night. He notices L'Arachel seems different somehow, but she demands that he not look at her in a vulgar and appropriate way. When Ephraim denies this, L'Arachel asks if this means she is not attractive. Ephraim continues to be confused, so L'Arachel gets angry at him for being calm at this time and leaves, hoping that some woman comes and gets him all rattled as well. Ephraim concludes that he does not "get" her but also says that she is cute.
• Myrrh- In the first conversation, Myrrh asks Ephraim if she could call him brother, saying that she had seen the bond between Ephraim and Eirika and wished that she had a brother like him. Ephraim initially denies Myrrh's request but then rescinds this, after she leaves saying that sisters are his weakness and he couldn't say no to her face. In the next conversation, Ephraim and Myrrh initially dispute the proper titles for each other due to their huge age gap, but ultimately Ephraim agrees that they should just call each other Brother and Sister. Myrrh then requests that Ephraim watch over her at night like her father used to, but Ephraim refuses bluntly and says it is not acceptable, but he should try asking Eirika instead, saying that the two of them should be sisters if Ephraim was her brother. In the final conversation, Ephraim asks Myrrh what she will do after the war, and she reveals that she will live in the forest alone. Ephraim is displeased with this and offers her a place in the castle, but she says that maybe she should not due to being a dragon but promises to think it over. She still thanks her "brother" for the offer and says it makes her very happy.
• Tana - In the first conversation Ephraim asks Tana to stay behind due to the threat poised by enemy archers, but Tana insists that she feels safer when she is near him and promises that she will not be a burden and could defend herself. Ephraim reluctantly allows Tana to fight alongside her. In the next conversation, Tana asks Ephraim about the first time they met at a birthday celebration, which Ephraim also remembers at his first meeting with Innes. Tana asks Ephraim his opinion about Tana's wardrobe and hair that day but Ephraim only recalls details related to dueling with Innes, due to his persistence. Tana eventually gets angry at him for only remembering her brother, taking this as meaning he does not care for her, and then flies off due to being tried of caring for him when he does not care for her. In the final conversation, Tana asks Ephraim to take a break with her, not seeming to remember her previous outburst as Ephraim notes. She asks him to eat with her, but Ephraim reminds her that this is a battlefield and they could eat but not let their guards down. She points out that he is always formal and detached about everything, and when Ephraim asks if something is wrong she says that it is Ephraim's fault for always keeping his distance when she talks to him and never opening up to her. Ephraim says this is not true, and Tana asks if there is someone else, which only confuses Ephraim. She tells Ephraim that he makes her very sad because she only wants to be near him more and more. Ephraim realizes Tana is still a child at heart and says that it is a compliment due to her words having such a simple and honest purity, admitting that he appreciates her affection. Ephraim tells Tana that he could make more time for her but they could not stop and chat on the battlefield due to being obligated to stopping the war first.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In the Super Smash Bros. series, Ephraim has been represented by a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and an Ace-rank Primary Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Trivia

• Ephraim's name has biblical origins, where his namesake was the second son of Joseph and formed a tribe in Israel. The name means "double fruitfulness", which could connect to Fire Emblem Ephraim being a twin and the game's twin paths.