Vanessa

Dutiful Rider
Vanessa
Species	Human
Class	Pegasus Knight
Promotion	Falcon Knight/Wyvern Knight
Affiliation	Frelia
Hair color	Green
Eye color	Green
Base	Frelia
Relatives	Syrene (sister) Forde, Innes (possible husbands)
Debut	Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Vanessa is a playable unit from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and is the game's first recruitable pegasus knight.

Background

Vanessa was raised at Frelia with her younger sister Syrene by loving parents. There was an incident one day when their father collapsed. Syrene and their mother panicked, but the young Vanessa was able to calmly gather nuts and sold them at the village to get medicine for him all by herself. Syrene soon joined Frelia's pegasus knights at an unusually young age, as Vanessa's actions had inspired her, although Vanessa herself was unaware. Vanessa looked up to Syrene as her role model and sought to emulate her, eventually earning her own place as captain of Frelia's pegasus knights and as one of King Hayden's trusted vassals. Vanessa apparently also had an interest in magic but did not pursue it when it turned out she had no talent for it. However, because she saw Syrene as perfect and always one step ahead of her, Vanessa's determination to become as great and beautiful as her caused her some amount of pain as she often went without sleep and began eating less when she had used to overeat.

While serving Frelia, Vanessa developed a secret crush on one of the people she looked after, Prince Innes. She knew him since she was a young girl starting off with the pegasus knights, but she kept her true feelings a secret and just wanted to impress him. During the War of the Stones, King Hayden summoned her with Moulder and Gilliam, and he assigned them to accompany Eirika's group at the end of "Chapter 1: Escape!". Vanessa then made sure to prove herself to Eirika in "Chapter 2: The Protected", when she scouted the sky to surmise the situation and found an injured boy. Vanessa continued to loyally serve Eirika and Ephraim's army for the remainder of the war and could also help to bring her sister into the mix in "Chapter 17: River of Regrets".

Possible Fates

Vanessa has four different endings, depending on whether or not she reaches A Rank Support with any of the following characters:

• Default Ending - Vanessa remained on active duty as a pegasus knight of Frelia's army. Her beauty and determination became the standard to which her fellow knights aspired.
• Forde and Vanessa's Ending - Forde's love for Vanessa grew after the war, and she loved him too, but she put her duty to Frelia before their relationship. Forde was not deterred by this and moved to Frelia, where the two were eventually married.
• Innes and Vanessa's Ending - Vanessa moved into Castle Frelia at Innes's request and continued her duties as a knight of the realm. They had a child together and lived happily with the blessing of all around them.
• Syrene and Vanessa's Ending - The sisters return to Frelia together and have a long-overdue talk about love and war as well as friends long go. They form a renewed bond as siblings together and vow to never let that bond fail.

Support Conversations

Vanessa is capable of having support conversations with five other characters:

• Forde - Vanessa and her pegasus stumble upon the napping Forde and angrily tries to wake him in vain due to the war being waged around them. Forde only regains consciousness after she leaves. In the next conversation, they introduce each other, and she tells him about how she witnessed him sleeping the other day, and how he had disappeared when she returned later to protect him from enemies. Forde assures her that his nap was a strategy to catch enemies off guard, but Vanessa doubts this. She realizes that he is so devoid of stress that he is like the opposite of Innes, and Forde is able to quickly guess that she has a crush on the prince. Forde quickly mentions the scandalous implications, but said that he himself would be okay with people loving whoever they wanted, although he also pointed out that she would have lots of competition for a prince. Vanessa is flustered and quickly leaves. In the last conversation, Vanessa realizes that she had misunderstood Forde and sees that he has been working for her from behind the scenes. Forde is used to such misunderstandings and then asks her if he is too far a cry from a prince. This confuses Vanessa, so he explains that everyone has a different type of energy, and that he had felt hers when she was near him in his sleep. This caused him to dream of running across a field while being engulfed by a warm energy like a summer wind. He offers to let her feel his energy as well, and she leaves him with a maybe.
• Innes - In their first conversation, Innes checks up on Vanessa, who is glad to see that he is alright and remembers how worried she was when a messenger from Carcino had told them that he was in danger. Innes tells her that nothing will happen to him and considers it strange that she is now grown up and worrying about him as he remembers her being just a girl when she first joined the pegasus knights. Vanessa vows to protect Innes at any cost, but he laughs it off and tells her that it is his duty as prince to protect her. In the next conversation, Vanessa compliments Innes's archery skills, which flatter him, and he notices that she has improved her own skills. He tells her that she gives him confidence in battle due to feeling secure when fighting alongside a skilled knight, but also because he can sense her trying to protect him at any cost. Innes admits that he normally does not need any help, but Vanessa is the exception, which makes her glad. He tells her not to worry about risking her life because he is unstoppable with her beside him. In the final conversation, watching Innes shoot his arrow causes Vanessa to space out and remember the time he demonstrated his archery skills at King Hayden's birthday ceremony. He dismisses it as an exhibition trick compared to actual warfare, but Vanessa continues to voice her admirarion of the feat. Innes asks Vanessa whether she was admiring his skills or him in general and then claims he was just kidding. He is still impressed that she remembers that distant memory, and she assures him that she has always been watching and admiring him while trying not to sound too creepy. Innes has trouble finding words, but he tells her that he has always known her a s a knight primarily, and after the war he would like to know the other side of her: the woman. Innes tells her not to leave his side from now on, and Vanessa excitedly promises to follow him anywhere.
• Lute - Vanessa introduces herself and her pegasus to Lute, being quite eager to meet her. Lute begins to recite various points of trivia about the pegasus, much of which Vanessa already knew. Vanessa then thanks her for the lesson and says it was a pleasure to meet her, but Lute accidentally calls her by her pegasus's name. In the second conversation she once again calls her by her pegasus's name and asks if she could try out some magic on her pegasus, to which Vanessa protests. Lute claims it was a joke, but Vanessa says she did not look like the type to make jokes. She then compliments Lute for her magical abilities and admits that in addition to having wanted to be a pegasus knight she once wanted to be a mage as well but did not have the necessary talent. Lute says she also wants to be a pegasus knight and tells Vanessa how far she is in her training. In the final conversation they both make jokes about the pegasus, and Vanessa tells Lute that she has helped her not to take things too seriously and be less like her sister, saying that she could relax and be herself around Lute. She invites Lute to Frelia upon the war's end and offers to let her ride a pegasus, and Lute decides to deepen her research of pegasii in preparation for this.
• Moulder - In the first conversation, they check up on each other, and Moulder is able to instantly guess that she is concerned about Vanessa. He tells her that his experience as a priest has shown him how to read some people, like Vanessa, like an open book. She is embarrassed, but Moulder tells her it is a compliment because it means that she is a pure, straightforward girl. He offers to tell her a story from Prince Innes's youth, but it is quickly put on hold by approaching enemies. In the next conversation, Moulder regales Vanessa with the tale of the young Innes's competition with a foreign trick archer. Vannessa is impressed enough by the story that she almost lets her feelings for him slip, but she quickly stops talking. In the final conversation, they both compliment each other's usefulness in battle, and Vanessa thanks Moulder for the story. He tells Vanessa that she reminds him of himself twenty years ago and wishes her good luck, saying that he did not know where the road was leading but that the prince likely knew of her feelings. Vanessa assured Moulder that she would be happy just to be worthy of his greatness and expected nothing more in return. Molder asks her if she is sure and reminds her that they all carry many burdens, but they are also free to embrace or reject those burdens at the same time. He offers spiritual guidance to Vanessa if she needs it, and they both tell each other how glad they are to fight alongside each other for the greater good.
• Syrene - Vanessa meets up with Syrene, who tries to convince Vanessa to refer to her less formally when they talk together, with little success. Syrene entrusts her with the war god Fale's amulet, a battle amulet which their father wanted her to have. Syrene had received one as well when she left home, but Vanessa had left to suddenly to get it. Syrene told her to try to rest, because she knew that Vanessa ignored such things when she was overwhelmed by responsibility. She volunteered to stay at Vanessa's side to ensure she has a a good night's sleep. In the next conversation, Syrene asks Vanessa who she has a crush on, as she notices that she has not even been eating much lately when usually Vanessa has been a charming overeater. Syrene guesses it is because of someone special and suggests that Vanessa not put anyone before her own health. Vanessa admits that she has been trying to become a great knight and attractive woman like Syrene, thinking herself to be pathetic at the same time. Syrene tells her that the boy would probably like her for who she is, and that she should just try to be more confident. Vanessa feels better due to opening up to Syrene and realizes that she will never catch up to Syrene, but she will have to get past comparing herself to her. In the final conversation, Vanessa has started to feel better. Syrene admits that she has always envied Vanessa's fortitude, bringing up an example from when they were young and Vanessa had managed to get medicine for their father when he collapsed. Syrene believes that Vanessa's true self emerges under difficult circumstances and she has emulated her to begin with to try to support the family like she had. Vanessa is about to admit who she loves when Syrene cuts her off, as she does not want to know until after the war. Syrene wants Vanessa to bring him home, where she will be waiting with the parents and her favorite meal. Vanessa endeavors to do her best for the war and for him, and Syrene assures her that she will be alright.

Trivia

• Her pegasus is named Titania, which was later used as the name of an unrelated character in Path of Radiance.
• Vanessa is capable of performing a Triangle Attack with Tana and Syrene.