Part 33: False Princess

I'm experimenting with, rather than cutting up all the cutscenes into individual videos, simply putting them all into one big video and timestamping/linking to it as we go. Let me know what you think.

Last time, Dist of all people managed to outmaneuver us, and now we're on our way to Baticul as prisoners.

The Score Off Track



: “Daath is an autonomous theocracy. I don't think they'll just kill her...”

: “What's going to happen to us?”

: “Luke will most likely be executed, in order to follow the Score.”



: “Luke! What are you saying?!”

: “Well, you know, my birth took the world off-track from the Score of prosperity. Maybe that's why the Sephiroth are going out of control.”

: “What the hell are you talking about?”

: “That's got to be it. And besides, you said it yourself, Tear. I don't exist in Yulia's Score.”

: “You're an idiot!”

: “Wh-what?! Hey!”

: “All I meant was that you aren't bound by Yulia's Score. You have the potential to create a new future, different from the Score!”

: “Tear...”



: “Tear... I'm sorry...”

: …

: “I'm sorry...”





This is Baticul Castle, one of the siderooms.

Judgment of Royalty





: “Meryl...? What are you saying?”

: “The Kingdom strips you both of your rights of succession. You also bear responsibility for the slaughter at Akzeriuth.”
: “What are you talking about?! I've done nothing of the sort!”

: “You were raised a noble. Now have the grace to die by your own hand.”



: “Poison...!”

: ~Tue lei zwe kuloa riou tue zwe~

: “...Wh-what's...that...”



: “We made it.”



: “They put us in a cell, but we got some unexpected help...”

: “We'll explain later! Let's go!”

: “Wait! Let me see father... let me see His Majesty! I want to hear what he really thinks!”

: “I agree. Please. I need to see uncle in order to stop this war.”

: “You understand the danger...”

: “...Thank you.”



: “...I'd thought you'd given up on me. Thanks for coming.”







The entire palace is filled with sleeping guards. Tear really is a good example of just how broken fonic hymns are in universe. She basically took out a fortress with little effort.



Now then, let's go see 'His Majesty.'

Confrontation with Ingobert



: “Father!”

: “Traitor! You still live?!”

: “Father! Am I really not your daughter?!”

: “I... I don't want to believe it, but...”

: “The wet-nurse has testified. Meryl, daughter of Sylvia, attendant of the late Queen.”



: “...Yes. The real Natalia was stillborn. But the Queen fell into despair. So I took my daughter's child, who was born a few days earlier, to her...”

: “...Is...is that really true, nanny?”

: “How disgraceful, Meryl. You learned you were not the true Princess. You aided the destruction of Akzeriuth out of hatred for being ripped from your real parents!”

: “No! I did nothing of the sort!”

: “Uncle! Would you really believe such a story?!”

: “I don't want to but... we found an infant's remains buried where she said!”

: “...E-even if that's true, you raised Natalia as your own daughter! It makes no sense to condemn her for a crime she didn't commit!”

: “This isn't only about her. You, too, will die here – the mastermind of the destruction of Akzeriuth.”





This is probably a strong contender for my least favorite moment in the game. Ingobert is such a useless fuckwit here, and I can't believe, Score or no, that he is so willing to just throw his daughter and nephew under the bus because Mohs said so. Yes I know she's not his 'real' daughter, but at this point the emotional bond is strong enough that it doesn't really matter!

At this point I'd probably punt Ingobert down to the position of least favorite character in the game right now. Even more than Mohs. At least Mohs has a political A-Game and a great voice actor. This whole scene... ugh!

: “Kill them!”



: “...Grr, so this is what you dragged me here to do?!”





: “Lu– Asch...”



: “You freed us?! Then come with us!”

: “Shut up! Someone has to hold them off! Now, go!”

: “...Be safe!”



: “Grrr! You traitor!”



: “You...! A God-General betraying the Commandant?!”

: “All I care about is achieving my goal. That takes priority over my loyalty to Van.”



: “Asch gave us a chance to escape. We can't waste it.”

: “I... I know.”

: “Come on, let's get out of Baticul! All Asch did will be for nothing if we stay.”

So ends one of the worst scenes in the game. Now, on to one of my favorites.

Music: Kingdom of the Sky Confused

Escape from Baticul



: “Ordered?”

: “Hmm? Your hair... were you wearing a wig earlier?”

: So Asch set this up...



: “Thanks, Pere! Now you need to go!”

: “No, I will remain here and do what I can to shield you.”

: “It's too dangerous! You must run!”

: “Don't worry. Old Pere was my sword instructor. We're counting on you Pere.”



The Kimlascan army is about to get their teeth kicked in by an elderly gardener.



: “I will!”



The White Knights have our back.









: “Your Highness, please run!”

: “H-how did you know it was me...?!”

: “The circus people said you were to be executed for crimes you didn't commit.”

: “We didn't know what you looked like, but you were fleeing the upper level. You must be the Princess!”

: “Now please, run!”

: “Natalia! Let's go!”

: “R-right...”







It's lost in screenshot translation, but the woman here with her arms out just stands completely still, save for slowly shaking her head “no”. It's a really badass moment.







: “It's true! I am not of royal blood! I am an imposter. Do not endanger yourselves for me! Please, run!”



: “You're the one who opened the hospital for us.”

: “You're the one who hired us all to work on the port after we lost our jobs.”

: “Argh, enough! Out of the way!”





: “I've had enough of this!”









: “Leave this to us! Now go, Natalia!”

: “Asch...”

: “...I see you kept your promise.”



: “Go! ...We can't change this country together if you're always moping about!”



: “Okay!”

: “Luke! One mistake and I will kill you.”

: “...You take care of yourself, too.”



: “Got it. Thanks.”









And we're away.

I adore this sequence. The music is great, all the VA's bring out their A-game, and the whole thing is just really heartwarming. After Ingobert rejecting her for something she didn't even do, it's really refreshing to see the townspeople come to Natalia defense for what she did do: try to make the country a better place.



Next Time: And you thought the Meggiora Highlands were bad.

Synopsis:

Natalia and I were separated from the others and brought to Natalia's
room, inside the castle. We were going to be executed there by poison. But
then we heard Tear singing a fonic hymn, and everyone showed up--how did they
get free? It probably would have been better to flee, but Natalia insisted on
going to see Uncle, to find out why he ordered our deaths. I feel the same
way. And besides, we have to see him to keep the war from getting restarted
as well.
Everyone went along with us. It'll be dangerous, but let's head for the
audience hall.

When we entered the audience hall, Mohs, Largo, and Dist were there too--
along with Natalia's wet-nurse.

There, Natalia learned that she was in fact her nanny's granddaughter. The
real Natalia was stillborn, which left the Queen consort herself in shock, so
Natalia's wet-nurse switched the dead baby for her own just-born
granddaughter.

Uncle ordered me and Natalia killed, saying he would then declare war on
Malkuth.

But he didn't look at us when he said it. I think he wasn't sure of
himself. He believed that Yulia's Score was still functional, and listened to
Mohs in order to fulfill the Score and bring about prosperity. Yes, it may be
perfectly natural to follow the Score, and it may be hard to even imagine
going against it.
But Uncle...is this really what you want?

Uncle didn't listen, and we were trapped--but then Asch came in and saved
us. Apparently he's the one who saved the others before. We left him to deal
with the situation and fled the castle. Now we've got to get out of
Baticul...that's our only way to survive.

As we left the castle, Pere the gardener and the White Knights from the
manor came out to help us. Thanks!

Soldiers kept coming after us, but the people of Baticul came to our aid.
They were all people who'd been helped by Natalia's policies of aiding the
weak. Natalia may not be a princess, but she's certainly done the job of one.
How come she's being thrown out of the castle?

When we had almost made it out of Baticul, General Goldberg charged after
us, not even hesitating to attack the townspeople in his way. But Asch caught
up with us and stopped him.

The townspeople helped us escape, and told us to flee through Inista Marsh
to the west, since the Zao Desert has fallen. Thank you all... I just hope
you don't suffer for letting us get away.