Xander

Xander (マークス Mākusu, Marx in the Japanese version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Fates. He is the eldest child of the Nohr royal family. He is voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi in the Japanese version.

Profile
Xander is the eldest child of five in the Nohrian royal family and the child of king Garon and the first queen Ecaterina. He eventually received another younger sibling when the Avatar was adopted into the family. Although taciturn, he has an honest personality. For the sake of the kingdom, he follows his father's intentions and cares deeply for his siblings. He wields Siegfried, a sword wreathed in dark flames. He has the services of Pieri and Lazward. If he achieves an S-Support, he will have a son named Siegbert. He has the most beautiful handwriting in the army. His birthday is on October 27th.

His supports with Lazward show that he does not like taking in retainers that he doesn't know. The only reason Xander made him a retainer was that Garon had ordered him to, and was surprised at his strength and almost lost his duel. In addition, he reveals to him that, prior to the events of Fates, he had two other retainers that were serious and loyal to him, but died protecting him during a battle against Hoshido.

Birthright
At the end of Chapter 6, after the Avatar has chosen to side with Hoshido, Xander tries to change the Avatar's mind, stating that, while it was true that they were not related by blood, Xander considered them to be a precious sibling, even though they were born from the Hoshidan Royal Family. However, the Avatar refuses, saying that they are now fully aware of the person King Garon is, informing Xander of what happened when they arrived at Hoshido, calling Garon the root of all the evil that has transpired. Xander becomes hostile, saying that his father could not be evil. The Avatar tries to convince Xander to side with Hoshido, in order to defeat Garon. Xander calls them a traitor, and attacks them. He tells the Avatar to face him, and as his sibling, strike him down. The Avatar refuses to attack and is swiftly overpowered by Xander, who tells them that he will take them back to Nohr to cleanse whatever manipulation has come over them. After they continue to refuse, Xander decides to kill them as their sibling, but Ryoma steps in at the last second and saves them.

Xander fights the Avatar several times throughout the story. In Chapter 26, Xander challenges the Avatar and duels them. Throughout the duel, Xander unleashes multiple devastating strikes, putting the Avatar on the defensive. However, just before dealing the final blow to the Avatar, Elise runs in and jumps in front of Xander's attack, taking the full force of the attack. Xander quickly cradles his little sister, but after a futile attempt to save her life, Elise dies in his arms. Grief-stricken, Xander is unable to live with his actions and decides to die by the Avatar's hands. He refuses to attack the Avatar and loses all will in his attacks when attacked by them. Xander is finally taken down and he converses with the Avatar one last time, telling them to stop Garon, before dying.

He later appears as a hallucination by the Avatar in Chapter 28.

Conquest
At the end of Chapter 6, after the Avatar has chosen to side with Nohr, Ryoma will grow confused and shocked at their decision, asking why the Avatar has chosen to side with Nohr rather than their birthplace. The Avatar states that they cannot betray the family they have made in Nohr. Xander smiles at his sibling's decision, stating that it is true that they do not share the same blood, their bonds are real, and considers them family nonetheless. He tells the Avatar that everyone will be happy when they see has come home, but Ryoma questions that, asking if he is aware of what occurred when the Avatar came to Hoshido, saying that the blade Garon gave him exploded, and were it not for Mikoto, they would have been killed. Xander asks if that is true, to which the Avatar confirms, stating that they must return to Nohr if they are to learn the truth. However, Ryoma then says that he cannot let that happen, and attacks the Avatar, though Xander defends, and states that if he continues any further, he will show Ryoma no mercy.

After the battle, Xander and his siblings return to the castle, where Garon is pleased to learn about his son's exploits. Xander informs him that the Avatar has returned safe and sound, but later displays worry when Garon grows suspicious of their return, knowing that they have learned of their true origins. Iago hints that they might be a spy for Hoshido, though Xander lies and tells them that the Avatar single-handedly fought off the Hoshidan army, and Ryoma. Iago and Garon are still suspicious, and grows more worried when the Avatar asks his father if he knew about what happened back at Hoshido when the Ganglari exploded. Garon orders Xander to kill them, much to the shock and horror of the Nohr family, though Garon reconsiders this order when the Avatar offers to kill themselves, rather than have one of their brother do the deed. To their confusion, Garon asks the god Anankos for a vision, and Xander becomes relieved upon learning that Garon has allowed the Avatar to return to Nohr, but he will only accept him back into the family if he completes the task of suppressing a rebellion in the Ice Tribe. Xander offers some of his troops, but Garon informs him that the Avatar must complete the task alone. Xander grows worried for their safety, despite their assurance that they will be fine, and grows suspicious of his father when he overhears that the Avatar won't die from this task, but he will know true despair. This causes Xander to send Elise and her retainers, along with the Avatar's childhood friend, Silas, to help him in their task.

Invisible Kingdom
Xander interprets the Avatar's refusal to become involved in the war as tantamount to treason, and is utterly unwilling to listen to the Avatar's warnings of a greater threat. However, his trust in Garon is shaken as his father declares he wishes to destroy both Hoshido and Nohr. Though he still sees the Avatar as a traitor even after he joins his forces, he readily admits that Garon has gone mad and that the Avatar is their greatest hope for ending the war.

Chapter 1 - Siblings of Nohr

 * Same for all difficulties

Birthright Chapter 6 - Reaching for the Light

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Birthright Chapter 12 - Reunion in Paradise

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Birthright Chapter 26 - Prince Xander of Nohr

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Supports
Romantic Supports Other Supports
 * The Avatar (Female)
 * Azura
 * Effie
 * Pieri
 * Belka
 * Mozume
 * Luna
 * Nyx
 * Charlotte
 * Felicia
 * Sakura (3rd path only)
 * Hinoka (3rd path only)
 * The Avatar (Male)
 * Leo
 * Camilla
 * Elise
 * Lazward
 * Siegbert
 * Kanna (if Xander is his father)
 * Ryoma (3rd path only)
 * Kaze

Class Sets

 * Cavalier - Promotes to Paladin and Great Knight
 * Wyvern Rider - Promotes to Wyvern Lord and Revenant Knight

Etymology
Xander comes from Alexander.

Marx is a German surname. Some claim the Jewish German version of the name is an acronym composed of the first two letters of the Hebrew Masiach with a Hebrew rendition of the Latin Rex (cf. Jewish German surname Katz).

Trivia

 * Xander's official artwork depicts him wielding Siegfried.