Cecilia

"Let us show the continent the power of the Etrurian Generals!"

- Cecilia in a support conversation with Douglas in Binding Blade.

Cecilia (セシリア, alternately translated as Secilia in Japanese version of Path of Radiance's image gallery) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Binding Blade. She is the Mage General of Etruria, and the former teacher of Roy and Lilina. She, along with Douglas and Perceval make up the three Etrurian Generals, one of the highest positions of authority in the Etrurian military.

Profile
Cecilia was born to a wealthy, aristocratic family and later was recognized as talented enough in magic to become a knight of Etruria. According to her support conversations with Douglas however, she faced great opposition and prejudice for taking on the role in her earlier days, though she persevered nonetheless. Eventually, she went to Ostia where Roy and Lilina were studying and taught them the basics in battle arts, specifically showing Roy how to wield the sword and Lilina how to cast spells, but was called away when she was recognized as a successor to the Mage General's title by her own predecessor.

During the invasion of Ostia by Bern, Cecilia is first seen at the end of Chapter 8 with her troops, after responding to Roy's letter requesting help from Etruria when he is threatened by Narcian to surrender Ostia. Subsequently, she goes to the Western Isles to apologize to Roy for him being forced to accept leaving the mainland to follow Etruria's orders, and soon departs after taking Guinivere under her protection and promising Roy she would defend Lycia in his absence. Following Roy's success in dealing with the corruption in Western Isles, events take a turn for the worse in Etruria when a coup d'état breaks out and Cecilia flees from Aquleia with Guinivere, forming her own anti-coup d'état militia called the Loyalists to battle the Revolutionaries.

Unfortunately, the Revolutionaries, allied with Bern as well as two of the Etrurian Generals, are too powerful and drive the Loyalists back easily, forcing them to retreat to an old castle on Misul Peninsula. Cecilia guards the castle entrance, but by the time the Lycian Alliance Army, led by Roy, can go to her aid, she ends up facing Zephiel in single combat and is defeated. Despite her grievous injuries, she survives the battle and is captured by Narcian and thrown into a jail cell with Sophia, who treats her wounds. Once Roy seizes the castle, she reunites with him and joins him in his efforts against Bern thereafter. During the war, she may strengthen her relationship with either of her students or her fellow generals; become acquainted with Saul, whose flirtations she rebuffs; or discover the survival of Prince Mildain, who she had believed to be dead.

At the end of the war, she continues her career as the Mage General of Etruria, playing a major part in her country's reconstruction, and is posthumously awarded the title as the "Maiden of Etruria" for her service. If she has an A-level support with Roy however, she will marry him and become the duchess of Pherae instead.

Cecilia also plays the role of instructor for the tutorial level in Binding Blade, where she assists Roy in a training exercise against Bors and other members of the Ostian forces. The canonicity of this battle is ambiguous.

She appears in chapter 13 of the Hasha no Tsurugi manga where she is scene speaking with Eliwood about how she would like to send a group of troops to examine what is happening in the Western Isles after hearing that Roy's army may have engaged the Eturian army. Al and his group then volunteer for the position.

Personality
Cecilia is characterized by a calm and sensible temperament, though she is also a strong-minded individual with firm convictions. As an Etrurian general, she has strong leadership qualities and a keen mind for strategies. She is willing to follow her beliefs over her obligations unlike Percival and Douglas; as a result, she is the only general who rebels against the coup d'état in order to free her country from Bern's control rather than prioritizing the king's personal safety alone.

She can show an intimidating side when she is angered by others, as Elphin notes, though she is usually pleasant and diplomatic with most people. Cecilia greatly admires Douglas and aspires to be like him one day, and she shares a camaraderie with Percival. She mentors Roy and Lilina by providing advice for them to be prepared for the day they inherit their respective territories.

Recruitment

 * Chapter 14: Automatically from the start.

Growth Rates

 * 60%
 * 35%
 * 45%
 * 25%
 * 25%
 * 20%
 * 25%
 * }

Supports

 * Roy
 * Percival
 * Saul
 * Elphin
 * Douglas
 * Lilina

Overall
As a Pre-Promoted unit, Cecilia has low Base Stats for her level and weak Growth Rates as well, reducing her capacity for efficient combat. Her low Speed is particularly problematic as it causes her Attack Speed to be below average, not only preventing her from double attacking most enemies, but it may even lead to her getting doubled by faster enemies like Heroes or Nomads. Fortunately enough, Cecilia still has adequate staff utility, and can be deployed in most chapters to provide backup healing, especially with her high Movement as a mounted unit. At base staff rank, she can use C-level staves such as Restore or Recover, though with enough extra healing, she can eventually reach B rank and access the Physic staff or any of the status-inflicting staves.

Despite her lesser battle stats, Cecilia has an A rank in Anima Magic and can use any of the high-ranked tomes from base level, except Forblaze. This lets her use tomes like the Aircalibur immediately to inflict heavy damage against flying units like Wyvern Riders or Pegasus Knights. Also, being a magic-wielder, she can attack from range and avoid counterattacks, letting her damage enemies from afar for others to take out easier. Moreover, Cecilia has an excellent Affinity for building supports and she can provide beneficial statistical bonuses with characters such as Roy, Perceval and Lilina among others.

Her magic, though it is not a bit below average, generally winds up slightly higher than Clarine's.

Base Stats
*Enemy only, joins unequipped

Vs. Zephiel
Zephiel: So... You are Cecilia, the Mage General. Cecilia: !! ...King Zephiel... Zephiel: For your prowess in battle, you have the honor to fight me one on one. Cecilia: ... !! (After the battle ends and Cecilia is defeated) Cecilia: Too...powerful...

Vs. Narcian
Narcian: You’re... So, being defeated once wasn’t enough? Cecilia: Zephiel was the one who defeated me. Not you. Narcian: Then I shall show you my strength now!

Final Chapter Quote
"Roy, concentrate."

- Cecilia’s final chapter quote in Binding Blade.

Death Quote
"Etruria… Be a light…for the future…"

- Cecilia’s death quote in Binding Blade.

Possible Endings
Cecilia - Daughter of Etruria (王国の『娘』 Ōkoku no “musume”)
 * Cecilia returned home and helped rebuild Etruria. Her calm judgment and leadership played a major role in directing Etruria to prosperity once again. Her hard work earned her the title of the "Maiden of Etruria" after her death.

Cecilia and Roy
 * Cecilia accompanied Roy to Pherae, where she helped rebuild the battered land. She eventually married Roy, continuing to offer him close support and aid as the duchess of Pherae.

Etymology
The name Cecilia is the Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius, derived from Latin caecus (blind). Saint Cecilia was a noble lady of Rome who was, under Emperor Alexander Severus, sentenced to die, because she refused to worship the Roman gods. She is the patron saint of musicians.

Trivia

 * On the official Japanese website for Nintendo, Cecilia won 24th place  on the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Binding Blade. The male-female vote ratio is 2:1. The voter comments seem to focus on her calm and knowledgeable personality as Roy's mentor.