Arete

Arete is a boss character in the Revelation route in Fire Emblem Fates. Azura's biological mother and the second wife of King Garon of Nohr, the stepmother of Xander, Camilla, Leo and Elise, and the maternal grandmother of Shigure, she is the second queen consort of Nohr and was once the queen of Valla, having had Azura with her first husband, the fallen king of said kingdom.

Profile

Once Valla's queen, Arete was forced to flee alongside her younger sister Mikoto after the insane half of Mikoto's lover, Anankos, usurped the previous ruler, who was Arete's husband. Arete and little Azura then arrived in Nohr, where she eventually became King Garon's second wife and second queen consort after he fell in love with her singing voice. However, Arete and Azura were scorned and shunned by the Nohrians due to Arete replacing Katerina, the previous queen of Nohr. She later gave her life to save Nohr and her daughter, who says she died by openly speaking about Valla despite the Kingdom's curse that kills anyone who talks about it outside its limits, knowing perfectly well that it would kill her but it'd still let her pass her knowledge about their homeland to Azura. However, years later, Arete is revived by Anankos without her memories as one of his minions.

Revelation

Arete encounters Azura and Corrin the first time they go to Valla, forcing them to leave, but does not reveal her identity. Much later, after Azura and Corrin combine the Hoshidan and Nohrian armies, Arete serves as the front commander of the Vallite army upon their return to Valla. Azura eventually sees that the mysterious woman they met earlier was her deceased mother.

Arete confronts their army three times, though each time she fights her daughter, memories of her past begins to surface. After Arete is defeated for a third and final time, she remembers her daughter. As her soul is slowly released from Anankos' control, she calls out for her daughter; and despite her companions' warning, Azura approaches her. Arete expresses pride at Azura's growth since the last time she saw her as a little girl, but her brief time with her daughter ends when she dissolves away, leaving the army to harden their resolve to take down Anankos.

Personality

Arete's personality prior to her death and subsequent resurrection is given some insight by both Azura and Cassita. According to Azura's supports with Laslow, Arete was a gifted singer and dancer, with Azura inheriting and being taught by her in both. Cassita reminisces about Arete's singing filling the halls of the castle in the past, and Azura mentions that she always smiled while she sang. She also taught Azura several songs during their time in Nohr, including Lost in Thoughts All Alone and a song about bonds between people. Additionally, Azura inherited her pendant and its power from Arete. According to Cassita, Arete's singing would help pull Garon out of his grief following the death of his first wife, and it would eventually lead to their marriage. Garon loved Arete greatly, and it is commonly assumed that her death led to his change in disposition seen during the events of Fates.

Arete was also shown to be wise and knowledgeable about many things; especially her homeland, being the main source of Azura's knowledge of Valla and Anankos. In doing so she also demonstrates a self-sacrificial nature, as she gave her daughter this information with the awareness that speaking of Valla outside its borders would kill her. According to Azura, Arete did this to protect both her and Nohr.

By the time Fates occurs, Arete's personality has been altered to better suit Anankos' purposes. Unlike Mikoto and Sumeragi, Arete completely lacks her memories following her resurrection, having no recollection of her daughter or her prior life in Valla and Nohr. Instead, Arete shows complete and utter loyalty to Anankos, believing him to be the rightful ruler of Valla and revering him as being "great" and "almighty". She is obsessed with enforcing Anankos' will and keeping outsiders out of Valla, but she seems content with merely making them leave rather than killing them. Though Arete is oblivious to her relationship with her daughter and grandson, she feels a splitting pain in her skull whenever she sets eyes on them, showing that her prior memories are repressed to some extent. Following her defeat at the hands of Corrin's army, she regains her memories and expresses pride in how Azura has grown since her death before she fades away.

In-Game

Fire Emblem Fates

Boss Stats

Revelation Chapter 18 - Veiled Kingdom

• Normal
• Hard
• Lunatic

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
7	37	0	20	16	17	18	9	19+1	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
(None)			Tome - B Staff - C			Rabbit Spirit (Dropped) Sun Festal

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
7	39	0	22	16	17	18	9	21+3	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Resistance +2			Tome - B Staff - C			Rabbit Spirit (Dropped) Sun Festal

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
7	42	0	25	16	17	18	12	27	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Resistance +2			Tome - B Staff - A			Rabbit Spirit (Dropped) Sun Festal

Revelation Chapter 22 - Memories

• Normal
• Hard
• Lunatic

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
10	36	13	21+2	20	18	12	18	23+1	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2			Tome - B Staff - A			Rabbit Spirit Grand Festal Silence

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
10	38	15	21+2	20	18	12	19	23+1	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2 Inspiration			Tome - B Staff - A			Rabbit Spirit Grand Festal Silence

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
10	40	17	24+2	20	18	12	21	25+1	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2 Inspiration			Tome - B Staff - A			Rabbit Spirit Grand Festal Silence

Revelation Chapter 23 - Arete Undone

• Normal
• Hard
• Lunatic

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
12	41	14	24+2	21	18	10	19	28	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2			Tome - B Staff - A			Ragnarok Fortify Enfeeble

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
12	42	15	24+2	21	18	10	20	28	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2 Inspiration			Tome - B Staff - A			Ragnarok Fortify Enfeeble

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
12	44	17	27+2	21	18	10	23	30	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2 Inspiration			Tome - B Staff - A			Ragnarok Fortify Enfeeble

Xenologue 8 - Hidden Truths 2

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
12	40	13	21+2	19	18	0	18	15	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2			Tome - B Staff - B			Ragnarok Physic

Xenologue 19 - V: Endless Dawn

• Normal
• Hard/Lunatic

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
11	40	15	22+2	20	18	8	19	27	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2 Inspiration			Tome - B Staff - A			Ragnarok Fortify Master Seal (Dropped)

Starting Class
Strategist
Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Mov
11	41	15	23+2	21	18	10	20	28	-
Skills			Weapon			Starting Items
Magic +2 Inspiration			Tome - B Staff - A			Ragnarok Fortify Master Seal (Dropped)

Fire Emblem Heroes

• Original

Requiem's Beauty

The combination of her alluring figure and her songbird voice are said to have entranced royals everywhere from Valla to Nohr. Appears in Fire Emblem Fates.

Base Stats

Rarity:

✯✯✯

		Title
		Requiem's Beauty
		Group
		Cavalry
Level	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res
1 40	17/18/19 34/37/40	6/7/8 29/32/35	3/4/5 20/23/26	3/4/5 14/17/20	6/7/8 27/30/33
Skills			Weapon
Elfire			Tome

✯✯✯✯

		Title
		Requiem's Beauty
		Group
		Cavalry
Level	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res
1 40	17/18/19 35/38/41	7/8/9 31/34/37	3/4/5 21/24/27	3/4/5 15/18/21	7/8/9 29/32/35
Skills			Weapon
Rauðrrabbit Chilling Wind			Tome

✯✯✯✯✯

		Title
		Requiem's Beauty
		Group
		Cavalry
Level	HP	Atk	Spd	Def	Res
1 40	18/19/20 37/41/44	7/8/9 33/36/39	4/5/6 23/27/30	4/5/6 17/20/23	7/8/9 31/34/37
Skills			Weapon
Rauðrrabbit+ Chilling Wind			Tome

Skills

Type	Name	Prerequisite	Default	Unlocked
	Fire	-	-	-
	Elfire	-		-
	Rauðrrabbit	Elfire
	Rauðrrabbit+	Rauðrrabbit	-
	Chilling Wind	-
	Glacies	Chilling Wind	-
A	Atk/Res Push 1	-		-
	Atk/Res Push 2	Atk/Res Push 1		-
	Atk/Res Push 3	Atk/Res Push 2
C	Res Ploy 1	-		-
	Res Ploy 2	Res Ploy 1		-
	Res Ploy 3	Res Ploy 2		-

Overall

Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.

Base Set

Counters

Skill Inheritance

Meet Some of the Heroes

Requiem's Beauty Arete
	Today, I'll be introducing you to Arete, who comes from Valla, the veiled kingdom. She has a beautiful singing voice. In fact, King Garon of Nohr was so enchanted by her song that he took her as his bride.
	Sadly, however, Arete passed away, falling foul of Valla's curse that takes the life of those who so much as reveal that the kingdom exists. I should be fine mentioning it here though...right? Anyway... She was survived by her beloved daughter, Azura.
	Things didn't end for Arete there, however. She was resurrected by Anankos, the King of Valla, and forced to serve as one of his minions. As a result, she lost all of her memories, including those of Azura.
	I wonder if Arete's memories will ever come back? Maybe one day she and Azura will be happily reunited... Well, we'll do our best to help them, one step at a time!
Closely Associated Characters
Garon	The king of Nohr. Intends to invade and rule over Hoshido. Arete was his second wife.
Azura	An enchanting princess raised in Hoshido who sings in battle to help her allies. Arete's daughter.
Mikoto	The extremely affectionate queen of Hoshido. Arete's younger sister.

Quotes

Fates

Help Description

Azura's mother. Once married to King Garon. Also has strong ties to Valla.

Chapter 18 (Revelation)

Battle Quote

Defeat Quote

Chapter 22 (Revelation)

Battle Quote

Vs. Azura

• Arete: King Anankos will see you destroyed.
• Azura: ...

Defeat Quote

Chapter 23 (Revelation)

Battle Quote

Vs. Azura

• Arete: Why is it that looking at you gives me such an incredible headache?
• Azura: I... Could it be...
• Arete: No matter—killing you will make the pain go away. Prepare yourself for the next world.
• Azura: After our last encounter, I readied myself for this moment. I knew that, if we met again, I might have to be the one to take you down.

Critical/Skill Quote

• "I'm sorry."

Defeat Quote

Hidden Truths 2

Battle Quote

Defeat Quote

V: Endless Dawn

Battle Quote

Vs. Shigure

• Arete: It was good of you to come and meet your death firsthand. You've been quite the thorn in our side. You and your mother both. Not to mention a pain in my skull. Every time I lay eyes on you... Every time...
• Shigure: If you don't understand why that is, then you are truly lost to me. I had hopes...daydreams...about what might happen if you could be saved. What joy we might have shared. What songs we might have sung.
• Arete: You flatter yourself. I would I deign to do these things with you?
• Shigure: Do you feel nothing when you look at me? At this pendant? It doesn't stir anything at all within you?
• Arete: What does the great King Anankos' loyal servant care for such things? Perhaps this pain will stop when I silence you once and for all. But first, let me hear your voice. Sing once more before fading into nothing.
• Shigure: If I sing, it will be your funeral dirge. For I see there can be no mercy for you. Farewell, Grandmother...

Defeat Quote

Heroes

Arete/Heroes Quotes

Non-Canon Appearances

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)

Arete is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:

B06-094HN

B06-095N

Choose Your Legends Placement History

Round	Placement	Character Version	Votes

CYL1	329	Fates	579
CYL2	260 ↑69	Fates	902 ↑323
CYL3	169 ↑91	Fates	1,555 ↑653
CYL4	279 ↓110	Fates	473 ↓1,082
CYL5	251 ↑18	Fates	338 ↓135
CYL6	425 ↓242	Fates	96 ↓242
CYL7	385 ↑40	Fates	47 ↓49

CYL8

412 ↓27

Fates

30 ↓17

Etymology

Arete, in Greek, means either "excellence" or "moral virtue". In its earliest appearance in Greek, this notion of excellence was ultimately bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one's full potential. This name may be an allusion to Queen Arete's knowledge about Valla, which she passed to Azura. It is also similar in meaning to Mikoto. Her name means "earring" in Spanish.

In Greek mythology Arete was the much-loved wife and queen of King Alcinous of Scheria. Both were descendants of the sea god, Poseidon, which may be a possible allusion to Azura, Shigure, and Anankos' water motif.

Her Japanese name, Shenmei, may come from the Chinese 審美 shěnměi, meaning "appreciating the arts" or "aesthetic appreciation."

Trivia

• According to Cipher, Arete wore a similar attire to Azura.
• Arete possesses a full set of head map sprites, including non-mounted head sprites, despite never appearing as a non-mounted class as a unit. She shares this trait with Mikoto, Sumeragi, Iago, and Anthony.
• Arete shares her English voice actress in Heroes, Sara Cravens, with Rinkah.
• Azura (Vallite Songstress) wears an outfit similar to what her mother wore.
• Arete is the fifth non-playable character from Fates to be playable in Heroes, preceded by Garon, Mikoto, Lilith, and Iago.

Gallery

See main article: Arete/Gallery.