Light and Dark: Cecil's Struggle for Balance.

by Lady Lunar Phoenix 

Ok this is my first reply and its "Light and Dark: Cecil's Struggle for Balance." too.

Ok so let me start off by saying that I have to aggree with both of them. One problem with games are that you don't start off from the very start. From what I've read in the game the King was a very noble, kind, giving person. Only Mt. Ordeals allows for the power of a Paladin to be given and Mt. Ordeals is not a place belonging to Baron. From what we see in the start is that Baron has Soldiers, Dragoons, and Knights but we never know what kind of Knights. For all we know Dark Knights were nothing more then a title in Baron and the King had no clue as to what it really Signified. We know that there were others because of the King of Fabul gives that sword that came from another Dark Knight. We find out that the King of Baron had been killed and you can even learn to call him as Odin 'The All Father' in Norse myth.

We know that Cecil became a Dark Knight because he was ordered to, we know he's done things that he's not too proud of. We don't know how long the King had been dead but it must have been a while for the people to start getting scared of him. I recall one man talking about how the King had changed. And after you return as a Paladin things have gotten worse. It was never a 'The king is bad, the King is Bad, the King is a monster.' It looks more like 'The king is Good, the King is changing how odd, the King is bad, the King is a Monster!' Remember that Kings normally tried to hold on to the throne by saying they were chosen by god. The King is meant to protect his people from any and all threats no matter what. That is how it is supposed to go. When you do get to meet the Real King of Baron you are not in that short of time given a reason to think this man was evil or anything. What little info that is given has him coming off as a good king. Let me remind you that Light and Dark, Good and Evil is not a religous thing all the time. All people are born with equal parts of both good and evil it is the right of choice that makes us human.

Humanity: n. 3. A being Humane; humane treatment, Kindness, mercy. syn: Benevolence.

The third definition of Humanity and the one that I think people are forgetting more and more about. Cecil isn't an Evil knight he's a benevolent knight he does or tries to do whathe thinks is right at all times but when ordered to something wrong he's trapped between belief and loyalty. His grief is that he believes he is doing something wrong and his loyalty won't let him get out of it. An act of benevolence does not involve holy aim or a god fearing person.

A Knight is the same as a man or women in the modern day army. They are putting their lives on the line for country and king or state. A Paladin goes above and beyond the call of duty who does nothing and thinks nothing but for the good of others before himself. It doesn't mean that he has no dark side he wouldn't be human if he had none. Evil and temptation are a part of humans deal with it. Its just that the Paladins in RPG's get boosts like magic and healing spells. Was Cecil evil before with the rank of a Dark Knight, no, he didn't do things that were evil because he was evil he did it because he had no choice. Cecil doesn't become a Paladin he already IS a Paladin where it counts. He goes up to Mt. Ordeals and gains the title he always had. He had to see the part of him most people can not face remember that they said that many people more worthy then Cecil went to the Mt. but never came down. But the test only involves three blows from your evil half? I would think those others came in an act of self rightousness and when faced with the side of themselves they didn't want to admit to they fought till they died. He came and accepted that he HAD done evil things but he needed this power to protect the world so he accepted the evil so that he could make it up to the world and protect it.

I realize that this side steps religion alot. But also I realize that the major religion in Japan is still Shinto and that 'Holy' only refers to the things in certain religions. What one Shinto priestess may find holy isn't the same as what a Wiccan may find.

I have to go with Wisdom on the remarks about Cecil and Golbez all the way its just to true.

One to be born
From a dragon
hoisting the light and the dark
Arises high up to the still land
Veiling the moon with the light of eternity
it brings another promise
to mother earth
with a bounty and mercy.

I always thought this was more about Klu Ya and the boys

One to be born
(Cecil)
From a Dragon
(Klu Ya)
Hoisting the light and the dark
(Holding both Cecil and Golbez)
Arises high up to the still land
(Klu Ya Standing on top of Mt. Ordeals before the battle against Zermus in spirit.)
Veiling the moon with the light of eternity
(Cecil Radiating the light of goodness in the heart of all mankind after he gets all those wishes from the Tower of Wishes 'veiling the evil coming from the moon')
It brings another promise
(The way Klu Ya made it sound one would think he's been fighting Zermus alone for a long time so it would be a promise he made so that he could stay at Mt. Ordeals as a spirit)
To mother Earth with a bounty and mercy.
(He's made a new promise to the Earth when he gave up all his power or spirit to Cecil that the earth would prosper and be at peace)