Arete

Nohr

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.

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.

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.

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. Heroes provides futher insight into this, as she believes her daughter is stronger than her in some ways, and is worried it could prevent her from living a normal life due to drawing unwarranted attention.

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, which Heroes implies that Anankos had already been doing so even before her death. 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.