Celica is one of the protagonists of Fire Emblem Gaiden and its remake, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. She is 17 years old in Shadows of Valentia. Celica also appears in Awakening as a DLC character with a design illustrated by guest artist Masatsugu Saito, and as an Emblem in Engage based on her Shadows of Valentia appearance. She is also a playable character in the spin-off Warriors. In the year 385 in the Valentian calendar and year 590 in the Archanean calendar, Celica was born as Princess Anthiese of Zofia, daughter of Lima IV and Liprica. Anthiese bore a great resemblance to her mother, but Liprica died while she was very young. Anthiese bore a special mark on the palm of her right hand, one that would tie her to a great destiny alongside another individual who bore a similar mark. In her brief childhood in the royal villa, she became close to one of her half-siblings, Conrad. Ten years prior to the game events, the villa housing Lima IV's numerous wives and children was set ablaze by Desaix as a means to instigate a coup against the king. Mycen, a legendary Zofian knight, managed to locate Anthiese in the blaze and rescued her. She asked Mycen if he had at least found Conrad amidst the blaze, but he informed her that she was the sole individual he found. In the aftermath of the blaze, publicly, none of the children had survived. Anthiese was then brought to Mycen's home at Ram Village in secret, where he would take on the role of her guardian thereafter. To protect her, she was given the name Celica, her new name that she would go by for many years. Living with Mycen for some time, she became particularly close to Mycen's grandson, Alm. The two were practically inseparable, fortified by the fact that they bore a special birthmark on their opposite hands. Her time in Ram Village was also filled with happiness with her friends in the village Tobin, Gray, Kliff, and Faye. She was taught swordplay by Mycen alongside the other Ram Village children in order to protect herself. Unfortunately, her happiness was cut short when one of Desaix's cronies, Slayde, came to Ram Village by chance and discovered Celica's heritage thanks to a special Brand on her right hand. Though he was repelled from the village thanks to Mycen, Celica was forced to leave the village. As she departed, Alm vowed to one day reunite with her, a sentiment she shared. She was brought to the Priory on Novis, where she was raised by Nomah. She would spend the rest of her adolescence training in the teachings of Mila and became skilled in magic. She became close to three students at the priory: Mae, Boey, and Genny. Celica is devout, refined, and gentle, with a bold yet kind side. She holds herself back emotionally to an extent, due to a series of traumatic events and familial loss; as a result, she can come off as reserved and even aloof, often maintaining an aura of polite distance. Celica feels that she has to set aside her emotional candor in order to fulfill her responsibilities as royalty; therefore, she usually regrets when she shows her raw emotions in the rare moments she lashes out in anger or bitterness. A paragon of benevolence, Celica will help out anyone in need if she can help it. With time, especially in the future, many have said that Celica is a reincarnation of the goddess Mila herself. She is a firm believer in bringing peace without fighting, believing that conflict begets further conflicts. While she prefers solving matters peacefully, she is more than willing to put her life on the line and fight with her comrades for the sake of protecting them. She will also willingly fight to save others if asked, but will rarely act out in vengeance. She has also been shown to be clumsy, possibly a trait rubbed off on her by Nomah, and enjoys studying and reading. Though she is in a high position as a priestess at Novis Priory and as a princess of Zofia, she values the three other children at the priory and is fairly close to them, especially in the case of Mae, who is her best friend. Often hurt by the fact that she must keep her role secret, even from those she loves, Celica feels that she is solely responsible for shouldering her responsibilities. She often feels very lonely, but believes that her loneliness is selfish when she only ever puts those she cares about at risk. As a result, though she does not outwardly express it, she greatly lacks self-worth and confidence. This also makes her extremely naïve and turns her natural kindness into a crucial flaw, as she will willingly sacrifice herself to the enemy the second her friends are threatened, even when knowing that they cannot be trusted or not even knowing if they would honor their promise in exchange for her compliance. Her kindness has often resulted in her losing faith in humanity, and she optimistically hopes that all of their problems can be solved if the Divine Dragons intervene. The entirety of the Zofian royal family ordeal burdens Celica with the discomfort of being treated like royalty; she does not feel she deserves the respect her birthright affords, when all that birthright has ever brought her is strife. She feels immense guilt for her father's actions in his reign as king, and despises him greatly for it. Regardless, Celica later states that she secretly wished to be there for him in order to change his attitude, pitying him for who he was. When Alm inadvertently slights her by saying that he would give up his role as the leader of the Deliverance if the lost Zofian princess were to show herself, Celica angrily lashed out. She lovingly remembers her mother for the love she gave her, even with the short amount of time they spent together before her death. Growing up in the Villa, it can be assumed that Celica spent time with her various half-siblings and her father's multitude of wives, but she has never mentioned any sort of fond memories of any save for Conrad, the sole person she expressed concern for during the Villa blaze that killed all of her other family members. His supposed death weighed heavily on her, but the revelation of his survival sparked an instant rekindling of their familial bond. Her deepest bond is with Alm, with whom she shares her destiny for Valentia's future. Her introspective views on the world inspired Alm to find his place in it. Alm's unconditional love and affection for her eased her sadness and loneliness over her responsibilities, serving as a beacon of hope in her otherwise tragedy-filled life. Their first reunion after ten years of separation was filled with pure joy. Though it ended on a bitter note, the two never stopped thinking about each other. With time, Celica grew to rely more on Alm and believe that he would be key in restoring Valentia. By the final battle, Celica expressed undying trust and faith in Alm to end the conflict. By the end of the conflict, Celica is happily wed to Alm, serving as his wise, benevolent queen. Celica is a young woman, approximately 17 years old, characterized by her long, wavy red hair and red eyes. She wears a white and gold headband. Her primary outfit consists of a white dress accented with red and gold details, paired with a matching high-collared cloak that features a purple lining and gold faux leather edges. The ensemble includes black gloves or gauntlets, a black skirt with white stripes, and distinctive white and gold boots or thigh-high greaves. She is often depicted wielding her signature weapon, the Beloved Zofia, a large sword that only she can use.