Leonhart Avadonia

"The people are starving. The Commander of the Royal Guard shouldn't indulge himself in such things, should he?"

Leonhart Avadonia is the Commander of the Royal Guard and one of the Three Heroes of the Kingdom of Lucifenia. He is the foster father of Germaine and Allen, an advocate of the Lucifenian people, and Princess Riliane's most inflexible opposition.

Early Life
Sometime before EC 475, Leonhart entered the Lucifenian military and became the Commander of the Royal Guard, serving King Arth and Queen Anne. In EC 475, the Kingdom of Lucifenia declared war on Asmodean and the Beelzenian Empire with Leonhart leading many conquests to victory. Seven years into the war, he found and adopted a young Germaine. During one battle, he encountered Gast Venom and dueled him. Observing his swordplay, Leonhart  learned and exploited its weakness, defeating the "Demon of Asmodean" but sparing his life. By EC 490, Leonhart, along with his comrades Mariam Futapie and Elluka Clockworker, became known as the Three Heroes, spearheading the kingdom's expansion and securing its new lands. After Arth's death, the wars ended and Leonhart continued his service in the Royal Guard under Queen Anne.

Twiright Prank
In EC 491, Leonhart was called by Anne and told that her daughter, Princess Riliane, was chosen to succeed her husband. The queen explained that, because Prime Minister Presi would lose power, she worried he was plotting against the princess; the warrior enlightened her that Riliane was increasingly found in the kitchen eating, possessed by a demon. Hearing that, Anne gave him an order.

After the attempted coup was subdued and the demon was exorcised from Riliane, Leonhart adopted the princess' twin brother, Prince Alexiel, as a means to curb conflicts over the right of succession and avoid future assassination attempts on the prince. He later met up with Mariam and Elluka, discussing the recent events that transpired. When asked by Mariam how he would raise two children at once, he responded that he would manage.

Father of Two
Renaming the boy "Allen" after "Alexiel" was pronounced dead, Leonhart took the former prince home and introduced him to Germaine. A few days later, when Chartette Langley had gone missing, he, like the other adults, gave up on finding her and assumed she was dead. Later discovering that both Allen and Germaine had gone into the Forest of Bewilderment and fought off bandits to rescue her, he became furious, hitting Allen in a drunken stupor and lecturing them for their dangerous actions; after shedding tears, the three laughed it off. At some point, while drinking with Germaine, he amiably related his fight with Gast Venom, describing the difficulty of the battle and Gast's tendency to aim for the neck.

In early EC 499, Leonhart decided to reunite Allen with his twin sister, telling his foster children that he was sending the boy to the palace to work as a servant. That night, Germaine argued with him about the decision till dawn the next day. After Allen had been brought in as a servant, Leonhart instructed him to keep their relationship secret from Riliane. Later, he requested Ney find her mother, Mariam, and have her take a look at Allen. Ney complied and later brought the Head Maid to examine the former prince. At some point, Allen asked Leonhart why Mariam, a former assassin, would become a maid; he replied that there were all kinds of women in the world. While there, Leonhart trained Allen in the art of swordplay. At some point, he came in contact with King Kyle and the two collaborated with each other in secret.

Reign of Evil
In late EC 499, in response to the poor harvest yields and starvation throughout the kingdom, Leonhart ordered that he and his daughter abstain from drinking alcohol until the people’s suffering had ended. The day before Riliane’s 14th birthday, Leonhart, concerned about the citizens’ welfare, asked the princess if she could distribute the palace’s food reserve to the people to compensate for the famine. In response, she ignorantly provided a solution: let them eat cake since they couldn’t eat bread. The conversation evolved into a heated squabble, with Leonhart unable to convince the selfish princess to provide proper assistance. Later that day, he witnessed Germaine pummel a couple of guys and curse them out, much to his embarrassment.

The next day, while passing by the stables around 3 o’clock, Leonhart noticed Josephine, the princess' horse, was missing, and wondered if Riliane had gone out for the day. Seeing Allen and Chartette cleaning the Heavenly Yard, he checked on their progress, telling Allen he could call him “daddy” whenever he wanted to. The servant retorted that he was used to referring to him politely, earning Leonhart’s confusion. The servant then asked about Germaine, and Leonhart recounted of her squabble the day before, doubting anyone would marry her.

Chartette interrupted, curious if Leonhart came to steal wine from the warehouse. The knight denied the accusation, revealing his refusal to have such a luxury while the people starved. When Allen asked if Riliane’s recent foul mood was the cause, he shrugged, explaining that his attempts to convince Riliane otherwise ended in failure and expressed his frustration with her childish and warped sense of reality. Reminded of the earlier oddity, he asked if Riliane had left, noting Josephine was gone and that it was impossible she could be stolen with their security.

As realization of the princess’ came over the pallid knight, a scream was heard and the three rushed inside to find Ney passing between two mirrors, telling them Riliane had escaped from the palace. After Ney explained what had happened, Leonhart organized the Royal Guard and a group of servants to find Riliane. Returning to the stables, he discerned Josephine’s tracks in the ground and followed them to the Forest of Bewilderment.

The knight commander joined the search party in exploring the woodland, walking by Allen’s side. Leonhart told Allen not to stray too far or he would get lost and, when Allen said he would be fine because he had been there before, he admitted he was right. Soon after, Leonhart permitted the servant to go on ahead, warning him again to not get lost.

That evening, a beacon was lit at the nearby port town, and the Royal Guard retrieved the princess in time for her birthday party. On the night of the ball, the jaded warrior guarded the Hall of Mirrors’ entrance, his eyes shifting constantly around the ballroom. Seeing Riliane’s massive birthday cake presented later on, his jaw dropped and, furious, stormed out of the Hall. Announcing his return home, the loving foster parent was asked by Germaine if he had eaten, to which he replied he was. Awkwardly watching her sniff him for booze, he reinforced his earlier vow, saying they agreed.

A few days later, he realized he had forgotten Allen’s birthday and went out to buy a mirror similar to the one owned by Riliane, albeit fake. In early EC 500, about a week after the princess’ party, Leonhart sneaked into the palace warehouses at night and smuggled out some food, giving it to the starving people. The next day, he was summoned by Riliane, understanding the reason and slipping into a depression; eating dinner with Germaine, she asked what was wrong and he explained his dejection, believing the princess discovered his theft and would have him executed, wanting Germaine to succeed him if that were the case. With Germaine brushing the idea aside, Leonhart prepared to depart before noting his daughter’s dress, asking if it was the birthday present he got her. Reminded of Allen’s birthday, he ran to his storeroom and picked up the handbag with his gift, explaining to Germaine he would be bringing it with him to the palace.

The next day, Leonhart left for the palace and, that night, answered Riliane’s beckons. Entering her room, the princess welcomed the commander. Mentioning on the impropriety of them being alone together at such an hour, Riliane teased him, remarking she understood that he preferred well-endowed women like her mother. Their conversation continued as they discussed Queen Anne’s crushed before the princess told him she believed it was time they start considering the people’s well-being. Stunned, Leonhart listened as Riliane elucidated how grateful she was for his food eviction at the palace barns. Allowing him to freely distribute the food with her permission first.

After a short silence, Leonhart thanked the princess and Riliane offered him a drink in celebration. Grateful, he accepted the liquor and listened to Riliane explain it was Blood Grave, the high-quality wine loved by the fabled Vaniqa Conchita. Leonhart asked if the princess would like a cup but she denied a taste, not understanding the fascination. The knight told her she was young and would someday understand its excellence, celebrating with her until late at night. Around three o’clock the next day, the drunk and merry warrior meandered through the empty courtyard until stopped by Allen, who noted his stupor. In response, he barely articulated his excuse, preparing to give the servant his present when the boy drew a sword on him and told him he needed to die.

Confused, Leonhart drew his sword and asked who gave him the order and, when Allen refused to say, realized it was all Riliane’s trap. Dueling him, Leonhart cornered Allen when he suddenly felt weak, kneeling to the ground as Allen explained they drugged the wine with Chronic Anesthesia. Too weak to support himself, the warrior collapsed with his gift rolling out of his arms. Apologizing for forgetting his birthday, Leonhart explained the gift and said he needed to pay attention to his appearance as a palace servant.

Allen asked why Leonhart wanted to kill Riliane and, in response to the warrior’s confusion, stabbed him with the sword. Writhing in pain, he mused how his foster son never once called him “daddy” and then asked why Allen had to kill him. Telling the boy he had yielded to “The Daughter of Evil”, the dying Leonhart gave Allen his last piece of advice: to be careful and not to cry. Succumbing to his wounds, the valiant warrior died.

Legacy
Following his assassination, Leonhart's corpse was discovered in the riverbank the next morning and a private funeral was held for him soon after, attended by his subordinates and comrades, including Elluka and Mariam. Although the Lucifenian Palace offered to hold a public ceremony, Germaine refused. Swearing revenge on his grave, his foster daughter later founded the Lucifenian Resistance and sparked the Lucifenian Revolution to bring retribution to her father's murderers.

Personality
Leonhart is a caring and kind-hearted man, acting loving to his two foster children and showing great concern for the people of his country. As the commander of the Royal Guard, he takes his responsibility very seriously in the service of the Lucifenian Royal Family and the citizens they rule, believing it is his duty to suffer as the people suffer and protect the ruling monarch with his life. Despite this, he was willing to compromise his loyalty to the crown to feed the starving citizens. Still, he acts honorable, answering Riliane's call even though he believed she was planning to kill him. Although admirable, Leonhart had his faults: he was a hopeless drunkard and would sometime lose his temper and lash out at others.

A fierce and brave warrior, Leonhart's actions on the battlefield earned him the admiration and respect of the Kingdom. Similarly, he showed a respect for upfront confrontations rather than underhanded tactics, appreciating Allen's challenge to the warrior before engaging him in a duel. Possessing a chivalric spirit, Leonhart never hit women, even when drunk, and never plotted to betray to overthrow the monarchy despite Riliane's tyranny.

Skills
A famed swordsman of his time, Leonhart utilized a traditional Lucifenian fencing style, with his strength and speed agumenting his capabilities. His favorite move, "Bull Style", had him raised his sword as high as his head momentarily before striking his opponent hard. However, Leonhart's greatest abilitiy was his observation skills. In combat, he was able to watch, learn, and adapt to an opponet's fighting style, gaining him leverage against his opponents, allowing him to challenge the equally legendary Gast Venom in swordplay. Despite this, his skill extended more than just combat. When Riliane had gone missing, he was the first to notice Josephine missing and later discern her hoof prints from the rest of the earth and follow the trail.

Appearance
Leonhart is a large man with short, brown hair and dark brown eyes. When on duty, he wore a full suit of red Lucifenian armor with white lining, adorned with a dark scarlet red wrap-over cloak with gold lining. When not in use, he sheathed his sword on his belt.

Character Connections
Anne Lucifen d'Autriche: Leonhart's former employer. Leonhart had a close friendship with Anne before her death, with the queen trusting him to raise her son and enlisting his aid in political disputes or in wartime. He had also had a crush on her and was teased by Riliane for liking her voluptuous chest.

Elluka Clockworker: A fellow member of the Three Heroes. Leonhart and Elluka had a deep friendship cultivated over the course of the Asmo-Beelzenian war that would continue until his death.

Mariam Futapie: A fellow member of the Three Heroes. Leonhart and Mariam had a deep friendship cultivated over the course of the Asmo-Beelzenian War. He found her to have a unique character, relating to Allen that there were all kinds of women in the world when the latter asked about her. This friendship continued until his death.

Allen Avadonia: Leonhart's adopted son. Leonhart was exasperated with Allen's formality towards him and would often look after his well-being, as well as his appearance, when the boy was a servant in the palace. Leonhart was bewildered when Allen stated his intention to kill him, but did not hold it against him after guessing the cause, using his last words to give Allen advice.

Germaine Avadonia: Leonhart's adopted daughter. Leonhart shared many interests with Germaine, including a love of wine and headstrong nature, although he expressed vexation for this when she got into fights in public; he showed a concern for her appearance as well as wellbeing, such as when enquiring after her worn out attire. Nonetheless, he trained her in swordplay and told her he wanted to make her his successor if he were to die.

Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche: The child of Anne that he swore to protect. Leonhart was infuriated by the way Riliane treated her people and her overindulgences during a famine. He went against her decisions publicly and secretly acted in the people's interests, deepening the rift between them. He was caught off guard by Riliane's supposed attempts to make peace, and correctly guessed that it was she who ordered Allen to kill him.

Kyle Marlon: An old acquaintance of Leonhart's. The Marlon King appeared among those close to him at the slain warrior's funeral. Their relationship was kept secret.

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Leonhart's name is derived from Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lionheart; King Richard earned his nickname due to his valor as a warrior and military leader.
 * His last name, Avadonia, seems to be a corruption of Abbadon.

Curiosities

 * Germaine noted that Leonhart often cried when he was drunk.
 * Among Ney's rumors about Leonhart, he is mentioned as having kidnapped a baby from one of the warring countries he defeated.

Gallery
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