A Pure Wish: In Defense of Eirika/Saleh

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

My preferred pairing for Eirika is with Saleh. This is not a popular opinion… nor does Saleh seem to be a terribly popular character. Now, I don't mean by this that I dislike or reject any of Eirika's other pairings; on the contrary, I like all her "paired endings" (with Ephraim, Seth, Innes, and Forde) just fine. I find that each of them highlights a different dimension of Eirika's character-- as a sister, as a princess of Renais, as a figure of state (especially if one takes the view that she doesn't really love Innes), as a woman. But her pairing with Saleh intrigues me the most, and indeed was a factor in my coming to actually like Eirika as a character.

( Subject Line Says It All )