PhoenixFlare

PhoenixFlare is the slash ship between Joshua Rosfield and Dion Lesage from the Final Fantasy fandom.

General Information (Year of the Realm 850 to 873)
In the Year of the Realm 850, both Joshua Rosfield and Dion Lesage are born. Joshua is older than Dion by an unspecified amount of time.

Joshua is born as the second child of House Rosfield, out of the union between Anabella and Elwin Rosfield who are cousins. Theirs was a marriage of convenience, with the sole aim of producing the next Phoenix Dominant. Soon after his birth in 850, Joshua awakened as the Dominant of the Phoenix.

At the same time, with his wife unable to conceive, Sylvestre Lesage bought a prostitute from Oriflamme's pleasure quarters. She later gave birth to Dion, who was passed off as his legitimate heir and son of his lawful wife. With no further use for the prostitute, Sylvestre ordered her death. Soon after, in 851, Dion awakened as the Dominant of Bahamut.

Due to the fact that they awakened naturally, and close to their respective births, Joshua and Dion are the only Dominants who did not need a trigger (ie. a traumatic event) in order to do so. Furthermore, their Eikons (the Phoenix and Bahamut, respectively) are the only two Eikons revered by their people as sacred.

The Phoenix is always born in the ducal line, and is worshipped by the populace—not least because its flames of both destruction and regeneration have delivered the duchy from disaster many times over.

In the Holy Empire, the Greagorian faithful hold dragons to be sacred creatures, and Bahamut the most sacred of them all. Because of this, as well as the protection it grants them, the Eikon is loved and revered by the imperial populace.

Remembrance Ceremony (The Triunity of 859)
A tripartite alliance was formed in the year 859 between Rosaria, Dhalmekia and Sanbreque. Its purpose was to oppose the independence of the Free Cities of Kanver, due to fears that this might inspire similar independence movements elsewhere in the realm. The alliance was disbanded in 860 in light of the attack on Phoenix Gate, and the dispute over Sanbrequois culpability in the affair.

During the Remembrance Ceremony held at the signing of this accord, Joshua and Dion met for the first time. While at this time Joshua was already a prince and the heir to the Rosarian throne, Dion's father was only a cardinal. It wasn't until 865 and with Dion's status as Bahamut shielding him that Sylvestre Lesage became the Emperor of Sanbreque.

This ceremony was also the moment when Anabella came into contact with Sylvestre and they started plotting together. Their aim was to turn the Grand Duchy of Rosaria into an imperial vassal state, a plan which was put into motion with the attack on Phoenix Gate the following year.

Pre-game events (Year of the Realm 860 to 873)
It is later revealed however that Joshua had also survived, though he was gravely wounded in the aftermath and had slipped into a coma. Found and protected by the Undying, who were stationed near Phoenix Gate, he was taken to one of their hideouts.


 * Year of the Realm 865: Joshua was in a coma for a long time, however he miraculously regained consciousness in 865, at age 15. He underwent medical treatment to heal his weakened body and succeeded his father Elwin who was the temporary leader of the Order of the Undying, taking charge as their master. The same year, former Archduchess Anabella remarried to Sylvestre and became Dion’s stepmother, while the latter ascended to the imperial throne using Dion's status as a Dominant as leverage. As for Dion, he joined the Knights’ Corps and took part in the Battle of the Twin Realms as Bahamut. He achieved great success on the battlefield and gained renown nationwide.


 * Year of the Realm 868: Having finally regained his strength, Joshua began investigating the Dominant of Fire that caused the tragedy. While reading through books and documents he resumes practising the art of the sword in order to defend himself. The same year, Dion was formally congratulated and recognised for his military exploits, receiving the title of "Holy Dragoon". After being seriously wounded in battle, he entered into a relationship with his devoted servant, Terence.

Year of the Realm 873
During a visit to the Empire of Sanbreque, the Phoenix powers Joshua uses in order to save people attract Benedikta's attention and he is detained at Caer Norvent. Their interaction in the dungeons of Caer Norvent is also the first time we learn about Dion from Benedikta, who mentions him to Joshua (this coming immediately after Dion the Bold is played by a bard in the previous cutscene with Cid and Clive).

Year of the Realm 874 to 877
Joshua travels the continent again to discover Ultima's true nature and purpose. Meanwhile, he overuses the power of the Phoenix to maintain Ultima sealed and the Crystal’s Curse advances upon his body, slowly petrifying it.

Year of the Realm 878
Joshua believes that Ultima is behind the political unrest in the Empire of Sanbreque and travels to the Crystalline Dominion to ask for Dion's help.

On the Crystal Road, Joshua is hurting from having to keep Ultima sealed and so they take a break on the side of the thoroughfare. A young girl by the name of Kihel offers him medicine, but Joshua refuses with a smile, telling her that he will be alright and that she should save her medicine for those who need it most.

After Kihel leaves, his servant Jote asks him what he seeks in the Dominion, which is when he tells her that he's there to meet Dion and extols his many virtues. He recounts how he and Dion met as children and how chivalrous he was even then. Continuing, he hopes that Dion is the man he believes him to be and that he will see the peril that the Twins face from Ultima.

Joshua arrives at the Sanbrequois camp just as Dion receives news of his father having abdicated his throne in favour of his half-brother Olivier. Dion does not take the news well and is outraged at Sylvestre's decision, slamming his fists on the table so hard that a vase holding a wyvern tail crashes to the ground. This is the moment when Joshua steps into his tent after having dispatched the imperial guards, his left (magic-casting) hand behind his back in a display of non-aggression.

Dion recognises him immediately, and tells his second-in-command and Captain of the Guard Sir Terence to stand down. They exchange words and Joshua brings up the Remembrance Ceremony, asking him if it's been close to 20 years since they last saw each other. Dion admits to thinking him long dead, curiously asking him whether he's addressing a ghost, to which Joshua replies that while many have told him that he looks like one, he's alive, if barely.

For his part, Joshua is there not only to ask for Dion's help but also to explain Ultima's influence on the Empire, thereby providing answers to Dion's burning questions about his father's behaviour. He picks the fallen wyvern tail up and places it back on Dion's table as the scene fades out, showing them looking at each other, their postures mirrored.

They leave the camp together and head for Twinside. Once there, Dion confronts his father and stepmother Anabella at the Imperial Seat, where Sylvestre rebuffs Dion's questioning about Ultima's ambitions having influenced him.

Later, Joshua and Dion reunite in a reception chamber of the palace over tea, and Dion brings Joshua up to date on how the meeting went. He admits that at first he had been sceptical of Joshua's story about Ultima, but that the wound on his chest (the Phoenix's prison in which he keeps the Ultima of Drake's Head sealed) is proof enough of his claims being true.

During this meeting, Dion tells Joshua that for better or worse, his father speaks his own mind, and reveals that there is another darkness that has taken hold of Sanbreque and that it must be purged before he does anything else, referring to his stepmother. Joshua asks him for forgiveness for Anabella's behaviour, but Dion replies that he is not responsible for her deeds. He then agrees to help in Joshua's quest, but not until he deals with the situation at home. Joshua insists, bringing up that the life of every man, woman and child in the Twins is at stake, but Dion stands firm in his decision. He does, however, promise that whatever strength he will have left after he deals with Anabella and Olivier shall be Joshua's.

As Joshua prepares to leave the Imperial Seat, they shake hands and promise to take to the skies together and bring a new dawn to Valisthea. An unspecified amount of time after that meeting, Dion starts a coup d'état against Anabella and Olivier and his dragoons stand with him, evacuating the populace and making sure they are safe during the revolt. Dion confronts his father in the Imperial Seat and ends up accidentally killing him when he jumps in front of Dion's spear to shield Olivier. Olivier is revealed to be an Akashic and under Ultima's influence.

Due to the shock and Ultima-as-Olivier pushing him over the edge, calling him kinslayer while their eyes flash blue, Dion loses control and primes into Bahamut, causing a tragedy which destroys much of the city.

Joshua is still in Twinside as he waits for Dion to finish his task and witnesses the destruction, immediately recognising that this is not what the prince had wanted to happen. He sees Bahamut flying close to the reformed Mothercrystal and pleads him to stop. As Jote begs him to run away, he tells her that he's sorry and that he must go to Dion. He primes into the Phoenix for the first time since the tragedy at Phoenix Gate, forfeiting his undercover status.

As he flies up to where Bahamut is rampaging, he gets his attention and brings him away from Twinside, not attacking the other Eikon, contending to dodge his Megaflares. After an attack from Bahamut causes the Phoenix to fall to the ground and un-prime, Joshua is finally reunited with Clive, Jill and Torgal.

Clive primes into Ifrit to protect his brother and the boss battle against Bahamut starts. After the fight is concluded in space, Dion un-primes and free-falls back to the Earth, unconscious. The Phoenix saves him, shouting his name and picking him up in his claws.

When they are back in the chambers with Anabella and Olivier, Dion regains consciousness and sees Olivier for who they really are. With the last of his power, he spears Ultima, crying and telling a vision of his father that Sabrewque has been saved and the darkness that plagued it dispelled. He then falls unconscious once more. As she witnesses this, Anabella's mind breaks and she cannot handle the fact that Joshua is standing before her, alive. She takes her own life before Joshua's pained eyes.

As the buildings around them crumble, Clive urges Joshua to escape, planning to leave Dion behind. Joshua however refuses to leave without him, dragging his tired body back to the unconscious prince and telling Clive that he owes Dion a debt. With a sigh, Clive accepts and moves to pick Dion up, which is when he takes part of Bahamut's power and witnesses a vision of the events that caused his loss of control. He picks Dion up and they escape, flying back to the Hideaway on the Phoenix's back.

Dion and Joshua are taken to the Hideaway's infirmary and placed under Tarja's care, and Joshua is the one who recovers first. During a conversation with Jill and Clive, he learns about what really happened back in Twinside, from Clive's vision. He blames himself deeply for having failed Dion, not reaching him soon enough to prevent the tragedy from happening. He looks towards Dion unconscious on the bed and laments that now an empire and her prince lay broken.

While Clive and Joshua are away on a mission, Dion wakes up and leaves, travelling to the Crystalline Dominion to look upon the tragedy he caused with his own eyes.

Later on, Dion once again collapses once he arrives in the ruined city, crying in despair at the destruction he had caused. Meanwhile, Joshua and his companions are back at the Hideaway and learn about Dion having left. Joshua wonders if perhaps the feelings of impotency he had while he fought against Odin are similar to what Dion is feeling. As his wistful gaze turns towards the sky, the scene fades out and we are back with Dion in Twinside.

While unconscious, Dion is cared for by the young medicine-peddler Kihel, and he makes a full recovery. He looks out the window of her humble abode and notices flaming lanterns drifting on the river. Kihel tells him that the lanterns guide souls back to their proper place. He starts thinking about what he can do to atone, and whether the tragedy was Ultima's fault or his own. His choice seemingly made, he leaves Kihel's home and as a gust of wind ruffles his hair, he looks up to the moon and Metia peeking from between the clouds and tells Joshua that he owes him his wings. The scene fades back to Joshua in the Hideaway who concludes that perhaps Dion will be able to find an answer.

Making good on his promise to Joshua to join him in his fight against Ultima, Dion rallies his dragoons to the defence of the Dhalmekian capital of Ran’dellah, saving the city from Akashic assault. He entrusts his troops to Eugen Havel and releases Sir Terence from his service, bidding him farewell and asking that he make sure Kihel, the young girl who saved his life, is provided for.

Dion then sets out to pledge his personal loyalty to Joshua's cause, arriving on the Enterprise just in time to ride to the brothers’ rescue in Stonhyrr. Joshua's face morphs into a happy smile when he sees Dion has arrived together with the party and watches him fight the Akashic for a few moments before joining in and dispatching them.

Once the fight ends, Clive and Jill hug, and Jill tells him that it has been quite a day, looking over towards Dion. Joshua and Dion also hug, with Dion smiling widely at him and Joshua laughing, asking him to what they owe the honour. Dion grips his shoulder and says that he has a debt to repay, and once Clive approaches, delivers Byron Rosfield words to them.

Both Clive and Joshua thank him for his help, and when the latter calls him Your Highness, Dion grabs his shoulder again and squeezes, asking him to call him Dion. They plan on tackling the Mothercrystal's destruction together, however Ultima promptly appears and teleports Clive and Joshua away to the Interdimensional Rift, where they reveal much of their motivations to them. Once Drake's Spine is destroyed, Origin emerges from under Twinside, the giant spaceship destroying what remained of the city and its inhabitants as it lifts itself up to the skies.

After Clive and Joshua are teleported back to where their companions await, they all leave Stonhyrr onboard the Enterprise and return to the Hideaway to plan for the final confrontation with Ultima.

Once there, Dion reunites with his former master, Harpocrates, who gifts him a purple wyvern tail, telling him that while its roots are the same, they do not define it, just as Dion's own roots do not define him. Dion is unable to accept the purple wyvern tail, however he admits that he wishes to see it once more, when he thinks himself worthy of it. Harpocrates is saddened by it, hoping that Dion will someday learn to forgive himself.

Discussing how they should travel to Origin, Joshua offers to Clive to fly there as the Phoenix, but Dion interjects and proposes they use his wings instead. He asks Clive if what Joshua has told him is true, about Dominants whose power he took still being able to prime. Once Clive acquiesces, warning him against the dangers of it, Dion states that his will will have to be strong enough to withstand the peril.

He flies Clive and Joshua on his back to Origin, using his Megaflares to clear a path and make a hole into Origin's shell through which they enter. During the confrontation with Ultima, Dion shields Joshua against an overwhelming attack, telling him to go save his brother. Joshua as the Phoenix looks back towards him, the sadness evident in his demeanour.

As Dion takes Ultima's hit head on he shouts that he asks not for acceptance, only forgiveness. As he falls, un-primed, his thoughts turn towards his father once more. Back down in the wreckage, Joshua finds Clive and they sit together for a short while. Clive asks Joshua about Dion, and the latter shakes his head and sighs with a pained expression on his face. Once they start moving towards The Core for the final confrontation against Ultima, Clive tells Joshua that he's sorry about Dion. Joshua says, with a pause and hesitation in his voice that Dion did what he had to do, and that Clive shouldn't be sorry about that.

At The Core, Ultima extracts their imprisoned sibling from Joshua's chest by force, and gives part of the Phoenix's power to Clive, ensuring that he has all 7 of them for the upcoming confrontation. Once Clive defeats Ultima he takes in their full power inside his body. He casts a healing spell on Joshua's lifeless body, then comments on how Mythos as a vessel still isn't strong enough to withstand all the power it's containing without breaking. With the last of his strength, he casts a spell that erases magic from the world, eliminating the source of the Blight.

In the epilogue we see Valisthea in a future without magic, and upon the table in the family's home there's a book titled Final Fantasy, written by Joshua Rosfield.

Quotes
Jote: “What is it that you seek in the Dominion, Your Grace?”

Joshua'': “Oh. Dion Lesage.”''

Jote: “You mean the Crown Prince of Sanbreque?”

Joshua'': “He has many titles. Dion the Bold, prince of dragoons, Odin’s nemesis, or simply Bahamut. I met him once, when we were children. He was a chivalrous soul even then and has served his empire indefatigably ever since.”''

Jote: “And you are confident that he will listen to what you have to say?”

Joshua'': “Our world lurches ever closer to the abyss, and the hidden hand ushers us onward. Ultima’s influence extends to every nation, Sanbreque included. If His Highness is the man I believe him to be, and I pray that he is, this truth will not have escaped his notice.”''

- Joshua talks about Dion on the Crystal Road

Dominants
The Phoenix and Bahamut are the only Eikons who revealed themselves at birth or close to it, thereby not necessitating a trigger in order to do so (ie. a traumatic event). Ultima is revealed to be extremely afraid of the Phoenix, since once Joshua is born and awakens, they choose to show themselves to Barnabas and co-opt them to their plan of remaking the world.

The Phoenix kept one of Ultima’s brethren imprisoned for years, and their seal did not fade because Joshua was losing power but rather because with each Mothercrystal that was destroyed and heart that was released, Ultima gained more of it back to themselves. Furthermore, Bahamut is the only Eikon besides the Phoenix who resisted Ultima’s influence the longest. Fans speculate that without Ultima’s direct interference once Dion slays his father, he would not have lost control at all.

Ultima seemingly chose that moment to act against Bahamut because Joshua had reached Dion and was perhaps afraid of what their combined might would mean. Fans speculate that this may also indicate that Bahamut felt the Phoenix awaken and followed it, which is why Dion and Joshua awoke so close to one another.

Another interesting point is how Joshua miraculously regained consciousness in 875, the same year that Dion first took to the battlefield as Bahamut. Fans speculate that since Dominants can sense each other, Bahamut priming was a catalyst for Joshua awakening from his coma.

The moon and Metia
The Moon and Metia’s romantic symbolism is established from the beginning when we see a young Jill checking in on Clive and asking Metia to bring him back safely to her. Her feelings for him, even at this young age, are apparent. We see the Moon and Metia being used again to show us the love between Benedikta and Cid, though with them it is more a dream of what could have been. It was clear that the two cared deeply for each other and regretted/felt anger at their separation.

Which brings us to the third Moon and Metia parallel in this game - Dion and Joshua. When Joshua first talks about Dion, he looks to the night sky while extolling Dion’s many virtues. A decidedly odd thing to do from the audience perspective (and Jote helps express that surprise), since Dion is the Crown Prince of the nation that attacked and annexed Joshua’s home, killed his father in front of him, and enslaved his brother. And yet despite all of this, Joshua decides to risk trusting in Dion’s strength of character and chivalry, and recruit him in the fight against Ultima to save Clive. At this point in the game we do not know if Dion is “good” or “bad” (in over simplistic terms). We see him in the flashback of the Battle at Belenus Tor which mostly establishes that he is the Dominant of Bahamut; and we hear of him from his father. It is Joshua’s trust in him that establishes him as a character to root for so that we are sympathetic to him when we later discover the depth of his father’s corruption.

Where Dion and Joshua become strongly linked to the Moon and Metia, is the fight at Twinside.

It is evening when Bahamut begins his rage over Twinside. When the Phoenix attempts to placate him and get him to stand down, Bahamut lures the Phoenix high above the clouds where all we see are the moon, Metia, and the stars. Joshua doesn’t quite know what’s going on, yelling “where is he going?!” before following. We are then treated to this scene of Bahamut and Phoenix exactly mirroring the crescent Moon and Metia twinkling next to it. The curved Bahamut is much larger than the Phoenix, who appears as a red dot. This moment passes quickly before we need to start concentrating on the fight, but the association is made.

The fight over Twinside is the climax of the game, but oddly, not for Clive. The climax of his story occurred in Oriflamme when he fights Ultima for the first time, loses Cid, and discovers that Joshua is alive. Although Clive is the protagonist, the overall story is very much one about both Rosfield brothers. The Twinside fight is more the climax of Joshua’s story and we experience it through his perspective - knowing that something has gone horribly wrong and the destruction is not Dion’s intent. Like Jill praying to Metia to bring Clive back to her, Joshua sets out to return Dion to himself under the light of the Moon and Metia - reaching out desperately, until finally with Clive’s help, he saves Dion from destroying the world.

The next time we see the Moon and Metia, it is from Dion’s eyes. After leaving Kihel, the wind distracts him, causing him to look up at the sky at the clearing in the clouds. Likely remembering their fight and his promise, he says “Well Phoenix, it would seem that I owe you my wings.”

This is partially referring to the promise that Dion already made to Joshua before his coup, but he did not need to be staring at the game’s romantic symbols while thinking of Joshua if he were not supposed to be the Moon to Joshua’s Metia. It is at this point perhaps, after Dion feels he has lost everything (including himself), that he looks to Joshua and seeks him out.

The next time we see Joshua and Dion together, is at Stonhyrr where Gav, Jill, and Dion come to the Rosfield brothers’ rescue. Here Jill and Dion’s parallels are made obvious. Jill is there for Clive, Dion is there for Joshua. Both Jill and Dion (in white and silver) are Moon coloured while Clive and Joshua (in red and black) are Metia coloured. They embrace in parallel, and Dion and Jill move to open the doors to Ultima for Joshua and Clive respectively - Jill on the left of the screen where Clive stands, and Dion on the right with Joshua.

In an interview from the Japanese version of the Ultimania, Maehiro confirmed that the moon is a symbol meant to show show no matter where one goes, the sky would always connect them to others, and that they would be looking at the same sky when moongazing.

During the cutscene in Twinside as Dion recovers in the slums, he looks up to the moon and Metia and promises Joshua his wings, at the same time that Joshua is thinking about Dion himself.

Dragon and Phoenix
Since Bahamut is the King of Dragons, the fans associate him and the Phoenix to the dragon and phoenix symbolism from Chinese myth and traditions. In Feng Shui, the Dragon stands for power, vitality, and positive energy, while the Phoenix is a symbol of peace, transformation, and altruism. When the dragon and phoenix come together, they stand for love, harmony, and unity.

The dragon and the Phoenix were regarded as the most sacred creatures and used to be emblems of the Emperor and the Empress. The Chinese dragon is traditionally the embodiment of the concept of yang (male), while the Phoenix (yin, female) was its pair or mate. They were used as decorations on buildings, clothing and other daily-use articles of the imperial palace to show off that the pair were children of the Heaven. The dragon and phoenix symbolism is also said to be representative of complementary, wedded bliss between spouses.

Wyvern Tails
The wyvern tail is a symbol of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, however it also symbolises Dion himself and his duty to the Empire. When Dion is in the audience chamber with his father and disagrees with his orders, Sylvestre pins the wyvern tail on Dion’s lapel, signifying the weight of his duty.

The wyvern tail is often seen in scenes with Dion throughout the course of the game, and Dion struggles to bear the weight of his duty when the wyvern tail is mistreated. Some examples are when Anabella mocks Dion and steps spitefully on the flower, or when Dion slams the table after Olivier is named Emperor, casting the flower to the floor.

It is at this point, when Dion finds out that Olivier has been named Emperor, that Joshua re-enters Dion’s life. Unlike those who have treated the flower (and Dion) with disdain in prior scenes, Joshua earnestly picks up the withered wyvern tail from the ground, which revives in his hold. He then delicately places the flower on the table before Dion, always treating it with the utmost of care.

Using the flower as a symbol for Dion, Joshua’s tender care of it demonstrates his care for Dion, and his desire for them to be allies and friends. The Phoenix, Joshua’s Eikon, is also a symbol of rebirth and revival, and just as he has revived the flower, it is his presence and influence that will revive an aching Dion when the burden of his duties are too great to bear. In this sense, we see Joshua as a symbol of hope for Dion.

Later in the game, Dion receives a purple wyvern tail from Harpocrates. Although Dion does not recognise the colour, Harpocrates tells Dion he sees it as a symbol of him. "Its roots were the roots of the wyvern tail, with all that implies, but they do not define it, just as yours do not define you."

- Harpocrates, speaking to Dion at the Hideaway

While the white wyvern tail signifies Dion’s duty to the empire, the purple wyvern tail signifies Dion as more than just a prince of Sanbreque, his own man. The colour of the wyvern tail being purple, a mix of red and blue, could also be seen as a symbol of Joshua’s influence on Dion—how their associated colours, red and blue, mix into the purple of Dion’s true self.

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