Elnini

"What’s wrong with being a bit different from other people? When I look at you, I don’t see other people. I see Ninian. I see a normal, kindhearted girl."

- Eliwood to Ninian, in Blazing Blade

Elnini is the het ship between Eliwood and Ninian from the Fire Emblem fandom.

Canon
Eliwood is one of three main lords in the 7th Fire Emblem game. Ninian is a quiet and mysterious girl traveling with her younger brother; on first glance, the two appear to be a dancer and a bard traveling the world, but the story later reveals that the main villain Nergal has been chasing them for the past few years.

Eliwood first meets Ninian when he rescues her from bandits during Lyn's story, but the two do not properly interact until the main story following the first story arc. Ninian blames herself for the tragedies the group suffered, including the death of Eliwood's father, but Eliwood reassures her that none of it was her fault. Ninian officially joins the party, becoming a playable unit after this talk.

The two are clearly attracted to one another, with Eliwood going out of his way to look after her and Ninian slowly falling in love with him. However, Ninian is a dragon taking human form, and dragons are heavily feared on Elibe. Ninian keeps her secret, but feels guilty and unworthy of Eliwood's affections for doing so. If the player pursues their support chain, Eliwood tells Ninian he loves her even if she can't tell her secret, and at the end of the game they will marry.

Roy
Roy is the heir of Pherae, known as the lion of Pherae. He is also a descendant of Roland through his father's side. If Ninian is his mother he's one-quarter ice dragon. When war broke through the kingdoms, he led an ever-growing army to free the oppressed commoners, villages, and territories from the crushing might of Bern and eventually saved all of Elibe. In the future, he unites all of Lycia into a single kingdom and becomes its ruler. He is the protagonist of Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade.

Fanon
Ninian is arguably the most popular het ship for Eliwood since Fiora and Lyn have other romantic options that are perceived as more interesting by some fans. Due to the absence of Roy's mother in The Binding Blade, it was commonly assumed that Ninian died in childbirth due to both her fragile appearance and the canon detail that her life would be shortened if she stayed on Elibe. More rarely, others assumed she survived the birth, but died while Roy was still a toddler.

Shippers adore the sweet and gentle dynamic of the pair's interactions. Eliwood cares very much about Ninian from the start, stating in the main story and their supports that he wants to see her smile and can't bear to see her in pain. One particular moment has him sighing over the antics of Lyn and Hector, which Ninian giggles at. In an earlier chapter he kindly offers her his arm when the desert heat is taking its toll on her, then tells her that her being "different" doesn't bother him because to him she's "a normal, kind-hearted girl". Additionally, there is an amusing moment in their C support where Eliwood trips over his own words while talking to her that shippers find adorable.

Some fans also enjoy the angsty angle of the ship, mainly Ninian's shortened lifespan if she stays on Elibe. Others like exploring a scenario where she and Eliwood never reached A support and the two spend the rest of their lives missing each other when Ninian goes back to the dragon world with Nils. A lot of fanfic was written back in the day about Eliwood's guilt and mourning after he accidentally killed Ninian.

That said, Ninian herself was the subject of heavy controversy, some fans finding her problematic and antifeminst due to being shy, quiet, and her role as a damsel in distress during the game before properly joining the player's army. Additionally,

Other fans who like Ninian as a character dislike the ship because they personally feel guilty about separating Ninian from her brother Nils, or don't like the thought of her dying young by staying on Elibe. Others simply don't feel Eliwood and Ninian have the chemistry or the dynamic they're looking for in a pairing.

There is strong friction with Elilyn and Elifiora shippers, who feel like the pairing is being "forced" on them due to Eliwood being Ninian's only love interest and the two of them sharing a lot of screen time. Some have even argued that the game "rewards" Ninian for her weakness with Eliwood's love at the expense of Lyn and Fiora. In turn, some Eliwood x Ninian fans can get defensive of their OTP, or even militant in their insistence that the pairing is the one true canon despite Lyn and Fiora being just as valid options.

Fans of the ship say the supports between Marcus and Lilina in FE6 strongly hint that Ninian is Roy's mother due to her liking Ilian flowers, and Ninian's homeland is Ilia.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Knight of Lycia and Child of Destiny, a C2 community for Eliwood/Ninian fanfiction on fanfiction.net
 * Knight of Lycia and Child of Destiny, a C2 community for Eliwood/Ninian fanfiction on fanfiction.net

FAN ART