Aurelia Le Guin
Aurelia Le Guin | |
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| Birth name | Aurelia Le Guin |
| Born | 1 June 1972 Orbis, Erebonian Empire |
| Allegiance |  Erebonian Empire |
| Service/ | Imperial Army of Erebonia |
| Years of service | 1990 - 2019 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Unit | Thors Military Academy |
| Commands held | Lamarre Provincial Army |
| Battles/wars | Imperial Crisis Erebonian Civil War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
| Relations | Kiriya Kitagawa (lover, later husband) Yamato Kitagawa (son) Naoto Kitagawa (son) Yukari Kitagawa (daughter) Katsuragi Kitagawa (daughter) Victor S. Arseid (mentor) |
Aurelia Le Guin-Kitagawa (1 June 1972) is a Erebonian officer and the head of the Le Guin family. She is one of the most prominent Erebonian nobles.
A daughter of an Erebonian noble, Aurelia is one of Erebonia's foremost swordswomen and fencer. She is a known student of the Arseid School of Swordsmanship. Apart from this, she is also the wife of Lucian Field Marshal Kiriya Kitagawa, whom she had unwittingly betrayed during the Erebonian Civil War. While Aurelia had strived to be one of Erebonia's most powerful and influential figures, her husband had fought against the nobility since his early days serving Erebonia.
During the final days of the civil war, she engaged in a bitter duel with her husband, who didn't possess any swordsmanship skills but was able to outsmart her, thanks to his special forces training and instinct. Following her defeat at the hands of her husband, she retired from military life, fearing that Kiriya would go after and arrest her. Instead, Kiriya showed clemency and forgave her sins, something which had shocked many of Kiriya's colleagues. She retired from the army afterwards. Kiriya used his influence to have Emperor Eugent Reize Arnor III appoint her as the Principal of the Thors Branch Campus, which she accepted.
Aurelia mended her relationship with her husband and soon afterwards, was involved in helping him with future operations. Although her family had lost influence following the end of the nobility, she continued to be an influential figure in Thors Academy.
Early Life
Aurelia was born to a proud Erebonian noblility, the Le Guin family, which is one of the closest allies of the House Cayenne, one of Erebonia's 4 Greatest Noble Families. Possessing beauty and brains, many nobles sought her hand in marriage, which she bluntly refused. She entered the Thors Military Academy in 1986. During this time, one of her professors, a young Colonel Kiriya Kitagawa noticed her fascination for swordsmanship and combat. Kiriya invited her on one occasion to spar. Despite her professor not possessing any form of swordsmanship skills, she was rather impressed with his ability to fight, even as she had disarmed him. Their sparring ended in a no-contest but became the start of a beautiful relationship, which later on blossomed into romance.
During the Post-War of Lorican Aggression Crisis, Her father, serving as the commander of the Lamarre Provincial Army, was wounded in the conflict. As a result, the academy gave her special permission to graduate in a single year to succeed her father. After her graduation in 1990, she joined the provincial army as its new commanding officer.
Military Career
Following her admission into the Imperial Army of Erebonia, Aurelia took over command of the Lamarre Provincial Army from her father, who subsequently retired as a result of his wounds in battle. As a career officer, she was one of the Erebonian Army's promising female generals. At the age of just 25, she was Erebonia's youngest female general ever commissioned.
As the wife of then-Brigadier Kiriya Kitagawa, she was heavily invested in supporting him during his 16-year tenure as the Chancellor of Thors Military Academy, which was the longest than anyone who had served in the academy's history. Although her husband had strong Anti-Nobility sentiments with the aim of turning the Thors Academy from a Private and Privileged Academy only for nobles, to a Public Military Academy open to the masses and aspiring foreigners. She was often approached by members of the nobility, who voiced their strong disapproval of her husband's actions. At one time, she was paid a million Mira to divorce Kiriya but strongly refused, citing that her love for her husband will never be a substitute to such a petty deal.
When Kiriya laid the foundations of a Thors Branch in the country, Aurelia recommended establishing it inside Fort Daidoji in Leeves, Erebonian Empire. Kiriya was mollified at such designation for the potentially new branch, especially at the grounds that bore the name of his grandfather, EWII veteran and Erebonia's foreign hero, Field Marshal Daidoji Kitagawa. However, Nobility meddling prevented achieving Kiriya's dream. It wasn't until in 2016 when the Thors Branch Campus was finally opened.
During the Second Lucis Civil War, Kiriya voluntarily resigned as headmaster of the Thors Academy in response to his duty defending Great Lucis, upsetting Aurelia, who wanted Kiriya to remain headmaster. The reason for such was that Aurelia would continue to put the Thors Academy into the direction she wanted. She approached him several times to return to the position but denied. She later came to terms as her husband was dedicated to defending the Lucis Crown.
Following the Civil War, Kiriya returned to Erebonia and was welcomed as a hero in Leeves, Aurelia began to be worried of her husband's increasing influence within the country. Kiriya became a strong ally of a handful of nobles with strong ties to the ruling government. He was particularly close with his cousin, Victor S. Arseid, her former mentor at the Arseid School of Swordsmanship and Baron Schwarzer. Kiriya also had a strong relationship with ruling monarch, Eugent Reize Arnor III and the Imperial family. Carl Regnitz, the Governor of Heimdallr is another close friend of her husband. Because of this, she knew that her husband was a dangerous opponent and often warned some of her fellow nobles whom she remained close with not to cross the line against Kiriya.
Although she fiercely loved him, a hint of her ambitious self remained in her thoughts to the point that she won't excuse the point of time when she and her husband would fight against each other in the field to preserve her identity and reputation.
Betrayal
In the months leading up to the Erebonian Civil War, Aurelia was contacted by the Duke of Cayenne to act as one of his commanding officers in the field. The Duke had promised her the rule of Northern Erebonia if his coup managed to overthrow Osbourne's government. At first, Aurelia was taken aback with the thought of aligning herself with the nobles in the quest of overthrowing the government. She also realised that such move would mean betraying his own husband, who was one of the foremost opponents of the Erebonian nobility.
Duke Cayenne later increased his offer to get Aurelia on his side. The Lamarre Provincial Army was among the strongest force in Erebonia and Cayenne he needed control of it at all costs. Aurelia eventually accepted the offer and joined Cayenne following the latter threatening to have her youngest and favourite daughter to be kidnapped and ransomed for an undisclosed amount. Aurelia obtained Central Erebonia's defence plans in and around Heimdallr under her husband's nose. Later, she also obtained plans of the Leopard Mk II's modernisation plans created by the Rainford Group, which prompted Cayenne's forces to obtain the edge over their counterparts. By the time the civil war exploded, events in the capital drew confusion within the Imperial Army of Erebonia and the Railway Military Police.
Erebonian Civil War
When the civil war began in 30 October 2018, the defenders at Heimdallr were easily overrun. Prime Minister Osbourne was "assassinated", the Imperial Family were taken custody at the Karel Imperial Villa, Governor Carl Regnitz was arrested and imprisoned along with the Imperial Family, and Rainford Group CEO Irina Rainford was taken custody in the Eisengaf at the Sachsen Iron Mine.
The Noble Alliance was able to swiftly occupy Trista. The situation during the skirmish had the ILF taking on elements of the staff and students of Thors Military Academy who were anti-Nobles. Although the situation seemed desperate, elements of the SAS, ESAS, and the RSAS from Task Force 141 were sent to buy time for the staff and students to escape the city and into the safety of the Arseid Viscounty. After realising that his husband was behind this, she realised that Duke Cayenne had failed to obtain the loyalty of the ESAS, who were Erebonia's special forces unit. In response, Duke Cayenne had the Imperial Liberation Front designated as its special forces unit in response.
On the other hand, Aurelia refused to heed a shoot-to-kill order towards captured prisoners of war, as she knew that some of them would have a direct link with her husband, and that if she had one of them executed, she knew he would go after her.
In November, Duke Cayenne assigned her to lead the attack to take Leeves and attack the ERUAC garrison at Fort Daidoji. She accepted the honour and hoped that she could face her husband in the field. Aurelia expected that the Lamarre Provincial Army would be able to overwhelm the ERUAC forces at Leeves. Kiriya had known too well in advance that Leeves was going to be the next target to complete the occupation of the Heimdallr Administrative Region. Rather than declaring Leeves an open city or flee to the safety of Alteria, her husband organised a strong defence around Leeves. He temporarily amalgamated units of the SAS, ESAS, and the RSAS into Task Force 141. Her husband ordered aggressive patrolling, constant skirmish and ambush to cripple the LPA's attack. This event came to be known as the month-long Siege of Leeves.
Aurelia had greatly underestimated her husband's capabilities as a commander, not realising how flexible Kiriya was in the field more than herself. In a bid to end all resistance to the Noble Alliance, Duke Cayenne ordered a hit on Field Marshal Kitagawa in early December. Knowing how well her husband was when it came to assassination plots against him, Aurelia immediately warned Duke Cayenne that such action would mean that her husband would go after them one by one. Duke Cayenne refused to heed to her warning and went ahead with the plan. Elements of the ILF strafed the town square where Kiriya was inspecting, killing almost everyone in the area, with the exception of a few soldiers, staff and Kiriya himself. The ILF helicopter was later shot down as it was trying to flee.
After hearing of the failed plot, Aurelia began to worry as well as some Noble generals beginning to panic. Duke Cayenne flew into a rage after learning that the assassination plot had failed. Without the knowledge of Duke Cayenne, Aurelia ordered the LPA to pull out of Leeves and retreat to North Ambria. In 10 December 2018, remnants of the Allied forces under her husband retook the Twin Dragons Bridge during Operation Haywire. The Noble Alliance began to lose ground afterwards as Kiriya began to list those who were to be arrested, his own wife included.
Following Task Force 141's arrests of Gerhart and Heidel Rogner, and the rescue of Rainford Group CEO Irina Rainford, Aurelia felt that her husband was slowly crawling his way to arrest her by first arresting those in the lower ranks of the Noble Alliance. Following the Sacking of Celdic by Duke Albarea, his son, Rufus Albarea blew a whistle to Task Force 141 through Class VII, who informed them of the Duke's forces being strained following the Noble Alliance's withdrawal of support due to his actions. Duke Albarea was later arrested. Aurelia and her staff became disillusioned with the war.
In 30 December 2018, TF 141, along with elements of the reformed Erebonian Army launched an offensive to retake Trista. Aurelia had suggested to withdraw Nobility forces from Trista and make a stand at Heimdallr, which Duke Cayenne agreed. But it was only a ploy by Aurelia to hasten the Noble Alliance's defeat. On the next day, the Erebonian Army, RMP, ERUAC, and elements of TF 141 charged into Heimdallr to liberate it from Nobility Control. Aurelia made her stand at one of Valflame Palace's floors where she greeted her husband, who personally led TF 141 on the ground. Due to unavoidable circumstances, Aurelia engaged with her husband in a bitter duel. Although she cleanly had the upper hand, her husband's quick thinking allowed him to overpower and disarm her. As she lied on the ground bruised, her husband took her sword and pointed it on her, signalling that she had lost. This made her husband as the only person to cleanly defeat her in a duel.
For committing treason against him, Kiriya had sentenced her to capital punishment but instead struck the ground beside her as he could not bear to carry the sentence out. Kiriya quietly left as TF 141 personnel carried her and her staff under arrest.
Reconciliation
Following the end of the civil war, Prime Minister Osbourne was revealed to have faked his death. Although her husband had succeeded in getting rid of the nobility's power for good, he remained upset, being used as a pawn for Osbourne's true ambition. Kiriya could not sleep for a few days. During this time, Kiriya prepared to sign divorce papers, as he could not bear the sight of ever seeing Aurelia again following her betrayal.
When their son, Naoto mentioned the condition of her mother during under house arrest, Kiriya set the divorce papers aside, and gave a thought about forgiving her and rebuild their broken family. As a result, Kiriya approached Osbourne to free her of her sentence. Having been one of his most trusted men on the ground, Osbourne agreed to have his wife be paroled and freed of all charges.
Kiriya went to see Aurelia at their retreat in Kongsberg, where she was serving her house arrest. Upon seeing each other after being 3 weeks apart, Aurelia embraced her husband. She admitted to him having been consumed by her ambitious self, and knew what it meant that nothing in Erebonia escaped his eyes, being the first to feel after the first arrests ordered by him took place. Kiriya had mentioned that a life sentence was beginning to be imposed on those who rebelled against the government but he approached the Prime Minister to allow her to be released on parole. Kiriya forgave her sins but would not forget the treacherous act that she had done. Afterwards, Kiriya tore the divorce papers and burned it.
The following day, Aurelia returned to Fort Daidoji and was welcomed with open arms by the staff. In a surprising move, Kiriya requested his close friend, Olivert Reize Arnor to appoint his wife as the new Chancellor of the Thors Branch Campus, which she accepted.
She reunited with her children following this event. She later moved in to the family's house in Fort Daidoji to live with them for the rest of her life. After assuming her duties as Chancellor, her husband announced to return to his position as Chancellor of the main branch of the Thors Academy in a bid to restore the academy to its pre-war state. Although Aurelia had retired from the military, she continued to help her husband in both of his military operations and in the handling of aspiring Thors Academy enrollees.
Personal Life
Aurelia was the former student of Kiriya in 1988. Even after she had graduated, she and him continuously sparred and bonded throughout Kiriya's tenure as headmaster of Thors Military Academy. What initially was a student-teacher relationship blossomed into romance when Kiriya began dating Aurelia in 1992. Despite her duties in the army, she was free to visit him in Fort Daidoji. Whenever Kiriya was away in duty, she stayed in Legram, training and constantly sparring with Kiriya's cousin, Victor S. Arseid.
Aurelia has a very serious attitude towards her job and her devotion to her swordsmanship. She is considered to be one of the strongest personalities in Erebonia. She enjoys sparring and takes any chance to train. She also loves fighting skilled foes, eager to see what they have in store for her. In part due to her reputation and strength, Aurelia has an intense air around her while addressing others, which particularly skilled combatants can sense. Many had concluded, even Kiriya's cousin, that the only one who was stronger than her was Kiriya himself. Though Arseid noted that Kiriya did not possess any swordsmanship skills, he was particularly cunning and skilled, especially as far as hand-to-hand combat was concerned. He was logically smarter and more knowledgeable than her.
Although Kiriya possessed anti-Nobility sentiment, she still loved him, being that Kiriya had a different heart and refused to let his views get in his way.
Aurelia bore Kiriya's first son, which they named Yamato in 1993. Eventually, Kiriya proposed to her, which she accepted. The two were married in 1994 while Aurelia was in her second pregnancy. Their second son was born in the same year, whom they named Naoto. The two had 2 more children; Yukari, born in 1996 and Katsuragi, born in 1998.