Escad and the Heroine of Legend of Mana. The fifth and last of five OTPs.

While still not completely accustomed to Anli's unconditional love and affection, Escad certainly doesn't mind her company.

Out of all of my favorite pairings, this one would definately have to my absolute favorite (as if that isn't obvious enough! XD). Mostly because I'm an absolute sucker for the whole "angsty, serious guy finds redemption and love through sweet, fiesty girl" type of romance. *coughVanandHitomicoughKenshinandKaoru* So are my thoughts...

Escad, well, okay. He's not perfect, especially with that overzealous sense of justice and righteousness of his, but that's fine. He's flawed; he's fiercely loyal, a little emotional and naive, and he'll fight to protect what he believes in and the people he loves and cares for the most. He also has allowed himself to become very cold and withdrawn in the time he spent in the Underworld, and his anger towards Irwin, and especially his love for Matilda, to cloud his heart and lock it away. Yet, when it comes to "Anli" the Heroine, the defensive walls he put down come crashing down, as there is now a chance for redemption and love when there wasn't one before.

It is she, who can give him love and affection, and does so unconditionally because she sees the good man behind the icy mask. And despite the fact that "Anli" is loud, proud, short-tempred li'l bugger, she gets a crush on him from very early on, and acts on those affections. And in his hour of grief, she was there...

Yeah, there's tons of reasons, scenarios and otherwise on how and why this pairing could work, and I'd go on and on for hours, as I've barely scratched the surface here. So the short version is, well, the good ol' "angsty, serious guy finds redemption and love through the sweet and fiesty girl" romance. XD How I love this pairing.

On an artistic note, I opted for something that's just... cute. I started work on this one when I first started the project, but went on a temporary hiatus so I could work on the other pairings, and it's also another venture in digital inking (which took forever). So yeah, bright, colorful, cute and sweet... With more fangirl ramblings than usual. XD

Music: "Tsuisou" - Ooshima Michiru; "Gravity of Love" – Enigma; "The Voice" – Celtic Woman; "Houki Boushi" - Younha; "Endless Love" – Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Seon
Materials: Pencil, Paper, Photoshop CS2

Escad, "Anli" the Heroine and Legend of Mana are copyright © to SquareEnix. Fanartwork by Cheetah Smith.