Indepth

First, he’s just a teensy bit reckless – but only in the name of a good cause. He runs away to the Sky City of Bhujerba, intent on exploring the Magicite Lhusu Mines to discover where the man-made Nethicite of the Empire stems from. Going by the alias of Lamont, he convinces the lead Questing Party to let him join their group in order to see the mines for himself. He may be a polite little royal boy, but he’s not a pushover, either. During the initial meeting, a few interesting exchanges take place between he and the party:

Larsa: You're on your way to the mines? Then please allow me to accompany you. I have an errand to attend to there.
Basch: What manner of errand?
Larsa: What errand? I might ask the same of you.
Balthier: Right, come on then. […] Do me a favor and stay where I can keep an eye on you. Should be less trouble that way.
Larsa: For us both.

Soon after, when Judge Ghis is attempting to charge Penelo with a nasty case of Guilt by Association, Larsa reveals himself in order to save her. Not only does he rescue her, he personally sees to her protection, having her escort him back to the Marquis Ondore’s estate. But never fear, Larsa has no ill intentions. After Fran reassures them that Larsa will protect Penelo admirably, Balthier chimes in that “Fran can tell all about a man just by looking at him.”

Second, Larsa is devoted to peace. He hates war, and has a dream of all the countries of the world “clasping hands”. The war between Rozzaria is the overriding conflict in the game that originally set the stage for the invasion and subjugation of Princess Ashe’s kingdom of Dalmasca. Despite this antagonism between factions, Larsa befriends and makes an alliance with Rozzaria’s prince, Al-Cid Malgrace. Al-Cid may be Vayne’s arch-enemy, but he’s impressed by wee Larsa’s devotion to peace, and agrees to help him prevent the war.

Larsa even befriends Princess Ashe, the last person expected for an imperial friendship. This unexpected bond comes when they both realize how important and necessary it is to avoid a greater war; together, though with initial reluctance on Ashe’s part, they set off for Bur-Omisace to visit with the High Priest Anastasis, hoping to reinstate the displaced princess on the Dalmascan throne.

Yet despite his bold and clever plans of action, Larsa is very much the gentleman. He apologizes for having to act so rashly, yet maintains that they must move quickly to secure peace. He has a strong sense of chivalry, reassuring Penelo that “the Solidor men are taught to use all of their strength to bring peace to their people. It's my job to protect you.” He even scolds Vaan when the thief asks Fran a rather impertinent question – “just how old are you, anyway?”

Unfortunately, due to age and his sweet disposition, Larsa has to learn the hard lesson that not everyone is to be trusted. Initially, he seems to assume that everyone wants peace, they just are unable to forge it – so he himself will, and then everyone will be happy. Alas, a sizeable portion of the cast list wants to avoid peace in favor of power.

He reveres his brother, Vayne, who also happens to be the Big Baddie of the game – but can you blame him for believing in a larger-than-life, charming sibling who appears to revere him in return? His own father, who he describes as a peace-loving man, has the blood of thousands on his hands, not to mention the stains of the two sons he had killed. While both his brother and father work to make sure Larsa is innocent to the darkness in the world, including their own, the Archadian Senate hopes to take advantage of this naďveté to install Larsa as emperor and manipulate him as their own puppet ruler. They are the ones who subtly convince Larsa to undergo his investigation, in the hopes that he will see Vayne for who he is -- and become the Senate's ally. Larsa has a lot of growing up to do throughout the game, and it starts with realizing that there are people with less-than-noble motives in the world.

Despite his innocence, Larsa commands respect from most of the characters in the game. It’s obvious to most that he’s a budding force of political action, successfully balancing innocence with charisma and intellect. Even the roguish characters of the Main Questing Party show consideration and affection for him. Likewise, several of the Archadian Judges are revealed to have sided with Larsa all along – even when he himself didn’t know there was anything to side over. It takes a special soul to earn such respect and faith without openly seeking it.

In the end, Larsa’s quick-thinking and inherent political rationale is one of the reasons the day is saved – for more information on his actions in the game’s conclusion, visit FINALE.

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