Julia Heartilly



Julia Heartilly (ジュリア・ハーティリー, Juria Hātirī) is a non-player character in Final Fantasy VIII. A famous Galbadian pianist turned singer, she is a love interest of Laguna Loire and the mother of game's heroine, Rinoa Heartilly. Julia also sings the Final Fantasy VIII's theme song, "Eyes On Me," which is, when interpreting the lyrics, a song dedicated to Laguna.

Although brief and likely never consummated, Laguna and Julia's relationship plays a major role in the theme of destiny which is the basis for Final Fantasy VIII. Although circumstances kept Julia and Laguna apart for the duration of their lives, their love was finally reconciled through the romantic involvement of their children, Rinoa (Julia's daughter) and Squall (Laguna's son).

Story
Little is known of Julia's early life, other than her consuming passion for music. By the time she reached young adulthood, Julia performed regularly as a pianist in the downstairs lounge of the Galbadia Hotel in Deling City. Popular for her beauty almost as much as for her music, Julia enjoyed performing but longed to break out of her role as a mute bar room pianist. Despite her talent for the piano, Julia's true dream in life was to sing.

When Julia was 22 years old, she met Galbadian Soldier Laguna Loire. Laguna and his friends, Kiros and Ward, would often frequent the hotel's bar room when off-duty, and upon first seeing Julia, Laguna was completely captivated by her. Laguna returned to the bar night after night to watch her perform from the shadows, too embarrassed to actually speak to her. Although Laguna doubted anyone as beautiful and talented as Julia would ever take notice of someone like him, Julia harbored a crush on her "secret" admirer.

One evening, Laguna finally worked up enough nerve to speak to Julia, and Julia was thrilled. They conversed easily, and Julia soon found herself inviting him up to her room when the performance was finished. Later on, Julia nervously paced her room as she waited for Laguna, half-expecting him not to come. However, she need not have worried. Laguna soon arrived, and the two began to talk. As the hours passed, the pair began to open up to one another; Laguna confided in Julia his dream of quitting the military and becoming a journalist, and Julia soon found herself telling Laguna her wish to write and perform her own songs. She wanted to sing more than anything, she told him, but she had never known what to write a song about. But in meeting him, Julia admitted to Laguna, she had found her inspiration and her voice. Laguna was touched, and they shared each other's company for the rest of the evening. Although what, exactly, Julia and Laguna spent the rest of the night doing has been the subject of much speculation, it is generally assumed that it involved little more than talking.

Early the next morning, Kiros banged on Julia's hotel room door. He and Ward informed Laguna that they had just been called away on an important mission. Julia was heartbroken that Laguna had to leave just when they had gotten to know each other, but he promised he would come back to her when his mission was complete. Julia waited for Laguna to return, but she never heard from him again, and eventually assumed him to be dead.

Julia took the loss of Laguna hard, and was comforted by her friend, Galbadian General Fury Caraway. Caraway helped bring her out of her despair, and encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter. With his support, Julia wrote her first song, "Eyes On Me," which was a romantic ballad about her lost love, Laguna. The two recorded the song, and it immediately became a hit all over Galbadia.

Soon afterward, Julia and Caraway married, and built a life together in Deling City. Together they had a daughter, Rinoa, and moved into a large mansion in the city. Caraway advanced his position within the Galbadian military to become the head General, while Julia continued to write and perform songs. Their happiness was shattered a few years later, however, when Julia was killed suddenly in an automobile accident, leaving behind a shell-shocked husband and a five-year-old daughter.

Musical Theme
In the story, Julia plays a rendition of "Eyes on Me" on the piano at Galbadia Hotel. The track is named "Julia" and is included as the 20th track in Disc 1 of the original soundtrack. This piano version of "Eyes on Me" can be heard again at the hotel in Shumi Village.

The track is rearranged by Takeharu Ishimoto as a song in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, and is also included in the soundtrack.

Julia Heartilly