Cecil Harvey

Cecil Harvey is a player character in the game Final Fantasy IV. He is the main character in this game. He is one of the few characters in the series that changes his job during the course of the game. He starts out as a Dark Knight, but at a certain point in the game, he transforms into a Paladin.

Story
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Cecil's origins
Cecil was born to a Lunerian named KluYa and an unknown woman from Earth. He was supposed to represent the light, however, KluYa eventually died, and Cecil was raised in Baron to become a Dark Knight. The king raised Cecil as if he was the king's own son. Cecil eventually fell in love with a woman named Rosa Farrell and befriended a Dragoon named Kain Highwind. The king loved Cecil so much that he eventually was made captain of the Red Wings, Baron's elite air force.

In the main story
The story opens with Cecil commanding a raid on the city of Mysidia in order to steal the Crystal of Water for the king. He succeeds, but he and his crew become suspicious of the king. They wonder whether or not robbing national treasures from innocent people is right. However, Cecil reminds his crew that they are the Red Wings, and must represent Baron at all times. When Cecil returns to the castle, Baigan, the captain of the guards of Baron, notices something strange about Cecil, and takes Cecil to meet the king. Cecil hands over the crystal, and is appalled when the king does not even thank him. As a result, Cecil complains to the king that he and his crew do not know the meaning of robbing crystals from innocent people. As a result, the king discharges him from the captainship of the Red Wings, and orders him to hunt Summoned Monsters in the Misty Valley, and to deliver a Package to the village of Mist. Kain comes to Cecil's defense, however, the king simply orders Kain to go with him. That night, Rosa comes to Cecil's room to show him her sympathy. However, Cecil is upset because he is torn between doing what he believes in and doing what the king orders. He swears that he will never perform another act of evil on behalf of Baron.

The next morning, Cecil and Kain left for Mist. They passed through the Misty Cave, a cave shrouded in mist. A voice ordered them to return to Baron, however, when Cecil and Kain refused, the mist gathered and the pair had to fight the Mist Dragon. When they won, they headed towards Mist. When they arrived, the package they were supposed to deliver opened autmoatically, and bombs flew out and burned the village. Cecil and Kain saw a little girl and her dead mother. The girl explained that due to the death of the Mist Dragon, her mother died. This is because whenever a summoned monster dies, the Summoner who summoned it dies as well. When Cecil and Kain were discussing the fact that they must have defeated the Mist Dragon and thus accidently killed her mother, the girl blamed them for the death of her mother. Cecil and Kain offered to take her to safety after pledging not to follow anymore orders from the king, but she wouldn't listen. She summoned Titan and caused an earthquake making an avalanche separate Mist from the rest of the valley.

Cecil woke up alone with Kain gone and the girl lying wounded. Cecil took her to Kaipo and allowed her to recover at the inn. However, she would not speak to Cecil. That night, soldiers from Baron came to Kaipo and demanded that Cecil hand over the girl, saying that the king decreed that the Summoners of Mist were too dangerous to be left alive. Cecil would not allow the soldiers to kidnap her, and fought them off. The next morning, the girl thanked Cecil for protecting her, and revealed herself to be Rydia of Mist. She then joined Cecil's party formally.

The next morning, Cecil and Rydia heard about a sick girl from Baron who had contracted Desert Fever. They found Rosa wounded in the hospital. The doctors said they had to search for the Sand Ruby in order to cure her. Cecil and Rydia went north through the Watery Pass to Damcyan, and met an old man, Tellah, on the way. Tellah helped them get through the cave and defeat Octomam at the end. However, the three arrived at Damcyan just in time to see the Red Wings attack and steal the Crystal of Fire. At the top of the castle, they found Anna, Tellah's daughter, wounded. Tellah blamed it on Edward Chris Von Muir, the prince of the kingdom, and the two got into a fight which Anna broke up. Anna told Tellah the story of her and Edward, and Tellah decided to get a vengeance on Golbez for killing Anna.

After Anna died, Edward began to cry, but Cecil and Rydia had to snap him out of it. Edward then agreed to take them to the Antlion's Cave, where the Sand Ruby was. They used the Hovercraft to reach the cave. Inside the cave, they found out that the usually tame Antlion had become aggressive, and the three had to fight the Antlion for the Sand Ruby. They went back to Kaipo and used the Sand Ruby to cure Rosa. There, they decided that they needed to defend the remaining Crystals, and that the Crystal of Air in Fabul was the next target. However, they had to cross Mt. Hobs, a mountain blocked by a thick sheet of ice, in order to reach Fabul. Rydia was the only one who could melt the ice by casting the Fire spell, however, she could not do so as she was afraid of fire due to the memory of Mist being burned. However, with persuasion from Rosa, Rydia eventually mustered up the courage to cast the Fire spell and open the way. Rydia could now use Fire magic at this point. On top of the mountain, the party met a Monk named Yang Fang Leiden who was fighting off Golbez's troops. With help from Cecil and his friends, Yang was able to defeat them. Cecil warned Yang of the danger ahead, and joined Yang in the journey back to Fabul.

In Fabul, Yang warned the king of Baron's incoming attack, and Cecil and Edward helped back him up. The king was initially skeptical because he could not trust the Dark Knight Cecil. However, Yang convinced him of Cecil's loyalty, and Cecil, Yang, and Edward helped defend the castle. Rosa and Rydia were put on relief. However, after the fight against the Baronian army, Cecil was cornered by Kain, who had now turned against Cecil, in the Crystal room. The two dueled, and Cecil lost. Golbez then defeated Edward and Yang, and took Rosa as hostage. Kain took the Crystal and left. Rydia then cured the party. Cecil then decided to sneak into Baron by ship and get an airship from Cid Pollendina, who was also skeptical of what Baron was up to these days. The party boarded a ship provided by the king of Fabul and set sail towards Baron. However, on the way, the ship was attacked by Leviathan, the Terror of the Sea. Cecil, Rydia, Edward, and Yang were all blown off the ship.

Cecil landed on a beach near Mysidia, the town he raided in the beginning of the game. When he entered, he learned that he was unwanted there. The wizards would cast spells on him and encourage him to leave. Cecil went to meet the Elder and told him his plight. The Elder told Cecil that if he was to defeat Golbez, he would have to relinquish his Dark Sword and acquire the acceptance of the Holy Light. As a result, he would be required to become a Paladin. Cecil accepted the challenge, and the Elder sent him to Mt. Ordeals. The Elder also sent Palom, a Black Mage, and Porom, a White Mage, with him. They were there to help him, but also to make sure he did not do anything funny. On Mt. Ordeals, they met Tellah again, who had been searching for the legendary magic Meteo, which would help him defeat Golbez. Tellah agreed to help them as well. When they reached the top of the mountain, however, they met Milon of Earth, one of Golbez's Four Fiends of Elements. Milon attacked them, but they were able to defeat him twice. After this, they arrived at a room full of mirrors. A mysterious light, who referred to Cecil as "my son," commanded him to take a sword, which transformed him into a Paladin. However, Cecil had to overcome his former feelings of hatred by battling himself. He succeeded, and became a full fledged Paladin. Tellah also learned Meteo at this time.

Cecil, Tellah, Palom, and Porom returned to Mysidia, where the Elder congratulated them. He also spoke of the Mysidian Legend of the sword Cecil now wielded, and how only a Chosen One could wield it. Cecil then agreed to defeat Golbez. He then asked the Elder to open the Serpent Road that leads to Baron, and the Elder obliged. In Baron, Cecil and his friends learned that Cid had created a new airship, but was arrested when he refused to let the king see it. Cecil tried to enter the castle, however, the guards would not let him enter. He overheard that a Karate Man was invited to be an officer in Baron, and that he was hanging out at the inn. Cecil went there, and found out that it was, in fact, Yang. Yang ordered the guards to attack Cecil, and then attacked him himself. However, Cecil was able to snap Yang back to reality, and Yang realized that he was under the control of the king of Baron the whole time. Yang then rejoined the party, and found the Key of Baron in his pocket, which the party then used to enter Baron Castle via the Old Water Way.

Music
Cecil's theme is called The Red Wings, and it is mixed into the fanfare that plays when Cecil transforms into a Paladin.

Other Appearances
Cecil made an appearance in Secret of Evermore as a merchant.