King of Midenhall
| Dragon Quest monster | |
|---|---|
| King of Midenhall | |
| Japanese | ローレシア王 |
| Romaji | Roreshia-O |
| First appearance | Dragon Quest II |
| Old localization | None |
The King of Midenhall is the reigning king of Midenhall and the father of the Hero of the second game.
Appearance and Personality[edit]
The King of Midenhall uses the generic king sprite in past appearances with no distinguishing characteristics. Some fans have interpreted his insistence on his son setting out to save the world instead of himself, despite also being of the bloodline of Erdrick, as being an indicator of advanced age―this is depicted in his appearance in Dragon Quest of the Stars where he is quite elderly. In the HD remake is shown to be fairly early into his middle-age and wearing a padded leather vest along with a royal blue cloak, the national colour of the kingdom.
His personality is scant and his dialogue only serves to facilitate the game's narrative, owing to the chaotic scramble that was the development cycle of Dragon Quest II. The King is given a legitimate personality in the HD remake, where he is shown to be a more responsible and serious character. In the opening segment he is shown to place a great deal of consideration into raising his son in light of the passing of the Queen of Midenhall, teaching him the importance of knowing the people he will rule over one day by instructing the prince to traverse the castle-town and greet the folk each morning. He also insists he practice the blade with the Captain of the Guard, leading to the boy being deftly skilled despite his youth. He does not shy from telling his son that he will carry the double-burden of kingship and being a Scion of Erdrick, but reassures him that he will have his full support in life.
The HD version of the King is grimly aware of the threat of Hargon, having heard stories of the fiend's sacking of Rendarak from his father decades prior. As such he puts the safety and wellbeing of his people as his top priority, shoring up the kingdom's defences and declaring a gag order be placed on all who heard the warning of the dying Moonbrooke Guard so that panic does not spread among the people.
Appearances[edit]
Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line[edit]
Upon being informed by the dying soldier of Moonbrooke that Hargon has sacked the sister kingdom and is planning to summon a God to bring ruin to the world, the King declares to his son that the time has come for him to live up to the family legacy. He tells his son to seek out the aid of his cousins in the kingdoms of Cannock and Moonbrooke, then gives him a copper sword and a sack of 50 gold coins before sending him on his way.
In the ending of all versions of the game the King will congratulate his son for saving the world and abdicate the throne so the next generation can rule.
Remake changes[edit]
The King appears in the illusory Midenhall created by Hargon to disguise his hall. This duplicate says words of generic encouragement in the Famicom version of the game, but in Dragon Quest I & II he is shown lounging around with bunny girls and speaks very highly of Hargon to trick the player. Another change is that he will express immense relief at seeing the Princess of Moonbrooke safe and sound when the player speaks to him after she has joined her cousins.
Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake[edit]
The most drastic change to the King's character is that he no longer sends his son out to save the entire world, instead asking him to travel to Cannock to inform their relatives of the sacking of Moonbrooke so that they cannot be caught unaware. After that he is to journey with his cousin and perform reconnaissance on the ruins of their sister kingdom. The King regretfully states that he cannot perform these duties himself as he must remain in Midenhall to strengthen its own defences against Hargon's forces. The King also gives his son the Princess's pledge, the necklace of their ancestor Princess Gwaelin that will serve as a good luck charm.
The King will be pleasantly surprised to see his son accompanied by the Princess of Cannock, and regretfully informs the duo that they had just missed the Prince of Cannock. When he reminds his son to make sure no harm comes to his younger cousin, he is delighted to see the spunky tomboy declare that she will be the one protecting him instead and compliments her father on raising the little spitfire well. When the trio of cousins return after restoring the Princess of Moonbrooke, the King declares how proud he is of seeing her to safety and also thanks the Prince of Cannock for aiding him. The King insists that the Princess remain in the castle after suffering so much hardship, but respects her desire to exact vengeance on Hargon and regretfully acknowledges that his duties prevent him from accompanying the children. Nevertheless he sees the three have become mighty in their own right and support one another completely, declaring that the duty of restoring peace to the world is their's.
The facetious King, now created by Mariella instead of Hargon, reuses much of the dialogue from the Super Famicom and Android/iOS versions of the original game but now deliberately points out his son's failings with magic in a mocking tone.
The King abdicates the throne in the normal ending of the game as before, but in the true ending he will recant. Having overheard the Prince of Cannock lamenting that the group's adventuring days will be over due to the Prince of Midenhall now being swamped with royal responsibilities, the King will approach his in the throne room son the next morning and admit his folly. He explains that he failed to consider his son's own desires when he left the throne―the Prince of Cannock then bursts into the throne room to inform his cousin that a familiar face is calling them. The King tells his son to go, postponing the abdication so the children can adventure once more.
See also[edit]
Gallery[edit]
Appearance in Stars
(Cell phone)
