Valda

Valda
Heroes of Mana artwork Trials of Mana HD artwork Echoes of Mana screenshot
First appearance	Trials of Mana (1995)
Latest appearance	Echoes of Mana (2022)
Japanese name	理の女王ヴァルダ ヴァルダ
Title(s)	Princess of AltenaHoM True QueenToM
Homeland	Altena, Kingdom of Magicians
Faction	Queen of AltenaHoM Her ownToM
Role	Varies
Gender	Female
Relatives	Queen of Altena (mother) Richard (lover) Angela (daughter)
Species	Human
Status	Alive
Voice actor(s)	Eng: Laila BerzinsToM

“Power! The power of sorcery runs in my blood! The Altenish blood inherited from my mother!”

—Heroes of Mana In-game dialogue

Valda, also known as the True Queen, is a recurring character in Mana series.

Background

Valda is the princess of Altena, kingdom of sorcery. As the current heiress to the throne, she was brought up to succeed in her mother's role as the ruler of her kingdom and was taught about magic casting and the lore of ancient technology used by his ancestors, such as operating the Luzio Malis, the flying fortress of Altena.

History

Heroes of Mana

“The First Princess of Altena. Though she has feelings for Prince Richard of Valsena, she refrains from acting on them out of respect for her position as heir to Altena's throne. Her royal blood has given her extraordinary magical powers, but she has yet to learn how to control them.”

—Notebook

Valda was first introduced in Chapter 9, The Fall of Valsena, where she was sent in reinforcement along with some Altenish mages to stop the invasion of Valsena by Peddan forces. Unfortunately for them, they enemy managed to bring the kingdom of the plains to its knees and capitulated. The princess of Altena was contrived to escape the region along with Loki and the Prince of Valsena to her homeland, ultimately joining forces with Roget and crew.

In the next chapter her mother tries to halt the progress of Peddan forces nearing the wizard capital, but General Baxilios of Pedda uses Esina's mirror to break her spell, infiltrating the castle in the end. The Queen of Altena urges her daughter to leave the kingdom while she stands behind, but Valda pleads her mother to stay by her side. The young sorceress has no choice but to obey Her Majesty and leave the castle, knowing all too well this is the last time she would see her.

In the following chapter, White Flames of Despair, Valda loses control of herself by casting a raging explosion at the enemy force in the middle of Frostbite Fields, moments before collapsing from exhaustion.

The heiress to Altena keeps a low profile until chapter 14, The Ambivalence of Death, when Roget and crew explore the Labyrinth of Ice while searching for the Water spirit. Celestan, a Peddan officer, tries to stop them, but a giant vessel is unearthed. Valda recognizes it as the Altenish magic fortress, the Luzio Malis and uses its warp cannon later to liberate the holy capital of Wendel from the Peddan troops.

She decides to briefly head back to Altena in Chapter 21, Vuscavs in the Trap to help his people with the rebuilding, but quickly joins the crew back after realizing that Esina's mirror was draining the energy of the land. She then uses the Luzio Malis once again to defeat the Zombie Vuscavs in the Beuca Sea and destroy the Ghost Warship along with Elena.

Valda is also present during the final confrontation against the Goddess of Doom in the Sea of Chaos, but ultimately decides to stay in Fa'Diel along with Alma, Falcon, Gauser, Loki, and Belgar and watches as Roget, Yurchael, Gemière, Qucas, and D'Kelli board the Nightswan to explore the different worlds scattered in the fabric of realms. It is assumed that Valda is one of the handful of people in Fa'Diel aware of the events that took place during the game, since her soul was not absorbed by Anise's mirror. She ultimately returns to Altena to resume her position as a the new queen.

Interlude

The True Queen eventually had a love affair with the Hero King Richard of Valsena, but kept her pregnancy a secret to him from unknown reasons. The baby girl was raised as the next heiress to the throne and was her magic education was supervised by an the court professor José. She was unfortunately unable to cast magic, and revealed herself to be quite rambunctious, constantly demanding attention from her mother and playing pranks. Valda did not yield to her demand and often scolded her for her bad behavior, hurting the poor young lady's self-esteem. A few years passed, and a familiar face came knocking back at the kingdom's doors. It was the Crimson Wizard who was driven away from Altena for not knowing how to use magic. This time, however, he proved himself so magically proficient that rumors started abour him being even more powerful than the Queen himself. The recent shift in Mana caused the normally warm climate of Altena castle to slowing let the cold of the neighboring Frostbite Fields in. Seeing the Queen's magic dwindling, the crafty wizard used his mind-control ability to convince her to do his bidding.

Trials of Mana

“True Queen -- Angela's mother and the absolute ruler of Altena, Kingdom of Magicians. She uses the magical mana abilities she was granted to keep the snows away from her kingdom.”

—Adventure Log

The Crimson Wizard plotted an attack on Valsenan territory to destroy the old alliance the two kingdoms had in the past as his true master secretly instructed. The True Queen of Altena summoned her daughter to inform her of her decision to release the power of the nearby Mana Stone of Water in the Labyrinth of Ice, as they needed a forbidden spell that takes away the life of the caster. They intended to sacrifice Angela as, like her manipulated mother would say, her lack of magical power was a blight on her for too long and this would be to only suitable way for her daughter to be useful. Highly distraught by this declaration, Angela unleashed a magical portal that transported her out of the castle gates. Without delay, the Crimson Wizard ordered to print and spread wanted posters in Alrant, the nearest town, to capture the princess by force and frame her for treason.

As the heroes use the Spirits' power to access the Mana Sanctuary, the Crimson Wizard adds the released Mana Stones power to that of the Elementals', forcing open an access. He now invades the Sanctuary on the Altenish flying battleship the Gigantress and blasts the heroes with its warp cannon, followed by the other evil armies. As the three evil factions of the world collide, the Crimson Wizard, under the rule of the Dragon Lord, finds himself warring for the control of the Sword of Mana. What follows next depends on who is the main character of the story:

• If Duran or Angela is the main character of the story, then the Dragon Lord kills the Masked Mage, and destroys the remains of the Dark Majesty, making his revival impossible.
• If Kevin or Charlotte is the main character of the story, the Masked Mage kills the Dragon Lord and the Crimson Wizard while the Darkshine Knight fades away along with his master's magic.
• If Hawkeye or Riesz is the main character of the story, the Prince of Mavolia kills the Dragon Lord and the Crimson Wizard while the Darkshine Knight fades away along with his master's magic.

In the event that Duran or Angela are the chosen, they obtain the fabled holy sword at the foot of the Tree of Mana, but the Crimson Wizard kidnaps Faerie and and demands the Sword in exchange for her life, forcing them to comply. They meet in Altena, where the exchange is dealt with. The wizard tries to wield the Sword at first, but its holy powers are no match for him to withstand. The Darkshine Knight corrupts the sword with his dark magic, turning the blade into reflecting the heart of its new owner. The Crimson Wizard teleports the unconscious True Queen's body to Dragonsmaw before departing himself to use the Sword to free the Benevodons inside each Mana Stone.

The True Queen is not seen until the very end of the final dungeon in Dragonsmaw after defeating the Crimson Wizard, where she is freed from the evil magician's spell. She asks where is she, and if Angela's been avoiding José's lessons again. Upon returning to Altena and hearing the whole story, Valda is ashamed of herself for treating her daughter soo poorly, and ask for Angela's forgiveness. She forgives her but adds that her and her companions must go defeat the Dragon Lord back at the Sanctuary of Mana. Valda urges them to be careful and leave them be.

Angela heads back to her mother, who realizes that without Mana, their kingdom is doomed to be engulfed by the harsh cold. Her daughter comforts her, saying that a little cold cannot compete with the Altenish resourcefulness.

In the playable post game Chapter 7, Angela can learn about the Sage Sphere required to access Class 4 should she speak to her mother about it. According to the Queen, the Sage Sphere is a unique treasure handed down through the royal bloodline of Altena. Its powers has long been lost over the years, but should Angela go to the Labyrinth of Ice and triumph over the Trial of Queenship, the sphere could be filled with power again. The task is a harsh on, and none have ever succeeded since the orb's power faded, even her, the True Queen. Angela wants to try out anyways, and the Queen accepts, seeing the determination in her daughter's eyes. The battle ensues and, after a grueling fight against a doppelganger, the young sorceress wins. She returns to the castle and touches the sphere, granting her access to Class 4. Valda is overjoyed to see her daughter brimming with magic and tells her that this kingdom is her home and will always welcome her.

Circle of Mana

Valda (also as the True Queen) makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. She appears in 8 sets of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
SUR	魔	ヴァルダ	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「いいえ、あなたが危険だと知らされて、黙っていられるわけがありません。あなたを助けるために、お母様を説き伏せてまいりました。」 "No, there is no way I can remain silent after learning that you are in danger. I have persuaded your mother to help me."
SUR	魔	理の女王	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「 …そうですか。とうとうマナは失われてしまったのですね。アンジェラの言うとおり、魔法が無くても、がんばって寒さと戦っていきましょう！」 "...I see. We've finally lost our Mana. Just like Angela said, even without magic, let's do our best and fight the cold!"
SUR	魔	ヴァルダ[慈悲]	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「どうか、くれぐれもお気をつけて。」 "Please, be very careful."
SUR	魔	ヴァルダ[雪合戦]	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「私たちは逃げも隠れもいたしません。お互い全力を尽くし、正々堂々と勝負をお願いいたしますよ。」 "We will not run away or hide. We ask each other to do our best and fight fair and square."
SSUR	魔	ヴァルダ	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「背筋ももっと伸ばして、視線はまっすぐ前に。そう…いい姿勢です。」 "Keep your back straight and look straight ahead. That's... good posture."
SSUR	魔	理の女王	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「アルテナの王女たるもの、その程度の寒さで音をあげてどうするの？」 "As the princess of Altena, what are you going to do if you make a noise in that much cold?"
LGR	魔	理の女王	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「来る大きな戦いに向けて、アルテナの王女としての務めを果たしなさい。」 "Fulfill your duties as Altena's princess in preparation for the upcoming big battle."
LGR	魔	ヴァルダ	マジシャン	ソーサレス	[光]グランディヴィナ	[闇]アークメイジ	「はい、虫のいい話ではありますがアンジェラを助けるのに協力していただきたいのです。」 "Yes, it's a nice story about insects, but I would like you to help me save Angela."

Echoes of Mana

The True Queen appears in the second chapter of Season 2: Mistlefig: Reign of Magic, where she is informed by her dauther that mysterious roots have taken refuge in the Labyrint of Ice. She thanks Angela for the information as is about to look into the matter, when Altenish mages rush to her claiming mysterious enemy troops are at the castle gates. She blasts the invaders with some ice magic, while Angela and her friends help her pushing them back. The Queen is impressed with her daughter's magical abilties and liveliness, as she feels as a failure as a mother sometimes for not helping her better in her difficult training.

Profile and statistics

Valda	Stats	Starting Equipment	Abilities
	460	None	Defense Aura	Unit Defense up by 30%
	25	Aero Gauntlets	Craft Barrier	Damage to Nightswan cut by half
	50	Aero Nails	“The First Princess of Altena. Though she has feelings for Prince Richard of Valsena, she refrains from acting on them out of respect for her position as heir to Altena's throne. Her royal blood has given her extraordinary magical powers, but she has yet to learn how to control them.”
	1	None

Trivia

• Her emotional magic outburst as seen in Heroes of Mana may bee a nod to Angela's during her introduction in Trials of Mana.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Valda.

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  Trials of Mana sprite

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  Trials of Mana HD screenshot