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loveAside from her lost past, Terra's greatest goal throughout her story is to discover just what that complex and elusive emotion love is. The search for love is integral to her character, her actions and choices, and her relationships with others. Terra emerges from an existence where everything about her was limited and controlled -- even her mind. As far as the game tells us, she has been subjected to longterm brainwashing via the Slave Crown. In essence, her thoughts and emotions were withheld or manipulated as was best for a soldier in battle, or a ruthless killer. If Terra felt any emotions, they were suppressed, or only the most useful to battle expressed. Terra knows she has abilities that others desperately want. At first, she's suspicious of anyone helping her purely out of kindness:
Although Edgar and Banon's purposes are for the greater good, they still want to use her for her power. Even Locke, who really didn't seem to have ulterior motives, in a sense uses her as a psychological tool to make up for past mistakes. Terra becomes resigned to her fate, but either consciously or unconsciously distances herself from her comrades. Terra recognises her emotional ambivalence toward everyone around her. She feels as though she should react emotionally to certain situations, but is somehow incapable of it.
Psychologically, because of her experiences, Terra is unable to give an emotional response to anything resembling love and caring. Even though the people that now surround her are kind, they do still want her for her magical abilities. Terra is scarred by what happened to her because of a drive to use her abilities: she was taken advantage of, and is incapable of trusting anyone with a similar agenda, no matter the reason or the kindness they show to her. Locke is a bit different to Terra: although he'd like her to help the Returners out, he leaves the decision entirely up to her, with no pressure or consequence. He's the first to jump to protect her, whether it be from a physical foe or subliminal blow, and asks nothing in return. Terra does become attached to him; in a way, the two become partners, with Locke relying on Terra as a method of redeeming himself, and Terra relying on Locke as possibly the only trustworthy source around her. Even so, Terra isn't quite able to connect to Locke. As she talks to people about love, Terra seems to become more and more lost. Meeting General Leo cements this for her.
Even after discovering who she is and coming to terms with herself, even after knowing that love between races is possible, and even after hearing confirmation from a respected source, Terra is still doubtful. But her conversation with Leo remains in her mind, and she reminisces much later about how much she could have learned from him if he'd lived. The turning point for Terra comes from an unexpected and innovative source. All the while, Terra had been searching for the most typical love: romantic love. When she comes across a group of orphans in a nearly decimated town, something strange begins to happen to her:
The children need her, but in a much different way than everyone else previously had. Whereas everyone else seemed to have sought her out for her powers, the children needed her for reasons she herself had: they needed someone to love them and care for them, just as she did. The children love her unconditionally, wanting her only for herself and not her abilities. In them, Terra finds the love the eluded her.
Content and layout copyright © Aeryvae. Terra Branford and all other items pertaining to Final Fantasy VI copyright © Yoshitaka Amano and Square-Enix Co., Ltd.
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Terra: Why are you being so kind to me? Is it because of my...abilities?
