A.N: Oh, look, new work from Nicholas. But Nicholas, how do you handle so many projects? It's all a matter of constantly switching back and forth depending on where you're mind's at. If you get bogged down in one project too long and are slow on that, you'll never get anything done.
First thing's first though, I feel like I did not really explain this big idea I had back when I posted Tale of the Holy Knight, so I'll do it now. I first started toying with this project when Echoes: Shadows of Valentia first came out. I was blown away how Gaiden was turned into frankly one of the better narratives in video games, and it made me want to do the same for a lot of the early games. The one issue with a lot of the early Fire Emblem games is that the plot and characters just don't feel fleshed out, compared to Shadows of Valentia or Three Houses. This is especially true with the games that lack support conversations that expand on the characters, which is important, with these games being a character-driven story. So, I wanted to see what would happen if I gave the "Echoes" treatment to the early games. This project is particularly important to me, because anyone who knows me knows that I adore this franchise.
We've started giving Genealogy the Echoes treatment, now let's begin giving the Archanea series the Echoes treatment. I've got a five-part prologue for Blade of Light set up. And like every other sample I release, this is to gauge people's interests. Enjoy!
Prologue, Part 1: Fate Set Into Motion
Long ago, Medeus, king of the dragonkin, conquered the continent of Archanea, beginning an age of fear and despair for all its people. That tyranny was broken, however, when an unlikely hero intervened. A young man hailing from the Altea region appeared with a divine blade in hand. He stood against the Shadow Dragon, and struck him down. For some time after, the land enjoyed an age of peace. However, after a century's passing, the Shadow Dragon returned. He forged an alliance with a fiendish sorcerer who sought to rule the world, and their combined might toppled pme unsuspecting kingdom after the other.
Again, darkness threatened to engulf the continent. It fell upon the king of Altea, sole descendant of the dragon-slayer hero, to sally forth with the divine blade and fulfill his blood destiny.
The Kingdom of Altea was a small but fairly powerful and prominent nation. Formerly a rural area under the command of the mighty kingdom of Archanea, Altea rose to prominence when the hero, Anri, rose beyond his common beginnings and slew the Shadow Dragon, Medeus. It eventually grew into a kingdom. And though it remained small, compared to the mightier nations of Archanea, Macedon and others, it was still well-respected for the quality of warriors it produced. And it was especially respected for its royal family carrying the blood of Anri the hero.
Currently, the most prominent descendant of Anri was the king of Altea: the wise and powerful King Cornelius. From a young age, Cornelius had distinguished himself on the field of battle as a powerful swordsman. As he grew into manhood, Cornelius became so powerful and so widely regarded that he was hailed as the second coming of Anri in what was supposed to be a time of peace.
Tragically, Cornelius' reputation as a great warrior and the second coming of the hero of old ended up being needed for war with the return of the Dohlr Empire. With the kingdoms of Grust and Macedon allying with the mad empire (and by extension the terrifying Shadow Dragon, Medeus), Cornelius knew that his skills and reputation were needed on the field of battle. And so, he did not hesitate to ride out onto the field of battle, blade in hand, living up to the moniker of a wise and just warrior king. It brought him here to his kingdom's ally, Gra.
Cornelius knew his presence would be a boost for morale. Especially as he rode out with Anri's former blade: the legendary Falchion. Once he fought back Grust and Macedon's armies with Gra's help, he would join up with Archanea, ask for the Fire Emblem and turn the Falchion on Medeus.
I must make sure that this was a short war. He noted inwardly. Not for myself, but for my country, my wife, and my children.
As Cornelius himself rode out to battle in the lands of Gra, flanked by his knights, he thought of his children. Elice, he knew he had little reason to worry for her. She was a very mature and intelligent woman who would do well in reassuring the worried populace with Liza's help.
Marth was a different story. Cornelius saw tremendous talent in his son. In fact, he honestly believed that Marth was stronger than he was at his age: 15 years old.
However, Marth's raw potential was only surpassed by his kindness and idealism. A memory that still bothered Cornelius to this day was when Marth had bested an Altean noble's child in a sparring match. Marth had offered a helping hand after felling him, but the brat had been a sore loser and actually tossed dirt into Marth's eye. The brat's father spent days pleading for forgiveness. Though that noble brat had played a dirty trick, Marth had been careless. At least, that was what Cornelius liked to believe.
Now, Cornelius was a kind and merciful man, that much was true. However, he also knew that mercy was not something that could simply be handed out like candy. The world was not that black and white (though he wishes it were so). This came from years of having to take the lives of faceless men on the battlefield for the sake of his justice. He often had to be strict with Marth about when to show mercy and when to be firm in your ideals and slay your enemies. It had reached the point where Cornelius now feared if he had been too strict with Marth, and Marth questioned whether his own father loved him or not.
Cornelius did, he loved his son dearly. And it was because he loved his son that he tried so hard to make sure he was strong and wise enough to survive the hardships of the world without him. A father only failed in his duty if his son was not prepared for life without him, after all.
Once he returned home victorious, he would embrace his wife and children, take his son aside, and promise to work with him to find a compromise between his kindness and idealism, but also the firmness a king and a warrior must sometimes live by. Perhaps a fishing trip to Talys was long overdue? He could leave governing to Malledus and Liza for a bit and spend that time reconnecting with Marth. It would also give Marth the chance to meet Caeda, King Mostyn's young daughter, who was apparently Marth's age. Mostyn often wrote to him about his daughter, and Cornelius believed the two children would make fast friends.
Yes, that was a perfect way to reconcile with his son…
"Sire!" Cornelius' right-hand man, a veteran paladin by the name of Sylvester, rode up to his side, cutting him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, Sylvester?" Cornelius inquired, tabling his thoughts of Marth for the time being.
"News from our scouts, Sire." Sylvester said to him. "We will be meeting Grust and Dolhr's combined forces soon."
"What of Gra?" Cornelius asked, inquiring of the allied kingdom.
Sylvester frowned at this. Normally a hotblooded man, unafraid of dirtying his hands in battle for the king, he was extremely concerned about that query, enough that it actually gave him pause on the battlefield. "I'm afraid we have not heard anything from Gra, my liege." Sylvester admitted. "However, we have received word that troops sporting Gra's banner are riding in accordance with the battle plan. We suspect those to be King Jiol's forces."
"Hmm...King Jiol is concerned about giving away his position. The plan to have Gra meet with us and strike Grust and Dolhr while unaware would fail miserably if Gra messengers were suddenly captured." Cornelius noted.
Cornelius noticed Sylvester's worried face and gave him a smile. "Come now, old friend, have faith. I've known King Jiol since I was a boy, he and my father went way back. He will come through for us."
Sylvester nodded. "I have faith in you, Sire." Sylvester told him. This was not inaccurate, as Sylvester had been a sworn retainer Cornelius since the king's first battle while a prince.
Cornelius nodded, grateful for his old friend's loyalty. He looked ahead towards what would become the battlefield. "Well then," he said, "let us show these dogs of Grust and Dohlr the combined might of Gra and Altea! We'll end this war quickly, Sylvester!"
"That we will, Sire." Sylvester nodded in agreement, fully confident that the king's strength, only amplified by the mighty Falchion, would see them through.
At that moment, Cornelius and Sylvester saw the banners of Dohlr and Grust on the horizon. "There they are, men!" Cornelius yelled. "Press on, and help me show these Grustian and Dolhrian dogs the might of Altea!"
"For Altea!" Sylvester yelled.
"For Altea!" The knights cheered in agreement.
With that, the battle began, setting fate into motion. Elsewhere was Castle Altea, home of the Altean Royal Family. Inside of the castle's training grounds, a lone, blue-haired figure was calmly practicing his swordsmanship, thrusting and swinging his sword at training dummies, cleaving them open with one swing each.
When the last of the training dummies was cut down, the lone swordsman wiped the sweat from his brow. One swing each. I have to remember to thank the servants for filling the dummies with stronger material for me to practice on. I've gotten stronger.
He gazed at his sword, thinking back to the last words his father said to him before riding out with Commander Sylvester and his forces. "Marth my son," Cornelius had told him, "Today is my war...but one day, I fear that you will have your own. When that happens, I want you to consider this question: will you be strong enough to lead Altea?"
Prince Marth of Altea found himself gazing out at the horizon, knowing that out there a war was being fought to save the world from an old darkness. Does Father really think that little of the world around us that he thinks another war will break out when I am king?
Marth gazed at his sword once more. Father always says I have talent with the sword...and yet, I have no love for battle. Honestly, I detest war. Nothing would make me happier to see the world at peace, rather than in constant battle.
Father...I fear that I lack the strength you wish of me, even if I do have a talent for battle. I'm sorry…
"Prince Marth!" Marth was drawn to a soldier running towards him. "So this is where you were!"
"Where I was?" Marth frowned before realizing what the soldier meant. "Ah, is it still only morning? My apologies for worrying you, I suppose I could not resist sneaking in some morning training."
The soldier gazed at the slashed dummies and shook his head. "Think nothing of it, Sire." He promised. "Although, if you would permit me to say this, I must ask that you please move around the castle with a guard if you wish to leave your room."
That was right, ever since the war had broken out, Marth and Elice were often seen with armed guards. This training session had been one of the few times Marth had to himself since the war began.
"After all, Sire," the guard continued, "if something were to happen to Altea's beloved prince, no knight could forgive themselves."
Marth smiled. "Your concern for my well being is noted, friend. But surely you can't possibly believe my death would be as unforgivable as Mother or Elice's?"
"Nonsense, Sire! Even if it is true that Queen Liza and Princess Elice are well-loved, you should never doubt that your people and your knights love you as well." The guard insisted. "Whenever I'm in town, I'm always stopped by people who inquire of your being."
"Really?" Marth was surprised.
"The people love you, Sire." The guard smiled. "Whenever you are the subject of conversation, it's always about how kind you are. How the people are blessed to know that King Cornelius' heir will be as kind as he."
Kind...but not as strong as Father. Marth sadly noted.
The guard then gasped. "Oh, that's right! I can't forget the message!" He exclaimed.
"Message?" Marth raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, the princess has asked to see you." The guard told him.
"Elice? Is she all right?" Marth raised a concerned eyebrow. They were close, so Elice never sent a soldier for him. She always came for him personally.
The guard nodded. "She seemed to be, Sire, but her words implied a certain urgency. She bade you dress quickly and wait by the throne. Seeing as though you're already dressed, well…"
Urgency? What could have happened that would make Elice so urgent? "...Has something happened?" He asked.
The guard looked grim. "It's our forces off in Gra, Sire. There seems to have been some sort of incident, but...Well, I'm not privy to the specifics."
Marth's eyes widened briefly before regaining his composure. "I see...thank you. I'll be there shortly. Please, return to your post."
"Sire, if I may, I should stay with you." The guard noted.
"No," Marth shook his head, "if there was an incident in Gra, then our first priority should be to make sure the castle's defenses have been shored up. That is what Layton would say were he here right now."
"But you are the prince…"
"And as prince, I want you to make sure my home is safe." Marth gently told him. "And afterwards, attend to my sister, it was she who sent you to find me, right? That means you were probably guarding her first."
The guard frowned but nodded. "As you wish, Prince Marth."
With that, the guard left Marth to his thoughts. "If something has happened, perhaps I should ask that garrison of Gra soldiers that are here to help defend this castle? They might know…"
"No, I can't waste time." Marth shook his head. "My sister said she would meet me by the throne. I must head there first."
As Marth made his way to the throne room, he thought of what the guard had told him. "An incident in Gra…" Marth mused. "If Elice had news of our father, I pray it's good news…"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice broke Marth from his thoughts. "O'er there, that's him! Prince Marth!"
Marth gasped. Just ahead of him were soldiers in uniforms he did not recognize. "Wha- Who are you?!" He demanded.
The soldier standing in the back, Marth assumed he must have been a sergeant or lieutenant, responded. " "We're soldiers of Gra, li'l prince. And if you know what's good for you, you'll surrender to us without makin' any trouble."
Marth could not believe what he was hearing. "Surrender? But that's ridiculous... Why would I surrender to the army of an allied kingdom?" He demanded.
The Gra officer laughed at Marth's confused state. "Meh heh heh... They don't tell you much, do they? No matter. You'll 'ave the full story soon enough. Now...lay down your sword."
Marth was still terribly confused. He looked at the soldiers who had all their weapons trained on him. However, whether he was confused or not, Marth knew one thing. He was not going to surrender to these men. "I will not." He said firmly, preparing his rapier. "I am the prince of Altea. I will not yield to you or any other nation, here on my own land, under my own castle roof!"
The Gra soldiers were briefly taken aback by Marth's resolve before their superior officer laughed, restoring their morale. "Heh, you talk big, brat. Have it your way. If you won't lay down your sword, then we'll just have to take your life instead!" He declared. "Kill him, boys!"
Three soldiers charged towards Marth, iron axes in hand. Marth took a deep breath, knowing that the only way through was to fight past these Gra soldiers. The first soldier reached him and slashed forward. Marth quickly pivoted around the soldier and drove his rapier into the soldier's neck. The soldier let out a sickening gurgle before falling to the ground, dead.
The second soldier tried to take advantage of Marth's focus on his dead comrade. He slashed forward like his predecessor, hoping to take out Marth from behind. Marth saw the attack coming. He knew that enemies would take a shot from behind if possible. So, as Jagen taught him, he learned to anticipate attacks from behind. He quickly moved to the side. The axe instead got through his cape. "So fast!" The attacking soldier exclaimed in disbelief before Marth stabbed at his stomach, getting through a chink in his armor. He then quickly slashed upwards, sending that soldier airborne and onto his back.
This time, Marth went on the offensive. He quickly rushed the third soldier, who gaped at Marth's speed. He held his axe above his head, blocking Marth's first swing. "Throw down your weapon and let's talk this out." Marth requested. "I don't wish to prolong this battle any more than I have to."
The soldier growled at the 'mercy' he was being offered and tried to force Marth off balance. Marth narrowed his eyes slightly at the soldier's actions. He was strong, but Axel had always been stronger in their sparring matches. And Layton would not even be trying such an idiotic tactic. In other words, this grunt was nothing compared to those two.
Marth pushed back, forcing the soldier off balance and then slicing him open with one swing, killing him almost instantly. Marth then found himself gaping in shock at the three dead Gra soldiers. "Oh Naga...I killed them." Marth muttered, horrified by his own actions. "They...they were trying to kill me...but I killed them…"
At that moment, Jagen's words rang in his head. "Sire, mercy is a virtue, but never feel that you are damned for taking a life on the battlefield. The sad truth is, we are all equal before Naga's eyes in war. What happens on the battlefield will inevitably be forgiven because both sides are just and in the wrong at the same time. Naga is a merciful goddess in that sense."
Right, I cannot forget Jagen's lessons for this exact moment. Marth acknowledged. If I wish to survive, if I wish to see Elice and everyone else safe in this castle, I have to fight and I have to win.
Marth was then cut off from his thoughts by the officer's exclamations. "What? He is fighting back? I'll show him!"
The soldier then took up a defensive position in front of the throne. Marth gasped at the sight. "No! The throne... I have to get rid of him before my sister arrives!"
Marth quickly rushed towards the throne. "Away from that throne you cur!" He demanded. "That is my father's seat!"
"Ha! You idiot, this seat is pretty much vacant if everything went according to plan!" The officer responded.
Marth's eyes widened at the officer's statement. "What?" He said in surprise, instinctively lowering his guard.
The officer grinned. "I've got you." He yelled, stabbing forward.
Marth gasped, realizing he had made a rookie mistake. He leaned down to try and avoid the stab, only for it to cut across his shoulder. Marth winced, desperately trying to avoid crying out in pain. I cannot focus on the pain...and I cannot focus on what he said about Father. Marth reminded himself.
My father...is King Cornelius, the second coming of Anri the Hero! Marth inwardly declared, showing his reverence for his father. Like hell he would be stricken down by curs such as these!
"I won't miss this time!" The officer yelled, pulling back and stabbing forward once more.
"Lances are normally viewed as superior to swords, Sire." Jagen had told him. "But there are ways to overcome this weakness."
"Knock the attack off balance, and destroy your enemy's momentum."
And the best way to knock a lancer off balance...is to strike the blade! Marth remembered, swinging his rapier at the blade of the lance.
The officer gasped as his attack was knocked off course. He found himself losing his balance due to the sudden shift in momentum. Marth then raised his sword. "Forgive me." He said, swinging the blade and slashing right through his foes armor, cutting him fatally across the chest.
The officer stumbled forward, mouth open in disbelief. "No...no way." He muttered in shock, blood dripping to the ground. "They told me...you were just a welp...you were supposed to be...an easy...target."
With that, the officer collapsed onto his stomach, dead. Marth heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness Jagen's lessons have a way of sticking." He muttered. "That man was right about one thing...I am a welp. If I didn't have Jagen's training to fall back on, I'd be dead."
"But what in the world is going on here? Why is Gra attacking my home? Is the same thing happening all over Altea?"
"Marth, are you all right?" A familiar voice called out to him.
Marth's eyes widened. He turned to see a beautiful older woman with long blue hair and a white dress running towards him. It was his elder sister, Princess Elice. He wanted to embrace her, but he needed to know what was happening first.
"Sister, what is happening?" He asked. "Why are we being attacked by our own allies?"
Elice's face fell. She grasped Marth by the shoulders and forced him to look her in the eyes. She took this opportunity to apply healing magic to his injured shoulder with her stave. "Steady yourself, Marth. I have grave news." She said, her eyes red, as though she had been crying. "Our father was defeated by the Dohlr-Grust allied forces."
Marth's eyes widened. He felt his world completely shatter. The strongest man he had ever known...defeated. "What? No..." It could not be true. It simply could not be true.
Elice narrowed her eyes in anger. "It was Gra. Our own ally betrayed us and struck Father's army from the rear. I am... I am not sure if he is safe. The scouts who returned gave conflicting reports..." She trailed off.
Marth was still in shock. "Father...It can't be..."
Elice, however, remained surprisingly calm. "As we speak, soldiers sent by Gra are trying to take the castle. Mother and I were separated during the escape. I do not know where she is."
Marth looked at Elice in disbelief. Mother was missing? Before he could ponder the matter any further, Elice continued to speak. "Marth, I need you to listen to me. You must flee the castle. Go on without me."
Marth's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
Elice's expression was grim. "We've not many soldiers left...This is hard to bear, I know, but the castle is lost. We must face that. I will look for Mother and join you as soon as I can. You find Jagen, and as many of the remaining soldiers in our service as you can, and get away from here. Far away. Understand?"
Marth realized that Elice was trying to be smart about this. They were both siblings of the royal family. If they were caught together it would all be over. And one of them had to find their mother, after all. "...All right." He conceded before adding. "But promise you won't be long."
Elice nodded. And with that, Marth ran off, trying to find Jagen and anyone else still alive so that they could flee the castle. Elice gave her beloved little brother a sad smile as he vanished from her sight. She sank onto the throne as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Goodbye, Marth. May you live long..." She choked out.
Meanwhile, Marth continued to run through the halls of his castle. He could hear the sounds of battle both inside and outside. A part of him could still not believe it. Gra betrayed them. And King Jiol and his grandfather had been friends for years...friends since their schooldays. It simply made no sense to the young prince.
Marth, however, did not have time to dwell on things, however. He had to escape. And it appeared another group of Gra soldiers intended to make that difficult for him. "There's Prince Marth!" The leading soldier exclaimed. "Capture 'em, boys! King Jiol will give us a hefty reward for this!"
Marth sped to a stop, bracing himself for battle. However, a new voice suddenly rang out. "Fire!"
The soldiers gasped as three fireballs suddenly struck three out of five of the men, blasting them into the wall and killing them instantly. Marth's eyes widened. He knew that voice. And if he was here, that meant he had to do his part as well. In the confusion, Marth rushed forward and stabbed the leader through the heart, killing him instantly.
The last of the soldiers desperately tried to salvage the situation, his mind constantly going back and forth from fight and flight. Before he could settle on something, the one who had casted fire magic suddenly appeared, swinging his blade and slashing the soldier's throat open in one blow.
The soldier gurgled before collapsing, twitching as he bled out. Marth got a look at his familiar savior. He was a tall, young man of about 16 years old, just a year Marth's senior. His hair was pure white, like snow. He wore black robes, much like the white robes his mentor, the tactician Malledus wore. However, they were cut a bit shorter to allow greater mobility. Indeed, Marth knew who this new arrival was. And his face broke out into a relieved smile, in spite of the situation.
"Layton!" Marth exclaimed, happy to see his dear friend and retainer, alive and well.
Layton looked up to see his liege and gasped. A relieved smile broke out on his face as well. "Sire!" He exclaimed.
The two walked over to each other and embraced with the fondness of two brothers. Both men actually winced at how hard they had clapped each other's backs from the embrace. "Words cannot describe how relieved I am to see you safe, Layton." Marth told him.
"Same to you, Sire." Layton nodded before surveying the carnage the two had caused. "Blasted dastards of Gra, I can't believe they'd betray us like this."
"Layton, do you know why this is happening?" Marth asked.
"Honestly, Sire, I've only caught bits and pieces." Layton admitted. "These Gra soldiers...they really love to hear themselves talk."
Marth quickly explained the rest to fill in the gaps. Layton's face fell upon hearing the part about King Cornelius' defeat. "I see," he said, "Sire, are you alright?"
"No, Layton, I'm not." Marth shook his head. "My homeland is being attacked by a nation I thought was our friend. My father is missing. My sister needs to stay behind a bit longer to find Mother. And I have to flee my own castle. But...I must remain strong. I'm still the Prince of Altea."
"Wise words, Sire." Layton nodded. "Come, we cannot stay here. I have little doubt more will be arriving soon. And if Gra has betrayed us to Dohlr and Grust, there's no doubt soldiers from Dohlr and Grust will be here as well. Then we'll have an even bigger problem."
"I've heard stories of some of the soldiers in the Dohlr and Grust armies, not to mention Macedon as well." Marth acknowledged as the two began to make their way towards an exit to the castle grounds. "Is the enemy really that powerful?"
"I myself have heard stories as well, and I doubt they are exaggerated." Layton grimly admitted. "That dark sorcerer who works closely with the Shadow Dragon; the man who currently rules Khadein, Gharnef. Camus the Sable of Grust, rumored to be the strongest paladin in Archanea...maybe the strongest man. The new king of Macedon, I believe his name is Michalis. Of course, there's the Shadow Dragon, Medeus, himself. And now we must consider Gra's own forces. And as much of a filthy coward as Jiol apparently is, I cannot deny his skill in strategy and combat. Sire, I have to be honest with you, unless this is a horrible nightmare we're having together, I fear our lives may be in constant danger from here on out."
Marth's face fell at this. He quickly remembered Elice's orders. "We'll worry about all that later." He told Layton. "Right now, our top priority is finding Jagen and escaping from this place. Elice and Mother will be joining us shortly."
"Understood, Sire." Layton and Marth continued running through the palace.
Layton, however, was even grimmer on the inside. Oh Sire, you may not realize it yet, but when Princess Elice sent you on your own…
She had no intention of joining you.
And so, the two young men ran through the palace, making their way towards some kind of exit. And with that, fate was set into motion for the young prince of Altea and his allies.
A.N: So, let's get this out of the way first, since it's really not meant to be a plot twist. Layton is Robin's ancestor. Another issue I tend to find with Fire Emblem games (especially games that take place in the same universe), is that there are sometimes continuity issues. Elibe game fans know exactly what I'm talking about. Granted, continuity issues aren't huge in the Archanea-Ylisse verse, but Avatar characters do oftentimes feel out of place. The two that probably worked the most were Mark and Robin. The former because they were just 'there' and had no impact on the plot, and the latter because they weren't the main character (Chrom was). Ironically, even though Byleth isn't a very strong character, they are not that out of place in Three Houses, thanks to the incredible lore in that game. And then there's Corrin and Kris...yeah.
Where am I going with this? Oh yeah, point is, Layton is here to connect the 'Tactician' bloodline in the Archanea-Ylisse world. You'll find he's nothing like his descendant though.
Before we sign off and move on though, it is time to get to Nicholas' Unit Review! Much like in Genealogy, we'll start with the Lord character in this game, the man who debuted in Smash (except, not really). Marth.
Strengths: Marth's an interesting unit, especially in the context of Archanea games. There are no leadership stars, no support boosts (except those weird bond things in New Mystery). And honestly, if those did exist, he might be better than serviceable. And unfortunately, that's really all he is, serviceable. Now granted, I've had really good luck with Marth in my Shadow Dragon playthroughs. That's partly because I have a tendency to pump my Lord character with all the stat boosters. I especially feel compelled to do this because of Marth's greatest strength. He wields two very useful weapons in a game where those weapons are effective against units that are plenty. He wields a rapier in a game where horseback and armored units are plenty. And of course he gets Falchion, which is great against Manaketes. And let's be frank here, you need Marth at his best to make Medeus a not-so-frustrating final boss. Also, his level caps out at 30 in Shadow Dragon, so that's nice too. The more level-ups for a character with bad growths, the better.
Weaknesses: When you have to rely on weapons to make your unit serviceable, you kinda have a bad unit. Until he gets Falchion, you basically have to keep Marth close to the rest of your units while trying to feed him EXP without getting him killed, especially on harder difficulties. His lack of a promotion, and promotions boost your stats, hurts too (it's slightly offset by him capping at 30 in Shadow Dragon, but still). Without his two best weapons, Marth is not going to hit hard too. But hey, he's still better than his Anime OVA adaptation, amirite?
Overall: I've had good luck with my Marths over the years, but I'm not going to blind myself to his flaws. I play Fire Emblem with preferential treatment to the Lord/Avatar characters, so of course I'm going to have good luck with them. If you use him right, Marth can honestly become one of your better fighters. The problem though is, you need to keep him close to the rest of your units (especially a healer). He will die otherwise.
Hope everyone enjoyed part 1. See you at part 2.