The Begnion Senate has struggled and squirmed its way out of enough loopholes. The bastards must pay for their crimes. And it turns out there's a lot one can glean from them in their final lines.
Lekain
Ta ha haaa! Bathe in my radiance!
I cast you out, defier of Ashera’s will!
Be silent in the presence of your betters! Silence for Ashera!
(Lekain has a special AoE spell that Silences everyone without guarantee, and at least some of these quotes are designed for that outcome).
Lekain: Tah ha ha! Laughable mercenaries! Sanaki could certainly have chosen better allies. If only she had sided with me, she wouldn’t be damned now. Oh well…
Ike: Yeah, whoever chose you as an ally has had better days, too. So who is it? Who’s pulling your strings?
Lekain: Pulling my strings? What are you saying? I alone have been chosen to protect her! I masterminded the plan to resurrect the goddess and become Ashera’s chosen one! It is my right! Mine alone!
Ike: Really? I didn’t see you around when the galdr of release was sung to the medallion…
Lekain: What medallion? What nonsense are you talking about?
Ike: Wow… You don’t have any idea what’s going on, do you, “mastermind”? I’m just wasting my time.
Lekain: You… You! Urghh! I am Lekain, Duke of Gaddos! The one and only!
Ike, just like with Ashnard, gets a conversation that goes over the essence of Lekain all in one go. For as loud and as cruel as he is in general, the bastard is a complete idiot and not at all responsible for the things he is claiming to be. He doesn't understand the Ashera conflict at all, and is just a disposable pawn of his goddess. No wonder the poor guy feels bad about himself.
Lekain: Ah, the so-called Silver-Haired Maiden. Both dark goddess and Daein general… Your very existence is vile beyond belief.
Micaiah: Lekain, Duke of Gaddos… You crushed the people of Daein beneath your unjust rule and dragged us into a futile war. [You trapped King Pelleas in a corner, where death was his only option.] How do you live with the guilt of your sins?
Lekain: Sins? Do not presume to speak to me of sin, child of Daein. If only [Pelleas] had understood that I am on the side of the angels, [he] might be standing with me here today.
Micaiah: Your delusions can’t change what I see in your twisted soul, demon! Now give me that scroll!
Lekain: Impudent brat!
Pelleas's mortal status actually affects Micaiah's quote slightly. Only slightly, though.
Sanaki: Burn, traitor!
Lekain: Watch your tongue, girl!
...You can forgive me for not getting the Lekain kill with Sanaki. They've exchanged more than enough words in the rest of the chapter, all Sanaki can do is finally rid herself of him.
Sothe: …
Lekain: Hm? Who are you? How did a shabby little burglar get in here?
Sothe: If that’s how you want to see me, then so be it. But know that that’s also how I see you. I don’t think we even need to exchange names. I’ll just kill you and leave it at that.
I feel like this is a pretty fitting outcome for Lekain. If Sothe was a different kind of thief, maybe it would actually have happened sooner.
Pelleas: Vi-Vice-Minister Lekain…
Lekain: Hm? Ahhh, still alive, are we? I suppose that I can still find a use for you… I know! Go and attack the enemy general.
Pelleas: Um…
Lekain: Why are you not obeying, fool? That look on your face… You think you’re going to save your people! That is precious! You can’t possibly believe that one so flawed as you has a prayer against me?
Pelleas: I do, actually.
Lekain: Whaaat?! Did I hear you correctly?!
Pelleas: I said I believe. I believe in myself, and I believe in my companions. Even if I falter and fail… My friends will defeat you. This belief sustains me. I can fight you because I am no longer alone.
Lekain: Let us test your theory, then! Die, upstart!
Pelleas is growing a backbone! This man is in no way going to be a King in his life, but at least he's growing as a person.
Lekain: Tah ha ha… So nice to see you, King Naesala. When you can’t oppose me, that is. Your blood pact means that you’ll have to betray your companions… yet again.
Naesala: Not today, actually.
Lekain: What did you say?
Naesala: Sorry to break it to you, Lekain, but I have recently… been promoted, shall we say. I now take orders from over your head, Vice-Minister. From Empress Sanaki, to be exact.
Lekain: Wh-what…Whaaaat… ?!
Naesala: The curse of the blood pact applies if the master’s orders aren’t obeyed, but by the law of Begnion, you’re overruled. So, Lekain, right here, right now… I’m going to tear you apart, as I’ve been wanting to do for years.
Lekain: Urk!
We don't know how Naesala got the throne or when he found out about what the throne entailed, but Naesala has been wanting to tear Lekain limb from limb since that day. If it wasn't for the whole "killed by a third party" (which I don't even think is an actual kink of Blood Pacts), Naesala would be my number one pick for Lekain's head.
Sigrun: Lekain, Duke of Gaddos… Don’t bother with any of your practiced lies. Speak with your weapon.
Lekain: Dame Sigrun… I suppose I’m not surprised. I should have known you would still be on Sanaki’s leash! Have you asked yourself why? She is a mere pretender to the throne. You’re just a dog to a false apostle!
Sigrun: Correct me if I’m wrong, Lord Lekain, but Sanaki was formally recognized by the senators as the empress. Where in Begnion law is an empress required to also be an apostle? This sounds like yet another case of you senators trying to twist the law for your own benefit.
Lekain: Bah! Your legalistic manipulations don’t make you right!
Sigrun: For too long, we have tolerated you bending laws for your own benefit, with no foundation whatsoever in justice. Now it’s time for you to pay for your sins!
Lekain: Impudence! You can’t beat me… I am the chosen one!
Lekain: Hmph… Hello, Tanith. How odd to find you alongside these imbeciles, not to mention their imposter of a leader.
Tanith: Silence your filthy mouth! I will not brook such insults.
Lekain: F… Fi… Filthy?! How dare you slander the duke of Gaddos! I will rule the world in place of our goddess Ashera! Sanaki is not a true apostle or an empress. She’s a mere slip of a girl!
Tanith: There is no Begnion law that requires an empress to also be an apostle.
Lekain: Whaaat?
Tanith: Each apostle has thus far been seated as emperor only because that has been what served the senators best. Sanaki has ruled successfully without the benefit of divine inspiration for more than half her life. She is well loved by her subjects. Saying that she is not a true apostle will do nothing to alter that fact.
Lekain: Dogmatic rhetoric will achieve nothing!
Tanith: Very true. Empress Sanaki is my liege, and as her knight, it is my duty to destroy her enemies.
Lekain: Blasphemy! Striking me is no different than raising your sword to our goddess!
Tanith: Speaking of dogmatic rhetoric… Duke of Gaddos, farewell.
This pair of quotes is so similar, the game won't actually let you get both in one playthrough. But this is a fitting pair. Sigrun and Tanith stand behind their Empress to the end, and throw Lekain's lies back in his face. Just as this boss rush beats down on Sanaki emotionally, that merely emboldens these two to greater heights to defend her.
Lekain: Ah, interesting! You’re one of those sub-humans from the east that I’ve been hearing about.
Nailah: And you’re one of the fat, corrupted pieces of filth that we’re fighting.
Lekain: How dare you! I am Duke of Gaddos!
Nailah: Gaddos? Where’s that? That name means nothing to me. How do beorc always get the idea that the place they’re from is the center of everything?
Lekain: Silence, you loathsome cur! I’ll ensure that your country is left in ruins!
Nailah's sass is perfect for Lekain's ego. Nailah doesn't know and doesn't care what Gaddos means, and Lekain loses much of his impressive bravado. The fact the player only has a minimal understanding of what Gaddos is means the same happens to us, honestly.
Tibarn: I’m glad I got to you first. See, I heard that the Serenes Massacre was all your doing… That puts you at the very top of the list of the enemies of the bird tribes.
Lekain: That may very well be, but I am under the divine protection of the goddess herself! A shabby sub-human pirate like yourself will find me quite invincible!
Tibarn: As much as I’d love to draw this little chat out, I don’t think I can keep my talons out of your neck another instant.
Lekain: Why… Why are you laughing? Are you… enjoying yourself?
Tibarn: Some of us here are just overflowing with the chaos you’re causing with this fight. That might be part of it… But, to be honest, there’s a part of me that can hardly believe how much fun tearing your head off will be.
Tibarn's reckless as usual, and perhaps it might actually reflect pretty badly on him that he's so super-hyped to kill a man, but when it comes to Lekain, I think an exception can be made.
Leanne: (Eep, it’s you! Where’s Tibarn when you need him…)
Lekain: The lovely heron maiden… If not for the battle raging around us, I’d keep you as a… trophy.
Lekain, you did NOT need to go there! Yes, there is at least one fanfic where someone notices that, when you combine the Naesala Blood Pact plotline, the Naesala/Leanne ship, and this boss quote, you can make Lekain, somehow, even more despicable than he already is in canon. I don't think I can read it again.
Rafiel: No!
Lekain: Tah ha ha… How delightfully pathetic. Poor heron prince, teeming with rage, but incapable of hurting me! Tah ha ha ha! How absolutely marvellous!
Rafiel: Your soul… is deeply scarred…
Rafiel is helpless against something so hateful as Lekain. That's not really about the state of herons and more about who Rafiel is as a person.
Lekain: You’re quite tenacious for a heron. I thought your entire fragile race had been exterminated…
Reyson: Evil… You are pure evil. I hear it in your heart. How do you even survive?
Lekain: How pathetic. Hated by a heron, the only sub-human so weak as to actually be incapable of violence. This must feel just like the massacre to you: completely helpless before your inevitable doom!
I'd say this is the most despicable quote of the bunch, but he does so much in so little versus Leanne that it's hard to top. But man, this is the sort of quote one should go out of their way for. Again, it's Reyson.
Astrid: Lord Lekain…
Lekain: Hm? You… You are from House Damiell…
Astrid: Yes, I am. It’s been a while, but I didn’t think you’d forget me quite so easily. I wasn’t sure at the time, but marrying you would have been the biggest mistake of my life.
Lekain: Ha! Bold talk from a penniless mercenary! You were never worthy of Lekain of Gaddos, head of the senators and chosen by the goddess herself!
Astrid marrying Lekain tells you a little bit about Lekain's age that you only otherwise get in the artbook- namely, that he's in his 60s. Lekain is older than Astrid's father, and again, only the Leanne conversation manages to make this not the most vile thing Lekain is capable of.
Lekain: Knight of Daein, I am Lekain of Gaddos. Your ruler, King Pelleas will–
Jill: You can stop right there! Daein will never bow down to you again!
Jill joins in the usual suspects who get boss quotes with the villains, and I'm not entirely sure why. She's not even a Begnion, really. At least she has neat Daein quotes.
Haar: Why is it that authority figures are always so unwilling to let go of their power? The world could flip upside down and you’d be trying to boss around gravity.
Lekain: You clearly know nothing of me, lout! To oppose me is to oppose the goddess Ashera herself!
Haar: That’s strange… I always thought that role was filled by the apostle. But who can keep up these days? So you’re defending the goddess… but will she do the same for you?
Haar, as a former Begnion dracoknight who's more than ready to take his former bosses down a peg, is a good pick for getting a set. His gameplay popularity in this game and the fact his form of characterisation leads itself to an impressive set of zingers means this wound up codifying a love of Haar among the fandom. I'm not on the Haar appreciation team, but man, his zingers can't be denied. He knows right where to hit Lekain where it hurts.
Lekain: Duke of Tanas… What’s gotten into you? Why are you fighting with these mercenary scum?
Oliver: I am Oliver, champion of beauty! You would harm my precious feathered angels! That makes you my enemy! Unsightly man… Prepare yourself!
Lekain: Have you finally gone stark mad? Who, exactly, do you think you’re blathering at?
Oliver, too, gets a complement of boss quotes, but in this case, this is purely as a comedy option. Part and parcel of being an outright joke character, the bosses at least milk it for all it's worth. They have no idea what's going on either.
And that's Lekain. Loud, cruel and more bark than bite, although he's certainly got the teeth to make a bite send you to the hospital. He is the worst kind of politician- the kind who's only in it for himself, and knows exactly how to play the game to get himself ahead and push down everyone he doesn't like. Which is nearly everyone that isn't a rich white man like himself. Lekain is clearly a commentary on exactly this sort of fellow, but the way the story is set up, the writers don't just say "this man is bad"- they point out that this man is only bad because other people don't get in his way. They also have some interest, albeit mostly in the context of later on, in the idea that Lekain isn't twisted because he's special, but rather that he represents an inner vice of humanity that can never fully be removed, only fought back against.
The most obvious choice of 3H comparison is, of course, Duke Ludwig von Aegir- him as the Lekain to Edelgard's Sanaki is plain as day, and there's a host of other connections that one can make between the pair in terms of their crooked politics and utter disregard for the lives of people "beneath" him. If Sanaki and Edelgard are going to make any sort of political promise for the benefit of humanity that they expect to stick, Lekain and Ludwig are the people that have to go. Of course, as the most powerful people besides themselves, it takes a little more than just telling them to get lost to do the job.
Hetzel
There can be no forgiveness for my hand in these evil deeds. Salvation is denied me and my stained soul. My torment will be eternal.
Quite right.
Hetzel: Wait, please… I never wanted to fight… I’m here only because I was ordered.
Ike: Then surrender your weapon.
Hetzel: I-I cannot do that. I would fall into disgrace with Vice-Minister Lekain.
Ike: …
...I mean, Lekain isn't going to bully you after we're done. You're so scared of this guy that you won't even switch to the winning team?
Hetzel: It is not too late, child, to surrender and accept Ashera’s grace. You can win favor in her eyes by abandoning her enemies.
Micaiah: Surrender? I wouldn’t dare “accept the grace” of a goddess that turns her worshippers to stone!
Hetzel: Some things simply can’t be helped. You and I are alive, and we should be thankful for that.
Micaiah: I have a feeling that we’re not going to be able to come to terms on this.
If Sanaki is Hetzel's best conversation, Micaiah is a clear number two. We get an insight into his philosophy, and how clearly different it is from ours. Hetzel will take what he can get, the rest of us will take what we want.
Sanaki: Hetzel… I had thought that you alone might be above Lekain’s foul conspiracy! It saddens me to see you at his side.
Hetzel: N-no, Apostle Sanaki! I–
Sanaki: I didn’t ask for excuses! You fight alongside Lekain. That’s more proof than I’ll ever need.
Hetzel: …You are right, I fight with him. I had no choice. But… please, understand that I’ve always done my best to honor and respect Your Majesty.
Sanaki: Then how do you explain my confinement in Mainal Cathedral?
Hetzel: I-I didn’t do anything! It was all Lekain! I didn’t know anything about it, and only heard later…
Sanaki: And when you did hear of it, why didn’t you stop it?
Hetzel: I… couldn’t. Actually, I could have, but I… didn’t say anything. It was the same with Misaha, and the Serenes Massacre… I…
Sanaki: …didn’t say anything. In other words, you stood by as my grandmother and the Serenes people were killed!
Hetzel: P-please forgive me…
"I did my best" followed up with "I didn't say anything". Sure you did.
Hetzel: Rafiel… Rafiel, I’m sorry.
Rafiel: …
Hetzel: I did a horrible thing. I have lived in the shadow of my regret for many years now. Please tell me that you can find it in yourself to forgive me! Please…
Rafiel: I…
Hetzel: Rafiel… I was kind to you, was I not? I didn’t treat you like a slave! I always watched over you so kindly. Be kind in return and forgive me, Rafiel.
Rafiel: …I’m sorry, I… I don’t have anything to say to you.
Hetzel: No! Rafiel…
When the best thing you can do to appeal to someone is "I didn't treat you like a slave!"
Nailah: So you’re Hetzel, huh? Rafiel told me about you.
Hetzel: That’s right… Yes… I’m… I’m the one who saved his life. He’s still alive because of me!
Nailah: Ancient history doesn’t change the fact that you’re fighting against him now. And if fight him, you fight me.
I wonder how Nailah felt about Hetzel throughout her time being aware of his existence. It seems her tolerance for his cowardice is even lower than Rafiel's- fairly obviously- but Nailah presumably had twenty-odd years to chew on how much she appreciated Hetzel getting them to meet one another.
Hetzel: L…Lord Lekain! Help! Help me!
Tibarn: As payment for taking care of Rafiel when I couldn’t, I’ll make this quick.
Small comfort. Tibarn still respects Rafiel somewhat, despite the whole "different perspectives" thing. Rather healthy, that.
Hetzel: You look so much like Rafiel… Is there anything in the world so beautiful as a Serenes heron?
Reyson: I was born this way, and mere birth is not praiseworthy. Praise me instead for my strength. What I look like is irrelevant, so long as I have the power to protect my friends.
I like Reyson. He really gets the whole "how people are born does not influence how they are".
Hetzel: Oh! Oh my! A fair heron maiden. I thought they were all gone…
Leanne: …
Hetzel: W-wait! Don’t run away. Don’t just run away!
Maybe Leanne already talked to Lekain by this point and got the wrong idea. Honestly, she probably got the wrong idea as it was with just the way he opened that sentence.
Sigrun: Senator Hetzel! Do I understand correctly that you oppose Apostle Sanaki alongside Vice-Minster Lekain?
Hetzel: Th-that’s absurd! Vice-Minster Lekain oppose the apostle! I’m just… I’m just following orders!
Tanith: Senator Hetzel, Duke of Asmin! You are guilty of treason against our empress!
Hetzel: No! That’s a lie! I never did anything wrong…
Sigrun and Tanith aren't mutually exclusive this time, but they're still kind of interchangeable. Although Tanith is more quick to judge than Sigrun is.
Hetzel: Mortals cannot measure up to gods. Any child knows as much. Why do you not kneel before her?
Astrid: That would be throwing away my own beliefs to live a life of blind obedience. I stopped doing that three years ago, and I’ve never looked back.
PoR Astrid is back. And honestly, we can probably pretend she doesn't go away again since we're long since done with Makalov. I missed having an Astrid with a spine, but whoever wrote her boss quotes knows how to make her zing.
Hetzel: I don’t understand any of you. How can you oppose the goddess? It’s only natural that people live to please the gods… the weak follow the strong.
Jill: Strong, weak… It doesn’t matter. I fight on the side of my conscience, and have yet to regret my battles.
"The weak follow the strong". So he's on board with Ashnard's rhetoric, even if he doesn't claim that to be the case. Sadly, Jill might've regretted a few battles with Pelleas's Daein, but at least she's still with her friends there.
Hetzel: Wait… I remember you… You were one of the dracoknights that fled to Daein, defying the senators… You opposed the almighty Begnion and the word of the goddess… Why? Why would you defy such power?
Haar: You could live another lifetime, and you’d still never understand.
If Hetzel doesn't understand even the basics, the advanced stuff like "reasoning" is going to completely elude him.
Hetzel: D-Duke Tanas! You’ve betrayed us? But why?
Oliver: You could never understand the depth of my commitment to beauty! Sometimes it simply overwhelms me. I can’t stop the love welling up inside! I’d do anything to keep the hideous likes of you from my precious birds!
Oliver has just gone mad with adoration. Honestly, a bit of an underwhelming entry.
And that's the story of Hetzel, Duke of Asmin. Certainly not winning any prizes for being a decent human being, but he's a fascinating character and one whose villainy is not the result of his criminal actions, but his lack of compelling ones. Whether or not you think Hetzel was a good man depends on how much you can accept good intentions alone. The sheer extent it is possible to disagree on this point helps make Hetzel a much more interesting character to discuss- Lekain is a treacherous slimy bastard, but everyone agrees on that. I hope.
I'm going to throw up a lot of sand right now: Hetzel's darkest side got given to Dimitri and Seteth for Three Houses. They are the number two to some dark and twisted minds (Rhea for Seteth and the national pride of Faerghus for Dimitri), and despite their protests, they do not believe that anything they can do will fix the problem, so don't actually do anything about them. This connection is much more tenuous than Ashnard -> Edelgard and Lekain -> Ludwig, but this largely because these characters aren't drawing on Hetzel as inspiration, but were designed to possess the same character flaw. Both writing directions make for interesting comparisons to draw between past and future Fire Emblem characters, but it's easy to conflate the latter for the former in doing so.
...Oh, and one last note, there is unused dialogue for Hetzel if he were somehow spared from 4-1. How this would happen and why it was removed are conversations unto itself.
Hetzel: I… I was only following Lekain’s orders… I never meant any harm. Please, my empress… forgive me… Please!
Sanaki: Your crimes will be punished in due time. Until then, just wait here patiently. I’m sorry it has to come to this, but I must go see the goddess and save the people of Begnion.
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