To be forgotten is worse than death.

I wrote about Freya’s clingliness here here. In that post, I call her a “stage 5 clinger”. Obviously, I was being little a bit facetious. An actual medical definition exists for her character:

Dependent Personality Disorder. People with dependent personality disorder may exhibit a pattern of dependent and submissive behavior, relying on others to make decisions for them. They require excessive reassurance and advice, and are easily hurt by criticism or disapproval. They feel uncomfortable and helpless if they are alone, and can be devastated when a close relationship ends. They have a strong fear of rejection. Typically lacking in self-confidence, the dependent personality rarely initiates projects or does things independently. This disorder usually begins by early adulthood and is diagnosed more frequently in females than males.

This might be no surprise if you recall who Freya constantly thinks about. Of course, she’s a competent warrior who can hold her own in battle. But she seems very unsure of her ability to carry on without her love Sir Fratley. When he left, she became so distraught as to search for him. She fears being forgotten (“To be forgotten is worse than death.”). She rarely disagrees with the party.

Freya faces much tragedy yet holds out hope. She may appear to live in the past, ever hopeful she’ll be reunited with Fratley, but actually chooses to live for the future, by sustaining memories of the past. In the Japanese version, Freya speaks archaically. She speaks in Rōjingo (老人語?, lit. Sociolect of Elderly People), which was used in Edo-era Tokyo and is similar to modern-day Hiroshima dialect.

I’m unsure as to exactly why her self-worth hinges upon Sir Fratley. Maybe he was just really good to her. But the game really doesn’t explain much, beyond the fact they were in a relationship. Unfortunately, her personality disorder does not subside. She still remains uncomfortably close to an amnesiac Sir Fratley in the hopes that he will one day remember her. Once he remembers himself, then Freya will truly consider herself alive again.