Marie Belmont

Marie Belmont is the deceased wife of Gabriel Belmont and a character in the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow saga.

Early Life
Marie was the youngest daughter of a rich merchant family and was always attracted by the courageous nature of the Brotherhood of Light lore; curious and lively, she often escaped her duties at home to watch the warriors' training at the monastery. During one of these visits she became acquainted with the man that would later become her husband, an orphan by the name of Gabriel.

The two youngsters were made for one another; they grew together and soon started to make promises of their future, promises that were always kept. One idyllic morning, with the blessing of both her family and the Brotherhood, the couple was married.

Marie was a good counterpoint to Gabriel's dark moods and often just her laughter was enough to blow away the gathering storm within him.

In 1046, when her husband was on a mission for the Brotherhood, Marie gave birth to his son, Trevor, but knowing of Gabriel's eventual descent into darkness, she was called to protect their son from what he would eventually become, and decided to leave the child in the hands of the Brotherhood, concealing the birth from Gabriel.

Events of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
In 1047 Marie was stated to have been murdered by one of the creatures that roamed the land in these times and became one of the many dead whose souls became trapped on the Earth and forced to roam it for eternity. She recognized what was at stake and guided her husband throughout his quest to defeat the evil. Gabriel learns about a powerful device, The God Mask, which has the ability to bring back the dead, and he will have to defeat the three Lords of Shadow to retrieve it so he can use it to revive her. At times, Marie serves to protect Gabriel from near-death, as seen when the vampire Laura witnesses their love and is moved to pity, sparing Gabriel's life.

After having reassembled the Mask in the Land of the Dead, The Lord of the Dead, who turns out to be Zobek, reveals to Gabriel that Marie's death was far more tragic: she was killed by none other than Gabriel himself, under the influence of the Devil Mask. In fact, Gabriel's quest was specifically orchestrated by Zobek (under the influence of Satan) in order to obtain the mask's power for himself. After Gabriel defeats Satan, Marie reveals to him that the mask's only true power is seeing the world through God's eyes, and disappears, taking the mask with her, after expressing her love for Gabriel and her forgiveness of his actions.

Lords of Shadow 2
The ghost of Marie is said to have been sent by God to help guide Gabriel, now known as Dracula. Shortly before his awakening, Marie frequently helps her son Trevor (now Alucard) to reclaim his father's powers from the castle and the curse that tries to prevent Dracula's return. Quietly from afar, Marie helps Alucard execute his plans.

It is not until the witch Carmilla poisons Dracula that Marie appears before him, providing a cure with her blood. Marie helps him defeat Carmilla, and reunites with Trevor after Dracula sheds his inner self. She is last seen with Trevor when Dracula regains his memories with the Book of Dracul.

Trivia

 * The name Marie is the French and German variant of the name Mary; in the Bible, the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, was told she would bear the son of God directly by an Archangel named Gabriel, a famous scene known as the Annunciation. Upon hearing the angel's words to her, although surprised, like the character of Lords of Shadow, Mary accepts her destiny completely. Therefore, the names of Marie and Gabriel in relation to the characters are fitting, although the game reverse the roles: Marie acts as the heavenly guide to her mortal husband to aid him in fulfilling his own fate. Also in French, the name Marie shares a similar pronunciation to the word "mari", the French word for "husband", making a further connection to Marie's character.
 * As the deceased wife of the holy knight who would later become Dracula, Marie can be considered the Lords of Shadow version of Elisabetha Cronqvist.
 * Marie may also be considered the Lords of Shadow version of Lisa, as she is also the mother of Alucard.