Fire Emblem

Begin with a montage of 10-year-old Dorothea surviving on the streets. She's adorable, but tends to be dirty and scruffy, and make sure to see her doing to minor shoplifting. Also we have to see her getting shoved out of the way by nobles' processions. During this montage, we see young Ferdinand getting a glimpse of her washing herself in a fountain and running off when she sees him. Dorothea rolls her eyes at noble behaviour, but we also see Ferdinand nervously approaching the fountain when she's gone. During this, we see various posters pasted around the city advertising Mittelfrank's operas, which feature Manuela front and centre. Dorothea touches at least one poster with longing.

However, while she does resort to crime on occasion, Dorothea's main source of support is busking, and we see her singing on various street corners for change. Bernadetta could possibly make an appearance here, clearly loving her singing, only for her father to scold her and drag her away from the "commoner scum", though having everybody cross paths this early might be a bit contrived. Anyway, at some point, Manuela, wearing a headscarf and modest clothes, happens upon Dorothea.

Manuela: Why that's a lovely song. What's your name?
Dorothea: I'm Dorothea. Hey, I know you! You're that lady from the posters!
Manuela: Oh, I, uh...
Dorothea: You're even prettier in person!
Manuela: (flattered and pleased) Well, I see there's nothing wrong with your eyesight. Say, do your mommy and daddy know you sing on the street?
Dorothea: I don't have a daddy. My mommy knows because she went to live with the Goddess, so she can see everything.
Manuela: Oh... so who takes care of you?
Dorothea: I take care of myself.
Manuela: That... so young... Dorothea, how'd you like to sing with my opera? You'd have a warm bed, regular meals, and you can sing to people who will really appreciate your voice.
Dorothea: I'D LOVE THAT!

Manuela takes Dorothea to the opera and has her perform for the director, a former diva herself who is now middle-aged. I'll name her Stephanie.

Stephanie: Her talent is undeniable, but she's a random girl off the street.
Manuela: I don't deny she'll need some attention, but look how far she's come as an orphan. Given the right environment she can really blossom into an incredible diva. Besides, It's not like she'll be starring right away. We'll give her choral roles until she gets the hand of it.
Stephanie: All right Manuela, I'll trust you. Let's see what this girl can do.

Manuela proceeds to take Dorothea under her wing. She's sometimes a mother, sometimes an older sister, but mostly a mentor and a friend. To start, she gives Dorothea a bath using her fancy oils and soaps, and takes her to a high-end hairdresser and tailor. She also shows Dorothea how to eat right, exercise, and maintain smooth hair and skin.

Dorothea: Wow, it's hard to be pretty.
Manuela: Yes, that's the great secret of the opera. Oh, the intelligentsia talk about the stories, the themes, and the essence of song... but the people come to see beauty. You can sing like an angel, but if you aren't also gorgeous, you'll never get far.
Dorothea: Do people like how hard we work?
Manuela: (bitterly sarcastic laugh) No, my sweet flower. We have to make it look effortless, because if people knew we had to try to look this good, it takes away from the mystique.
Dorothea: That doesn't make sense.
Manuela: I was 15 before I figured that out. With a mind that sharp, you'll go far.
Dorothea: So we have to work at being pretty forever?
Manuela: Oh my, no. (melancholy) No matter how hard you work to maintain it, beauty fades and voices change, and when you wilt, the crowd will turn on you. Stephanie went on to manage the entire opera, so she's set for life, but that means I'll need to find a different path, as will you one day. Girls like us need to find a good person to marry so we'll be secure in our old age.
Dorothea: You'd marry a noble?
Manuela: Don't be ridiculous! I said a "good person", didn't I? Now, a knight or a merchant, that's a different story.
Dorothea: Well there must be hundreds of merchants who come to see us. I'm sure any one of them would love to marry a woman as beautiful as you.
Manuela: Perhaps, but they don't want me. They want the woman they imagine me to be. It'll be the same for you - all they see is a pretty girl who can sing. They'll never know the real us... and they can't, because seeing the real person who does the singing breaks the illusion.

But it's not all about beauty and singing. Manuela also teaches Dorothea to read, to use a knife, and some simple magic that she can use for minor pyrotechnic displays.

Also, the operas we see are all based on other Nintendo games. Mostly Fire Emblem, natch, but there are operas based on The Legend of Zelda, The Last Story, Pandora's Tower, and you can probably think of others. Maybe even some of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, if Squenix is amenable.

Dorothea's first role is as one of the Children of the Forest in 'Princess Zelda and the Ocarina of Time'', doing backup vocals. In the applause, people toss flowers onto the stage; Dorothea picks up a rose, but pricks her finger. Fortunately, Manuela used her magical knowledge to heal her up. Manuela also encourages Dorothea to be like a rose - beautiful, but with vicious thorns if not handled with care. From then on, she affectionately refers to Dorothea as a rose.

The next day, Manuela brings in a pamphlet with a review of the production, ostensibly for Dorothea to practice reading, but actually because the review calls out one specific extra as giving a fantastic performance.

Dorothea: Wait, is that... me they're writing about?
Manuela: It certainly is! (hughs Dorothea) You're going to go far, my rose!

But soon after that, Dorothea is kidnapped for the first time by a reckless lordling who wants Dorothea to sing for him exclusively. Manuela manages to track her down with Stephanie and some of the other opera people; they break into the manor, subduing the guards, and Manuela personally puts a blade to the lord's throat, saying calmly and quietly into his ear "If you so much as look at that girl again, I will cut your throat." She reassures Dorothea that there won't be any further consequences, because he has a history of this sort of thing and the yeomanry aren't inclined to side with him. Still, Dorothea steps up learning to defend herself. (This lordling is also the dastard from Ingrid's paralogue).

More montages follow, Dorothea gradually getting more and more prominence; at the end, we have a shot of Manuela speaking to Seteth. At 13, Dorothea gets her first starring role, playing Midna in The Twilight Princess. Reception is overwhelmingly positive, reviewers referring to her as the "Mystical Songstress".

After Dorothea spends a few days bathing in adoration, Manuela drops a bomb at a planning meeting - she is leaving the opera to accept a teaching position at Garreg Mach.

Manuela: They want me to help out with the choir. Have you seen them? Quite enthusiastic, but no sense of rhythm or harmony. No, they need a professional to show them how to sing in a manner worthy of the Goddess! Plus, with my knowledge of healing I can run their infirmary, and I know enough Scripture to teach a couple of classes. Now don't get me wrong, I love the opera, but it's time for me to move on.

But before she does, they all decide to give her a send-off with an epic double bill of The Tragedy of Sigurd and Deirdre and The Redemption of Seliph and Julia, advertised as the final appearance of the Divine Songstress. This also serves as a Passing the Torch production - Dorothea plays Deirdre in Tragedy and Julia in Redemption, Manuela taking over the role of Deirdre for the second opera. After the curtain fall, Dorothea finds Manuela standing alone on the stage in front of an empty auditorium.

Dorothea: I thought I might find you here. Come on Manuela, you're missing the party in your honour!
Manuela: I know, I just... wanted to savour the stage one last time.
Dorothea: You don't have to give it up, you know.
Manuela: (smiling sadly) Yes I do. I remember when I first met you, you had good eyesight. Look at my eyes. See how there's a slight wrinkle when I smile? And two months ago, I found a grey hair.
Dorothea: So? You're still beautiful! If it wasn't for you, I'd never have been good enough for the stage. And you're only 31, for crying out loud!
Manuela: Yes, and that's six years longer than most sonstresses last. But as soon as a flower starts to wilt, lords throw it out and get a fresh one. It doesn't matter if the flower is a plant or a woman, nobody wants faded beauty. At Garreg Mach, I can hopefully find a knight who will love Manuela Casagandra, not the Divine Songstress.
Dorothea: But... but I need you...
Manuela: No, you don't. You've taken root here, and you need me to transplant myself; if I don't, I'll just overshadow you until you get chewed up and spat out as well. (steps aside, into the shadows, leaving Dorothea in the spotlight) The light belongs to you now, my rose. Grow tall and bloom proudly, and at the risk of mixing metaphors, soar like an eagle, shine like the sun, and sing like you're singing to the Goddess herself. Never every be ashamed of yourself - beauty of the face always fades, but beauty of the heart can last forever.

Fade to black.

We then get some more scenes of opera stuff; Dorothea, her star ascendant, rises to main diva, and her face is the one on the posters. We also see her dealing with creeps, initially just teenage boys her own age, but more and more adult men as she gets older, especially after she turns 16 (I mean, let's not be too creepy). She can't attack them the way Manuela attacked that guy who kidnapped her, but she develops her notoriously sharp tongue, and gets adept at slipping out of unwanted embraces.

Towards the end, Mittel Frank is hired to do a private performance of Fate of the Dragon Princess for Edelgard's 16th birthday. Jeralt and Byleth might make a small cameo here, providing security, but they don't get inside the palace or interact with any named characters.

While chatting with some of the servants, Dorothea hears about how Edelgard is set to attend Garreg Mach, and one of them mentions it will be the princess' first time interacting directly with commoners. Dorothea asks some questions about that, and through dogged pursuit and exploitation of her feminine wiles, she manages to get accepted right at the deadline (we also Manuela's eyes widening when she notices Dorothea will be one of her future students).

Final shot is of Dorothea walking through the gate as the sun rises.