AN- Well, as the self-proclaimed number one Nah fangirl, I felt like writing something about her, and while digging through her support conversations for ideas, I found a fascinating tidbit in her S support with Brady that was just too intriguing to pass down. Yeah, I know this is MorganxNah, but it's just something she mentioned in that support that I'd never heard before, an interesting theory about Manaketes. Just thought you lovely people had the right to know, as it's really interesting. Don't own anything but my own ideas here. So, thanks and enjoy! -Twilight Joltik
The Manakete Curse
By Twilight Joltik
After Grima was defeated, the first thing Morgan did was give Nah the ring he'd held close to him since the moment he knew the Manakete returned his affections. She accepted with a tearful grin, but unlike a few of the other couples in the army, they did not want to get wed on that day. Instead, during the impromptu victory bash that was being held by Flavia and Basillio, Nah pulled her husband-to-be aside, out into the courtyard of the palace where long ago, a certain masked swordsman had saved her father from his would-be assassins.
The anxious look on her face was painful to see for the tactician's son. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, his own concern tainting his voice.
Nah shook her head and beamed. "Of course! I've never been happier, and I'm not just saying that. Everything I've ever wished for has come to pass, after all."
"Then why do you look kind of sick?" countered Morgan.
Taking a deep breath, Nah pulled her Dragonstone out of her pocket. "I need to ask you something important, and I promise I won't be hurt whatever you choose," Nah sighed, her voice threatening to crack.
"Go on."
"There's a certain power of Manaketes," Nah began. "Our longevity is a curse that means we are sure to outlive everyone important to us."
Morgan put his hand on his fiancée's shoulder. "I know that. And I promise, even though I won't be able to give you much time, I'll make the time we do get great!"
"I'm not done," Nah continued. "This curse of ours... From what I've heard, if a Manakete so chooses, they can use the power of their Dragonstone to transfer part of their life force to another. If you wanted me to, I could give half of my life to you, so you'll live far longer than most humans, while I'll live for a rather short time, compared to most Manaketes."
Morgan had no clue what to say. What could someone say, when they were being offered the chance to live as long as their lover and outlive everyone else? "A-are you offering me-? Are you-? You can't be serious! I've never even heard of something like that! Are you sure it's safe?"
Nah shook her head. "No, I'm not. I've never seen anyone do it, nor do I even know if it's possible. It's just something I heard my mother talking about once. She was trying to explain to someone why she didn't fear my father's eventual death. Of course, I have no idea if she actually gave my father part of her life force, but I just wanted to offer it to you. If this isn't what you want, I promise I'll be fine, but," she turned towards the palace, where the majority of the Shepherds were conversing happily. "All of them will fade soon enough," Nah sighed. "I just thought it would be nice to have the person most important to me here for my entire life."
"Sorry," she added in a quick mutter. "I'm not trying to guilt you into this."
"I'd outlive Mother and Father and everyone else," Morgan mused. "Nah, thank you so much for everything. It's amazing to think that I mean enough to you that you'd give me half of your life, but I don't think I'm ready to make a decision like that."
Nah embraced Morgan with a sob. "Okay, I'll wait for as long as you want. I'll wait forever, if I have to."
A movement of green and red caught Morgan's eye as it skimmed the floor of the hall. Through the great windows, Morgan could see Tiki, the Manakete that had once been friends with the Hero-King. He quickly got an idea and broke away from Nah's embrace, racing inside. "Tiki!" he called. "Hey, Nah and I have a question for you!"
Naga's Voice nodded and followed the aspiring tactician back into the courtyard. "I congratulate you on your engagement," Tiki commented as her eye was caught by the small white stone glimmering on Nah's ring finger. "Is this about your lifespan, as I believe I warned you that to love someone is to watch the world move past them."
Realization clicked in Nah's eyes as she shook her head. "Well, in a way, I suppose. I just heard something once about a Manakete being able to transfer their life force through their Dragonstone."
With a startled gasp, Tiki quickly launched into a panicked frenzy. "No! You couldn't possibly! I mean, in theory, it is possible, but no one has ever done it and lived!"
"So you have heard of it," Nah prompted. "Why did you never mention it to me? All those times we talked, you never said anything about being able to do such a thing."
"That's because you couldn't do anything like that," Tiki muttered. "At least, not without dying. You see, there are ways to transfer your life force to another, but there is no way known to transfer only part of it. If you were to do such a thing, every ounce of your life would be his. You would perish, leaving him with a horrible curse never meant to befall human beings."
With a pained look down, Nah started to sob. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know! Morgan, please forgive me."
Her fiancée took the half-Manakete into his arms. "It's fine! Nothing's changed, I'm still going to make our years together the best of your life."
Tiki began to leave, but Nah suddenly looked up and caught her by the hem of her cape. "Tiki," Nah questioned. "How do you know so much about this? Did you see someone do this once?"
Turning around, the green-haired woman grimaced. "Nah, I trust you. Morgan, I suppose your mother orchestrated the plan to seal Grima for the next thousand years and Nah has given you her trust. You two must vow to never tell a soul this, understood?"
Nah nodded and Morgan made a cross over his heart.
"Long ago, when the Hero-King was barely clinging onto life and I was young and foolish, I attempted the procedure," Tiki told, her voice heavy with guilt. "He was barely alive, and I thought it was my only chance to save him. Naturally, I gave so much that I died instantly and gave every last ounce to him."
"Then how are you still alive?" Morgan asked.
Turning away from the couple and glancing up at the stars, she sighed. "Naga saved me. With her great power, she was able to reverse the procedure. Of course, that means, in a way, I killed Mar-Mar."
A tear hit the ground, streaming from Tiki's face. There were no words left in any of them, so they simply took in the night air, letting the starlight trickle down from the night sky.
AN- I have long said Tiki is the most depressing creature in all of Fire Emblem, which is a pretty steep competition, but I think her victory is warranted. I just thought the life force transfer thing was an interesting thing that was possibly canon, so I expounded upon it and made it into a nice little story. So, thanks for reading! -Twilight Joltik