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nonbinaryspy · 6 months

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Our Path Ahead: Micaiah and Sanaki Meta

"Stealth is rather thrilling!" "Shh! You'll get us spotted!"

Along with amazing art, a fun unit, and some adorable conversations, the latest duo unit in FEH offers a perfect chance to compare and contrast Micaiah and Sanaki's backgrounds as well as imagine how they come together post-RD. I'll be sharing relevant quotes from RD to showcase how their FEH interactions follow up from it, so this post will be long and spoiler-filled for both RD and the latest FEH update.

I'll first share Sanaki's arc in RD, then discuss their dynamic in the latest FEH update, and end by digging more into Micaiah's arc in RD.

Sanaki's RD arc has her contending with the fact that she can't hear the voice of the goddess, or do anything else associated with the apostle's powers. Of course, this is because Micaiah inherited these abilities along with her brand, but in the meantime, the senate takes advantage of the confusion to call Sanaki a false apostle and take control. This in turn makes her doubt herself.

At first, during 4-P, Sanaki sounds like she believes her upbringing should make her just as, if not more, capable than Micaiah:

Sanaki: “If Micaiah, an untrained girl from the streets of Daein, is fighting, then I shall stand my ground as well.”

However, she quickly learns what Micaiah can do. While she wants to learn more about why Micaiah has the powers she lacks, she is too scared to approach her at first.

Sigrun: “… We seem to have missed our chance to speak with her. What a remarkable girl. Lady Micaiah can hear the voice of the goddess Yune and learn of impending danger. She is much like you, Empress Sanaki.” Sanaki: “… Let us head back.” Sigrun: “Are you sure? You said before that it was imperative you speak with Lady Micaiah…” Sanaki: “It’s not important. Forget it.”

In 4-3, however, Micaiah takes the initiative:

Micaiah: “Yes, it’s me, Micaiah. Um… May I sit next to you?” Sanaki: “What? Oh… Uh…” “…Of course you may.” Micaiah: “Thank you. …This is awkward. I’m sorry. I know that you are not very fond of me, but I wanted to talk to you.” Sanaki: “It’s not that. I like you just fine. It’s just that…you make me feel inadequate.” Micaiah: “It’s because I can sing the galdr of release and hear Yune’s voice, isn’t it?” Sanaki: “How…did you know?” Micaiah: “I can sense the flow of people’s thoughts. By seeing the movement of a person’s mind, I can usually deduce what the person is thinking…” Sanaki: “You can read minds?! What a boon that would be to running a country… If I could read people’s minds, I could tell what the nobles and senators were thinking behind their smiles. I wonder why the goddess didn’t bless me with such power?”

Though Micaiah thinks Sanaki dislikes her, and she doesn't know they're related, she is already drawn to try to connect with her. Sanaki, meanwhile, is still hung up on the idea that Micaiah has the abilities she lacks, and that she could have prevented the current problems if she'd had them instead.

Later in the chapter, she contextualizes this while talking to Sigrun and Tanith, saying that after the last apostle's assassination and the ensuing power vacuum, her birth and ascension led to "a sigh of relief [that] sounded across the country." This is clearly a lot of pressure to put on a child! After all the turmoil the senate causes, Sanaki feels responsible, saying that "the country’s sigh of relief was unwarranted" because she couldn't hear the voice of the goddess. She's convinced the fault lies with her and the powers she lacks. Tanith and Sigrun, however, maintain their motherly banter throughout this conversation, and then confirm that they're loyal to her for who she is rather than any born abilities:

Sigrun: “If you thought that our allegiance was to the office of the apostle, well, you were wrong. Even from a young age, you have been working with Lord Sephiran to fight the senate on behalf of the people.” Tanith: “Our loyalty lies with you, Empress Sanaki. You will always be our empress. Please do not forget that.” Sanaki: “…I am…blessed. Not by the voice of the goddess, but by loyalty like yours.”

As will be shown later in this post, in the latest FEH content, Sanaki describes how even now, Tanith and Sigrun are still supporting her in a new world, helping her train and gain new abilities. Sanaki was raised to value herself for her potential inherited powers, but in the end, it's who she is that wins the love and loyalty of her family and the people of Begnion.

At the end of RD, the siblings come together and decide that Sanaki will continue to rule Begnion, no longer as an empire, but as a nation on equal footing with Daein, which Micaiah will always consider her true home.

Sanaki: “In that case, my sister, please consider staying in Begnion. With your power and charisma, you could do so much good here.” Micaiah: “No, I’m afraid I can’t.” Sanaki: “Why-Why not?” Micaiah: “Daein is my home, and Daein needs me to help it heal and rebuild. Not Begnion.” Sanaki: “But Begnion–“ Micaiah: “Begnion has you, Empress. You will be a just ruler. Make your country proud to have you.” Sanaki: “Will I… never see you again?” Micaiah: “Hardly. I think that what our countries need now is a sense of family and friendship. I ask that you sign a treaty of alliance with Daein and announce that we are equals.”

In this conversation from the epilogue, we see Sanaki continue to suggest that Micaiah would be a better ruler for Begnion, but Micaiah disagrees. She knows that Sanaki is just as determined to keep the people of Begnion safe and happy as she is to do the same for Daein, and assures Sanaki to that end.

In the latest FEH update, we see these traits in practice, as Sanaki is very committed to training for the ninja festival. Even in their friend greeting quote, she is still training while passing along messages:

Sanaki: Urgh… There's nothing to be done if we've been detected. Our infiltration training is over. Let's away, Micaiah!

I also love putting some of their castle quotes in conversation with each other.

Sanaki: A ninja... If only I had such a person at my disposal, perhaps then I might have quelled the senate's rampage.

Here, we see that in FEH's take on a teenage Sanaki, she is still blaming herself for the senate's actions and questioning what she could have done to stop them. She therefore still wants to acquire more power:

Sanaki: People are fragile... Which is precisely why they must learn to have strength. Do you not think so, Micaiah?

Micaiah, meanwhile, has quite a different line about strength:

Micaiah: It's about time for the festivities! Shall we take a short break? Participation in a festival takes ample strength.

As Sanaki's older sister, and having already seen how hard Sanaki is on herself, Micaiah encourages her to take care of herself and be patient. This is also shown in their level-up quotes:

Micaiah: Keep your head up, Sanaki. We are improving slowly but surely.

Meanwhile, we see Sanaki still has her drive to stop those with corrupt intentions:

Sanaki: Stand down! Your ill-intentioned deeds are over!

However, she may have another motive, in her desire for attention from her sister:

Sanaki: Aha! It hit the mark! Micaiah, you must observe this technique!

When they first met in RD, Sanaki was too nervous to even approach Micaiah, and came across to Micaiah as disliking her. But now she is actively seeking out Micaiah's approval and companionship.

All of this clearly follows up from their dynamic in the RD epilogue. What really sells this for me is their level 40 dialogue:

Sanaki: I can scarcely believe how incapable my body is of following my wishes. I can't seem to move like you, Micaiah. Micaiah: I spent my life running between alleys and the underground... I'm bound to have a bit more endurance than you. Sanaki: It may not appear to be the case, but I've done my fair share of training with Sigrun, Tanith, and a few others. Micaiah: You mean to say you've been doing special ninja training with members of the Holy Guard? Sanaki: To train, we've been swatting at fast-growing ivy in the mornings. At times it's so tall, Tanith must lift me. Micaiah: We are quite similar, you and I. We both take these festivals seriously and are earnest in our pursuits. Sanaki: Yes, well...er...we are sisters after all! Though, I simply figured if I was going to participate, I may as well go all in. Micaiah: That's one of your best qualities. You are incredibly decisive and have such strong convictions—a true ruler. Sanaki: Well...this conversation has taken a turn, but I quite enjoy being with you. Shall we continue this discourse? Micaiah: Of course, not only for our sakes but for Begnion's and Daein's as well. But we must watch those sneaky shadows.

In RD, Sanaki initially implied that Micaiah's upbringing would lead to her being less capable, but now it's presented as having given her endurance and survival abilities that Sanaki never had a reason to develop. This conversation also shows Sanaki continuing to train, as she's accepted that she must rely on abilities she cultivates rather than assuming the goddess will grant her power. Like Tanith and Sigrun, Micaiah is able to recognize that Sanaki's strength lies in her determination, which of course is a trait Micaiah shares.

Even as they spend time together incognito as siblings, they still have their political roles in mind, and their conversation turns to focusing on the abilities required of a ruler rather than only treating this as a family vacation. Given the roles they've both found themself in--Sanaki due to birth, and Micaiah due to circumstance--having a normal outing is easier said than done.

Their precious voiced conversation also showcases their different pasts, abilities, and experiences with family, especially in the first half of it:

Sanaki: Excellent. Now that I've slipped in undetected, all that remains is to reach out and take... Micaiah: Found you! Sanaki: Blast! That is the third time in a row you've caught me! What gave the game away this time? I suppose that is a foolish question to ask a diviner. You looked into the future, didn't you? Micaiah: Not at all. I merely took the time to familiarize myself with all the little nooks and crannies in this place. More by force of habit than anything else, admittedly. I needed that sort of awareness to survive, growing up. Sanaki: Ah... Of course. I can scarcely imagine the trials you must have endured in those years... Micaiah: Now, now, none of that. It's all behind us. Right now, I'm at a festival with my sister—and I couldn't be happier. It reminds me of festivals back home, though. I'd often see brothers and sisters leading each other around. It used to make me envious, seeing siblings holding hands, enjoying their time together as family.

I love how FEH presents the idea that Sanaki is learning to not define Micaiah only as the one who inherited Lehran's powers. While she assumes Micaiah relied on future sight, Micaiah in fact used the survival instincts she needed while living on the streets as one of the Branded. Sanaki expresses sympathy, but Micaiah, as a character who has a harsh past and looks ever to the future, is currently trying to live in the present--appreciating what she finally has simply by being there with Sanaki.

Though Sanaki yearned for the powers Micaiah has, in RD, Micaiah says she always felt they were a burden. She gets overwhelmed among groups of people due to always feeling their emotions, especially the emotions directed toward her. Considering how much hatred she's experienced throughout her life as a Branded in Daein as well as a freedom fighter, this is undoubtedly a traumatic thing to live with. Even when she finds people who support her, she ends up being put on a pedestal she never asked for. Seeing the future can also be a burden, as she may or may not be able to stop the dark visions she sees. So while a festival could be an overwhelming experience for someone with her empathic abilities, being at this festival in FEH, living in the moment with her cherished family and going around incognito as a regular person, would be a healing experience.

Even then, she is unable to turn off her survival instincts that tell her she must be aware of potential danger and places to hide. Meanwhile, Sanaki's own protection relies on being visible--on being able to call for her guards at any given moment, as well as use her status as a shield. Being stealthy at a ninja festival is far from her own wheelhouse, as some of their voice lines amusingly show.

It's clear that Micaiah and Sanaki have lived very separate lives, and they've had different types of family supporting them. Micaiah is used to sneaking around as part of a group with Sothe and the Dawn Brigade, most of whom are younger than her and who she must protect, while Sanaki is used to having the adults around her dote on and protect her as their liege, most notably Tanith, Sigrun, and Sephiran. She is used to being the center of attention, as is shown in the paralogue, where she does not want to have to share her new sibling with Sothe--but she also is used to being isolated on a pedestal rather than being treated as an equal. So in the duo unit's voice conversation, Sanaki is at first awkward about the idea of holding Micaiah's hand to walk around the festival, but quickly latches onto the chance for affection and companionship.

Sanaki: I hope you harbor no intentions of chaperoning me like that. I am an empress, you will recall! Still... I suppose I would consent to holding hands. If you'd like. Micaiah: Oh, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just reminiscing, that's all. But, since you've made me such a generous offer, how could I refuse? Go on, take my hand. Sanaki: Very well! Hehehe...this will be fun. Come, we have a festival to enjoy! Hurry it along now! Micaiah: Oh! Hehehe! Keep swinging my arm like that and you're likely to send me flying!

(Side note: this isn't even the only mention Micaiah makes to flying in this update. I have to respect her commitment to bird puns.)

Part of Micaiah's arc in RD involves her grappling with the idea of belonging. Years ago, she and Sothe were all each other had, due to her experiences being Branded and his own past as an orphan. They are used to relying on and fiercely protecting each other as a result. Still, before PoR, Micaiah tried to leave Sothe, as she didn't think someone who was Branded could really have a home or family. She knew that as she aged, her heritage would become apparent. The rejection that the Branded face gave her understandable issues with attachment, but thankfully, she and Sothe were able to reunite. By that point, traveling with Ike had also taught Sothe greater acceptance of other races, allowing him to support Micaiah better.

Ike: The first time I met him, he’d hidden on a ship we were taking. He mentioned he was looking for someone who was like family to him. It was you he was searching for, wasn’t it? Micaiah: I…I tried to leave him behind. When we went to Crimea, I split off from him and took a ship to Begnion. But when I reached Begnion, war had broken out between Crimea and Daein. I knew I had to return to Daein to look for him. I couldn’t find him, so I went to Crimea. But I still couldn’t find him… We found each other again after the war, in Daein. In the back alleys of Nevassa, where we first met. Ike: You took routes opposite to each other. Micaiah: When I told him why I’d disappeared, he got so angry… I’d never seen him get so emotional before. Ike: I can’t say that I blame him. I’d be pretty furious if I heard someone that I loved was wandering around two countries at war. Besides, I’m sure he’d hidden his feelings about being abandoned until he saw you again. Micaiah: I thought I was reaching the limit of how long I could stay with him. He grew each and every day, but I remained the same… I didn’t want him to be harmed by the curse I lived with. Can you imagine how hard that would have been on him?

Given how she literally has an ability called sacrifice, and is often put in positions of responsibility, whether it's looking after Sothe when he was a child or becoming the leader of a resistance group, Micaiah's first instinct was to sacrifice the bond she had, not understanding that her leaving Sothe behind would be harder on him. Never having been allowed to have a place in society, she underestimated her own importance to someone else. However, she learns that sacrifice is not always the most noble option or the best solution to a problem.

After speaking to Ike more, Micaiah decides that she'll return to Daein, whereas she initially had been thinking she would "travel to a far-off place." Though she was afraid to try to stay with the people of Tellius, as she had always been told that her blood was cursed and that she wouldn't have a place with anyone, she has found a home and a family. The chance to remain with those she cares about is worth the hardships that may lie ahead.

Earlier in the game, as she got involved in wider political plots, she had to make decisions about who to protect when she couldn't save everyone. This includes Tibarn confronting her with the choice to either surrender--thus dooming the people of Daein to the blood pact--or sacrifice Sothe, as well as her decision to protect the people of Daein even if it means fighting the other nations. Sothe is the only family she has known, and Daein is the only home she has known, so these decisions weigh heavily on her.

By the end, Micaiah has found things she didn't know she could look for--an answer to her mysterious origins, blood relations in Sanaki and Lehran, and a family outside of Daein. She and Sanaki can seek international peace together by working publicly from a distance, which is very different than Micaiah having to stick to the shadows or make sacrifices to protect the people closest to her. As someone who values peace, she no longer has to choose between her love and her ideals.

This quote from the latest FEH update (from when you power up the duo unit) sums this up quite well:

Micaiah: Let us unite in strength and mold this world into one of peace, together.

(Blessed thought to add to my ever-growing list of fic ideas: Since the herons can use sending stones, theoretically, Sanaki and Micaiah could use sending stones to communicate Post-RD. Diplomatic phone calls that turn into late-night sister chats!!)

Still, that doesn't mean that she's instantly going to know how to interact with people she just found out she's related to. In her talk conversation with Lehran in 4-final, she's unusually shy:

Micaiah: Um… Lehran: Yes? Micaiah: You’re Lehran, aren’t you? Lehran: Yes. Micaiah: You… Forgive me for asking, but… Aren’t you my– Lehran: Can we talk about this later? Micaiah: What? Oh, I mean, of course… Sorry to bother you… Lehran: Child, you couldn’t possibly bother me. It’s just, the talk you and I must have is going to take a long time. I don’t think Ashera would wait for us to finish. Micaiah: Oh… Very well. Lehran: What is it? Micaiah: Oh, nothing… Never mind. Lehran: Micaiah? Micaiah: Y-yes? Lehran: Looks like you could use some backup. I’m good with a staff, too, you know. Micaiah: Th-thank you.

Unlike Sanaki, Micaiah is not used to approaching a father figure, and trying to broach this topic with Lehran of all people is no doubt intimidating! He, being more used to this role, is able to demonstrate his desire to support her while remaining pragmatic about the urgent situation they're in.

I bring this up because in the FEH paralogue, Micaiah fumbles her initial attempt to spend time with Sanaki, bringing up Sothe rather than paying attention to the sibling she's with. As said, Sanaki is particularly likely to find this frustrating, and due to her trademark bratty personality and Micaiah's teasing big sis instincts, this leads to some banter. In the end, however, they are able to express their feelings and their desire to spend time together as siblings.

Micaiah: Ah! What are— Is this some new kind of ninja attack?! Hee hee hee! Get off, get off! Owowow! …Hey, that tickles! Sanaki: All those who disturb the apostle's peace must be dealt the most severe punishments! …Beg my forgiveness! Micaiah: Forgive me, O Apostle! I will forever more—until the end of the festival—enjoy spending my time with my beloved sister. Sanaki: …That's all I wanted! Micaiah: I know we haven't had a chance to spend much time together as sisters yet, but... I hope we can do this sort of thing together as family from now on. And with practice, I'm sure to get better about just enjoying my time with you while I'm with you. Sanaki: Micaiah... I'm glad you understand. Now, let's get back to enjoying our time here! We're wasting valuable practice time!

This family has plenty of baggage, but they crave connection and have a great capacity to support each other. Though their backgrounds may be different, there's so much for them to learn from each other as they lead their respective nations and become a loving family. I'm so glad that FEH gave them a chance to finally get to know one another and share the affection they deserve.

#fire emblem #tellius #fe10 #radiant dawn #fe heroes #fire emblem heroes #sanaki #micaiah #micaiah fire emblem #sanaki kirsch altina #long post

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