The sun was setting in the East, and the area was calm. Earlier in the day, the Shepherds had set up camp at the peak of Mount Prism. They decided to use their moment of peace to ponder over the information they have received from their Goddess. Yet, with the ruckus erupting from the war tent that was currently occupied by the Exalted family, rest was the last thing anyone could get.
"Are they still goin' at it?" Sully asked, wincing at the sound of intense shouting coming from the war tent. A noise that had continued without rest for over an hour.
Libra slowly nodded, grimacing with sympathy for the Exalted family, "Yes, and I doubt it will end anytime soon. A great burden has been placed upon them tonight, one I would not wish upon even the worst enemy of the Heavens." He wrapped an arm around his wife and began leading her to the mess tent, "Come, let's enjoy dinner with Kjelle. We should enjoy the time that we have together, and allow Robin and her family to sort this out for themselves."
The day had been a whirlwind of emotions.
Naga hovered above them all, Her expression neutral. She exuded an aura of calm only possible as a Divine Being. It proved a boon to the beleaguered Shepherds, tired from the mad dash to Mt. Prism and morale low following Grima's Awakening. Her most recent bit of wisdom was anything but calming, however. As She stated, the only power capable of permanently ending the threat of Grima:
"... 'Twould be his own."
Frederick, ever stalwart and alert, was the first to react to this declaration, "He would have to end his own life?"
"Though our power is of equal measure, as I stated before, neither of us are capable of destroying the other fully. Only a power greater than our own, or our own power turned upon ourselves, could bring about our ultimate end," Naga said, the serene cadence of Her voice never wavering. "Unfortunately, I know Grima. His sole desire is to add to his own power and set ruin upon the world."
Robin lowered her head, voice low as she added, "Like… when he tried to unite the two of us, and I lost my memory in the field."
"Yes, fellblood. Had the merge succeeded, Grima's power would have increased two-fold, and the world would be naught but ashes. Fortunately, 'twas not so."
Robin flinched as she faced the Divine Dragon, "So you know of my lineage…"
"Yes, I sense your power, and the power of your offspring," Naga stated, drawing attention to Morgan and Lucina. Their faces grew hot under the sudden scrutiny and they averted their eyes from the others' gazes. Naga continued, "The darkness of the fell dragon resides in all three of you."
'My power…' Robin thought, the gears in her mind shifting as she pondered Naga's words, seeing perhaps the only hope they truly had, "Divine Dragon, what if I were the one to strike the final blow against Grima?"
All heads turned to Naga, and She in turn regarded Robin with an almost solemn expression. Her words seemed to be chosen carefully as She replied, "You are the avatar of the fell dragon, and thus possess a power like his. Were you to strike the final blow, the fell dragon would be unmade."
A cheer rose from the gathered Shepherds, hugs and kisses being shared in their revelry. Chrom released his wife from the bear hug he enveloped her in.
"This is great, my love! We can bring an end to Grima's terror once and for all!" he exclaimed. His triumphant grin made her body run hot with a rush of excitement and affection. Before she could reply however, Naga's voice rang out once more.
"However," She began, immediately commanding the Shepherd's full attention, "destroying a power like the Grima's is not so simple as dealing the final blow. Were the strike to be done with the Exalted Falchion, the power in the sword and dragon would simply cancel out. Because the power of Grima is an intrinsic part of you, when both you and he cancel out, you too will be slain."
A tense silence fell over the Shepherd's expressions falling into either shock or horror at the prospect of losing their beloved Tactician, and more importantly, a beloved mother and wife.
"That's… That's unacceptable!" Chrom cried, his face tightened frustration as he turned his head up to the Goddess, "Is there truly no way to end Grima once and for all without sacrificing Robin!?" His fists clenched and his heart sank simply at the mention of sacrifice. The Shepherds had come so far without losing a single man due to their tactician's brilliance, only to find that to achieve their goal they'd have to sacrifice the one who made that happen?
He refused to accept that.
There was a short pause. Naga's eyes swept over the crowd before Her, taking in their emotions and desires. Though She knew what She had to say next would make things no better, She felt that the humans before Her had earned the right to know ALL of their options.
"If you wish to end Grima forever, there is no way forward without sacrifice. Although, it need not be Robin who commits it." She raised Her hand and pointed to where Morgan and Lucina stood next to each other. "You two, children of the Exalted bloodline and the avatar of the fell dragon. The same power that resides in your mother resides in your blood as well. Were one of you strike the final blow, Grima would be eliminated permanently. However, your Exalted blood would not be enough to save you, and you would perish along with the fell dragon."
Morgan and Lucina shared a glance, unsure of how to respond to the revelation of their new found responsibility. Morgan's face had sunken, unsure of himself, while Lucina's held a firm resolution only she understood yet her sadness was clear. The rest of the Shepherds simply stood in silence as they tried to process what they had been told.
Naga decided to let them go, as She understood the knowledge She bestowed upon them was much to bear. "You may rest here on the Mount. You have made a long journey, have faced many powerful enemies, and have been given a very difficult decision to make. With the Fire Emblem it is within my power to hasten the passage of time here, allowing you more time to rest without worrying for the destruction Grima causes in your absence. I shall retire to my temple. Should you require more of me, do not hesitate."
"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Robin as she slammed her fist onto the war table. The tiny figures representing soldiers jumped and scattered across the many maps that littered the table. Robin was red in the face, veins bulging as she glared at her daughter Lucina.
"Mother, Grima is my destiny, my responsibility! This is my fate, not yours!" Lucina yelled back with force equal to her mother's. Her face was an similar shade of red and her fists were clenched so tightly she nearly drew blood from her palms even through her fingerless gloves. Morgan sat in the corner, head tucked into his lap with his hands secured over his ears, the weight of the pressure making him want to hide, but he wanted to believe that this could be a sign he could really do something great with his life.
Chrom chose this moment to interject, "Both of you stop!" His face was drooped due to his exhaustion not only physically but emotionally. Ever since Naga released the Shepherds and they set up camp, his family immediately came here to discuss their new information. Which then led into this verbal battle which has gone on for quite some time. "Why will neither you of stop and consider all of our options?"
"Shut up, Chrom!/Be silent, father!" Came the responses, their twin glares solidly focused on him.
Morgan had finally had enough. He rose and screamed as loudly as he could, "STOP IT!"
His family all turned to him in shock. They had forgotten he was with them in the tent. He hadn't contributed to the argument, causing their focus to narrow on each other instead.
Morgan ran his eyes over his family, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "We shouldn't be fighting each other like this! We're family! This isn't… this isn't right!"
The four looked at each other, Robin and Lucina breathing heavily as they did most of the arguing. Seconds passed before Robin spoke up, "Morgan is-" she stopped to cough, her throat weak from the strain of raising her voice. "Morgan is right. I'm sorry Lucina, Chrom. I let my temper get away from me."
Lucina averted her gaze from her family and trained on the ground beneath her feet. "I apologize as well, father, mother, Morgan."
Chrom took the opportunity presented, "We are all very tired, and not very calm right now. This… problem we have, deserves us at our best, not at each other's throats. Let's rest for the night, and continue this tomorrow. Naga has guaranteed us enough time for that, at least."
The other three agreed, and slowly they made their way out of the war tent to join the rest of the Shepherds for dinner. Though the issue remained unresolved, they were able to put it aside for now and follow Chrom's advice.
And that's the end of the first chapter of my first fic ever! Special shout out to my two wonderful beta readers CloudyLightning and tiger002, without whom this chapter and the rest of the story would not have half the quality it does. Please leave a review to let me know what I can improve on or if any errors slipped through the net!