Real quick before you read. If you would like to have a better experience for this chapter, somewhere toward the end you will see a star like this *. That is a cue, for those who are willing, to play this song I'm about to give you. "Journey's End" from Tales of Zesteria. It's a masterpiece and I believe it fits well with the situation!
Chapter 30 Good-Bye
Morgan softly knocked on the door to her sister's quarters and entered once she was told. "Hey there, Naomi." Morgan greeted her sister who sat on her bed with an open purple tome in her lap.
"Hey, Morgan…Again. You need something?" Naomi asked, making sure to bookmark her book before closing it.
"Not really. Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay." Morgan said, half-lie, half-truth. Naomi sighed at her sister's obvious lie.
"This is the third time that you were just 'checking up on me' and every time I've told you that I am fine."
Morgan looked to her sister with an overly oblivious face and said, "I did? I thought you said you weren't feeling well, so I came back to check on you…"
"…Morgan, what do you really want?" Naomi asked seriously. "I doubt it has anything to do with my health. Telling from how uneasy you seem, I guessing it has something to do with what Naga said." Naomi knew she hit the right subject since her sister quickly tensed up at the mention of the divine dragon.
"I was just thinking…about what Naga said." Morgan started, trying to find the right words. "…Since we are also technically apart of Grima as well as father, when he delivers the final blow to Grima, won't we-"
"Perish as well? Yes, I'm well aware of that fact." Naomi interrupted her sister with a straight face.
"…I knew you would already know." Morgan mumbled, not surprised by her sister's knowledge. "So, how do you feel about this? You know, with Father taking the fall and all?"
"There's nothing really for me to feel." Naomi said plainly. "I haven't told Donnel nor Father about what would happen to us if Father chooses to slay Grima, and I think that would be for the best. I wouldn't want anything to change Father's mind. But it is also not certain that this is true or not. Either way, we must keep this from them at all cost."
"You do know that we could really die if our bonds aren't that strong, right?" Morgan brought up the negative while rubbing her left arm nervously. Naomi stared her sister who looked very uncomfortable about the whole ordeal. Sweat could be visually seen and anyone could tell by the constant body movement that she was scared.
"Are you afraid?" Naomi asked her sister. "You know-of death?"
Morgan looked away from her sister's brown eyes and to the wooden floors of the ship. "Kinda," Morgan replied in almost a whisper. "It's just, there's so much that I haven't done yet in this life. I only have memories up to 4 months and I haven't even remembered anything from my past. How can I just die without ever finding out who I really am or the happiness and pain I once felt? I…I really fear dying."
"It's alright to fear death, Morgan." Naomi tried to reassure her sister. "But you know we have no right to stop Father from ending Grima. I would gladly give my life to insure that thing never came back to life. It would be selfish of us to stop Father simply because of our fears. We would have no one else to blame but ourselves if that monster resurrected in a few hundred years." Thought she knew her sister had a point, Morgan just could not stop her body from shaking at the thought of leaving this word. Naomi could see that her words were not making her twin feel any better. In fact, she now looked worse than she did when the conversation started.
Instead of continuing the topic any further, Naomi stood to her feet and walked over to her distressed twin. Morgan didn't even seem to notice her sister approaching until two arms wrapped around her neck and pulled her into a tight embrace. Morgan's eyes widened as she looked to the blonde hair that belonged to her sister. "N-Naomi?"
"It's alright, Morgan." Naomi whispered in her sister's ear. "I know you are scared. I may not show it, but I'm terrified as well. Leaving this world behind, leaving my friends behind, leaving Donnel behind, leaving Mother all alone, I am well aware of everything. But I can't allow others to suffer the way we did hundreds of years from now." Naomi pulled away so she could look into the brown orbs identical to her own. "Morgan, it would be too cruel of me to ask you to accept this. All I ask is that you understand why we must do this. This is not only to kill Grima, but to ensure the safety of the future world. Do you understand that, sister?"
Naomi could feel her twin's body slowly calming down. Her shaking had almost stopped completely and she was now resting calmly in her sister's arms. "Do you know what will happen to the Naomi and Morgan of this time?" Morgan asked. "I know they haven't been born yet, but won't mother lose them if Father strikes down Grima?"
"I thought about that for a while too, but they will be fine. Grima's mark is bestowed upon us the second we are born. Since we have yet to be born in this world, they will be unaffected by Grima's demise. And since we are nothing more than futures of them, nothing will affect their beings from our disappearance."
"That's good." Morgan said, a wave of relief filling her body. The two stayed silent a few more seconds before a horn could be heard from outside the room. That was the signal that it was time to go.
"We'd better get going. It's time we ended all of this." Said Naomi, breaking away from the embrace.
"Naomi?" Morgan called out before to her sister before she could fully break away. Naomi was taken by surprise when her sister pulled her back into a tight hug. "Whether we make back or not, I want you to know, no matter what anyone thinks, you are the best sister anyone could ask for." A smile blossomed on the young dark mage's face as she returned the hug.
"And I'm lucky to have such an amazing sister always by my side." The two sister's laugh cheerfully before breaking the embrace and walking out of the room hand-in-hand.
It was time to end this once and for all.
Emmeryn paced back and forward in her quarters. The events that manifested today have left her with nothing but worry. If seeing Grima hovering over her didn't scare her, then the words Naga said about her husband sure did. "If you were to slay Grima, then your life will be forfeited as well." Were Naga's words to Matthew before they arrived at the volcanic island just miles away from the Fell Dragon Grima.
"Emm?" The former Exalt stopped when the familiar voice of her husband rung from the door. Emmeryn quickly calmed herself so her lover wouldn't see her worried face.
She put on a fake smile a replied, "Hi, Matthew. Is there something you need?"
"Nothing really, but do I need a reason to want to be around my wife?" Matthew asked with a raised eyebrow at his wife's question.
"I suppose not. I wasn't thinking when I spoke." Said Emmeryn politely, regretting her previous mistake.
Matthew giggled at the way his wife was speaking to him. "I guess you really are going back to your old self if you are beginning to even speak to me in that proper manner now."
Emmeryn sighed. "Forgive me, Matthew, but my speech has been slowly returning to me. And yet, my memories still remain lost."
"Well, it's a sign at least." Matthew tried to reassure her. Before the conversation could move on any further, Matthew got straight to point. He knew what he was about to say was going to hurt her, but he had no choice but to come out and say it. "Emm…I'm going to strike down Grima." Matthew could see his wife's expression turn from calm to complete fear the second the words left his mouth, but only lasted less than three seconds before she nodded and let out a deep sigh.
"I knew that would be the choice you would make…" She replied, hurt clear in her voice. "I have absolutely no right to stop you from making this choice. I know full well what will happen if…if you take the final blow." Matthew felt something twist in his stomach when his wife looked at him with one of the most forged smile he had ever seen her make. "No matter what choice you make, I promise to accep-"
"Emm…stop." Matthew interrupted his wife who looked at him with a confused expression.
"What's the matter, Matthew?" The blonde asked, confused.
"Emm, what do you really want?" Matthew asked, seriousness in every word. Emmeryn starred at him for a moment before replying.
"It doesn't matter what I want, Matthew. All that matters is the-"
"Emmeryn," Matthew interrupted her once more, this time with a stern look that made her eyes waver slightly. "What. Do YOU. Want."
"…What's the point of even asking me, Matt?" Emmeryn asked, her voice cracking slightly. "If it's what I really want, then of course I want Chrom to take the final blow. I want someone else that is not you to take the final blow. If you could stay by my side like you promised me, then I wouldn't care who else took the final blow. But that would just be the selfish me speaking. I wouldn't want you thinking of me negatively simply because of my selfishness."
"You have absolutely every right to be selfish with me!" Matthew stated firmly and used his hand to push his wife's chin up till she was look into his eyes. "As your husband, I would be more heartbroken if you didn't say what you really felt and held your feelings behind a mask till my last moments.
"…Matthew, this might be our las-"
"Don't say that, Emm."
"But it cou-"
"Bub bub bub!" Matthew interrupted again, placing a finger over her mouth. "I don't want to hear about the negative, Emm. Naga said it herself. There's a chance that I could still live through the ordeal."
"But there's still a chanc-"
"I WILL make it, right? Once again, like Naga said, there is chance that I could come back and I'm betting my life on it. You believe in that too, right?" Emmeryn did
"You won't let me say anything negative, will you?"
"Not even one, milady." Matthew said, joking and finally getting the blonde to let out an actual laugh and smile.
"Then I have no choice but to believe that you will return." Emmeryn said as she wrapped her arms around her husband and rested her head on his masculine chest.
"I'm guessing I can't convince you to stay out of this battle, right?"
"I've told you before. I started this journey with you, and I plan to end it with you whether you want me to or not."
"I knew it." Sighed Matthew as he returned the embrace. "I'll just have to trust in Aversa and Gregor to keep you safe…while I finish off Grima."
"Don't worry, Matthew. I believe in you, but you have to promise me that you will come back. If you don't then I will never, ever forgive you." Matthew smiled down at his wife and tightened his arms around her.
"On my honor, on my life."
Back of Grima
"I SEE YOU ARE STILL ALIVE." The voice of Grima echoed at Chrom and Matthew standing before him. "I WENT THROUGH ALL THAT TROUBLE TO MAKE SURE YOU A GOD AND YOU REFUSE IT FOR THESE…FRAIL HUMAN THINGS?"
"They are more important to me than becoming your toy!" Matthew barked back at his doppelgänger. "You are nothing more than talk and I will prove that by ending you today!"
"GEHAHAHAHA! YOU? END ME? YOU ARE A FOOL IF YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL A GOD, BUT I GUESS THERE IS NO TROUBLE IF YOU ENTERTAIN ME FOR A FEW MINUTES!" The doppelganger raised his arm upward and both Chrom and Matthew's body kicked into alarm when the head of the colossal dragon turn around and roared. Matthew could see the dragon building something in it's mouth and screamed for Chrom to dodge. Both men jumped out of the way as a giant ball of black fire shot from the being's mouth and towards them. The ball of flame missed both men by a hair, but that didn't even slow them down. Matthew saw Chrom charging his doppelganger the second he got to his feet, only to retreat when a wave of spikes emerged from the dragons body, protecting it's host. Matthew charged in on the doppelganger side with both swords in hand and tried to get in a sneak attack, but did not expect the dragon behind the doppelganger to fire another black sphere at him. The tactician jumped to the side immediately to avoid a fiery death.
Matthew gritted his teeth as he heard his doppelganger guffaw at their failed attempt to attack. "WHAT'S THE MATTER? IS THIS ALL YOUR BOND CAN DO? IN THE END YOU ARE BUT HUMANS WHILE I STAND AS GOD OF THIS WORLD!" Keeping his cool, Matthew tried to think of a way to counter that defense. Alas, there was nothing he could think of that did not involve using long ranged attacks or sacrificing an arm or leg to get through.
While in his thoughts Matthew leaned back as a spike from the dragon's body threated to take his head off. Matthew gritted his teeth and charged in. The only thing h could do was try and predict where the spikes would appear. After 3 failed attempts to strike the dragon, Matthew finally found the dragon's pattern. If they got too close, the spikes would protect Grima's host with the spikes and if they backed away they would be targeted by the dragon itself with a ball of fire. Though he got down the main mechanics of his opponent, Matthew could not get enough breathing room to formulate a plan; it wasn't like Grima was giving him any time to think anyways.
"SINCE I PITY YOUR PATHETIC EFFORT TO KILL ME, MATTHEW, I WILL GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE. JOIN ME IN RULING OVER THIS WORLD, OR PERISH WITH THE REST OF THESE HUMANS! THIS IS MY FINAL OFFER!" Matthew's brows furrowed at the dragon. He was still looking down on them even now and it was finally getting underneath his skin.
"No matter how many times you ask me, my answer will always stay the same!" Matthew barked back at the dragon that sighed in disappointment.
"I SWEAR I CAN BE SO STUBBERN RIGHT UP TO MY FINAL HOURS…NO MATTER. I'LL JUST RENDER YOUR BODY TILL IT IS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN YOUR PATHETIC HUMAN FORM!"
"Chrom!" Matthew called out to Exalt yards away from. Chrom turned his head to the tactician with open ears. "I'm going to attempted something risky. When I do, I need you to follow up and strike that dastard. Understand?"
"Got it!" Chrom replied, ready to charge in.
"One more thing." Matthew called out again. "Don't kill him. It is imperative that I get the final strike. Understand?" Matthew could see hesitation behind that dry expression, but Chrom nodded all the same.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU PLAN. YOUR DEATHS WILL ALL COME THE SAME!" The doppelganger raised his hand to signal his dragon form to fire. The second the dragon charged his shot, Matthew and Chrom rushed the doppelganger. Like Matthew thought, the spike came forward to stop their advances. Chrom stepped back to avoid the spikes, but Matthew had other plans he put into motion. He charged forward, dodging what he could. Matthew could feel pain rush his body as a spike pierced his thigh, but he refused to back down now. Matthew continued his advance closer and closer to his doppelganger that was beginning to panic from how close his double was getting. The spikes were getting more precise with their aim and now had their full attention on the tactician.
Matthew withstood endless blows to his arms, lets and get and finally got within striking range. Matthew pulled his sword back and plunged his killing edge straight to his doppelganger's heart, but a spike pierced him in the side before he could connect and his angled slightly downward; piercing the doppelganger in his shoulder. Instead of seeing pain on the face of his doppelganger, Matthew saw an evil smirk emerge on his face. "YOU THOUGHT YOUR WEAPON WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL ME?"
Matthew began to surface a smirk of his own as he replied, "I wasn't counting on my sword to kill you." The doppelganger looked to Matthew with confusion before realizing he wasn't the only threat to him at the moment. The double looked slightly to his right to see Chrom just inches away from him with his sword raised above his head. The doppelganger didn't even have time to take a breath before Chrom's Falchion slashed downward, cutting the dragon open and breaking Matthew's sword in two.
Grima grunted in pain as he back-peddled away and went down to one knee. Matthew let out a sigh of relief before falling down to one knee as well. "You are one crazy dastard." Chrom commented to his kneeling friend.
"May crazy plan worked, didn't it?" Matthew tried to laugh it off, but the pain in his body would not allow it.
"You…FOOLS!" Matthew and Chrom turned their attention back over to kneeling doppelganger. "Do you REALIze What yOU've DONE?! I will NOT be KILL hERE!" Matthew brows furrowed as he knew what he had to do next. He tried to push his body up to his feet, but he had accumulated too much damage and was not able to muster the strength to stand up.
"Stay there, Matthew." Chrom said to the tactician whose head popped up to the Exalt that began walking toward the downed doppelganger. "I will end this." Matthew's eyes widened at Chrom's declaration.
"You can't!" Matthew called out, but was nothing but wind to the Exalt. "I said I will be the one to do this, Chrom! You can't betray me now of all times!" Still nothing. Matthew could see Chrom inching closer and closer to the dragon that the tactician swore to take down himself. I can't let him finish this! Matthew told himself and tried to force his body to move again. Move body! Move!No use. No matter how he commanded, his body refused to get up.
"Thunder!"
Matthew's mind frozen when he saw a small bolt of lightning hit the Exalt; paralyzing him stiff. Matthew, felt two hands placed on his shoulders. He looked to his left and right to see his future daughters looking down at him with a blissful smile on their faces. "Don't worry, Father. We will help you do this." Morgan said, grabbing one of her father's arms along with Naomi grabbing the other. They slowly marched over pass a paralyzed Chrom and to the Fell Dragon's host.
"What are you guys doing?!" Chrom called out to the twins, but this time it was his words that were wind. They stopped in front of the Doppelganger and helped Matthew raise his sword and point it right toward the Fell Dragon's heart.
"We will end this together." Naomi assured. For the first time, Matthew could see the Fell Dragon with a look of utter fear in his eyes.
"Y-You WOUldn't KILL your own FATher, R-Right?" The Fell Dragon asked, but was only answered with a scowl from the girls. "I-I raised YoU BOTH AlONGsIde YouR MotHER! H-HavE YoU f-fORGottEN about That?!"
"You are not our Father." Said Naomi.
"Anymore!" Morgan joined in.
Matthew smirked at the Fell Dragon fear filled and said, "For once, I am glad we are the same. Now I can end everything once and for all!" Matthew could feel dark energy coming from Naomi to his sword, then Morgan using her strength to keep his arms up. The Fell Dragon didn't even have time to breathe before the three used all their strength to push the sword forward and through the demon's heart.
…
Emmeryn heard the Fell Dragon's cry through the air and stopped along with everyone else who heard. Everyone looked around and began cheering when the endless wave of Risen finally started to evaporate into thin air. If the enemy were disappearing, then everyone knew what that meant.
Grima has been defeated.
Every Shepherd began to cheer at Grima's demise. Emmeryn felt relief along with everyone else, but if the Fell Dragon was defeat, then that could mean only one thing…
"You alright back there?" Emmeryn heard Aversa call back to her from the front of the dark feathered Pegasus.
"I'm fine…" Emmeryn lied.
"…I'm going to set you done now." Aversa said and motioned her flying horse to descend. When they reached the ground, Emmeryn and Aversa noticed that everyone had went almost completely silent and were all staring toward the front of the Fell Dragon's back. She could even see some people, like Nowi and Sumia, crying softly with their face buried in their hands or the comfort of their husbands. Emmeryn already knew what they were crying about and she would surely join them once she moved to the front of the army.
People saw the Exalt moving passed them and they one by one moved out of the way till she was stand in the front next to Chrom; who was disappointed that he couldn't stop the inevitable. Emmeryn's eyes widened when she saw Naomi, Morgan and Matthew standing a few feet away from her looking down at their disappearing bodies. The trio looked up when they heard Emmeryn's heartbreaking gasp. Emmeryn closed the distance between them in less than a second and wrapped her arms around them.
"Why?" Emmeryn asked the trio. "Why did none of you tell me I would lose all of you?!" The three did not reply to the former Exalt who began to sniffle and slowly fall to her knees; the three joining her. "Losing my husband was one thing, but losing my daughters as well is too much!"
Matthew let his wife weep for a few seconds before he spoke. "I swear I didn't know about this, Emm." He said honestly. "I-If I knew I probably wouldn't have done this."
"Don't say that, Father." Said Naomi. "We both knew how important it was that you did this. That's why we didn't tell you. If you knew, then we thought you would change your mind. Then we would be responsible for the next generations' suffering through Grima. We…We couldn't let that happen."
"Even if it meant…hurting you, Mom," Morgan joined. "We had to do it…We're really sorry, Mom." The twins wrapped their fading arms around their mother. Matthew followed suit and wrapped his arms around his daughters to join in on the group hug.
"You don't have to apologize to me, girls." Emmeryn reassured them, a solemn smile spreading on her face. "You did what you believed was right. For that, I am proud of both of you. But," Emmeryn tightened her grip on her family as she tried to control her sobs. "I really wish it didn't have to be this way."
"Don't cry, Mom." Morgan said, tightening her grip around her mother. "You always told us never to cry, now it's time you followed your own advice." Emmeryn softly giggled at her daughter's words.
"I'm not as strong as you make me out to be, sweetheart."
"You are the strongest woman I know, Emm." Matthew cooed, feeling his breathe slowly being taken away from him and his body beginning to go numb.
"We believe our bond with you is strong, Mother. That's why we'll definitely come back." Said Naomi, trying to plant hope in her mother.
"I don't doubt it." Emm managed a smile and tightened her grip around her family. Emmeryn didn't need to open her eyes to know that her lover and daughters were almost gone. The slowly loosening grip was proof enough that they would be gone any minute now. "You guys better come back to me soon. That's an order from a Queen, a wife, and a mother. I will never forgive any of you if you don't come back to me."
The four let out one finally laugh before their breath and strength could leave themno further. "We promise to be back." Matthew swore and leaned down to kiss his wife on the head one last time.
"This time *sniff* y-you better keep that promise." Emmeryn said, a new wave of tears beginning to surface.
"We love you, Mother." Emmeryn heard her daughters' final words.
"And I love you, Emm." She heard her husband's final words.
"*Sniff* I-I love you too. *Hic* F-Forever." Emmeryn held on tight to her family till their final moments. Seconds went by and she could no longer feel the warmth of their bodies or their arms around hers. Emmeryn fell to her hands and she looked up. Where her lover and daughters once stood was now nothing but the back of the falling Fell Dragon.
They were gone.
Emmeryn felt a hand being placed on her shoulder and looked up to see both Chrom and Lissa starring back at her; tears clear in Lissa's eyes and regret in her brother's. "Emm…I…I so sorry." Chrom apologized. "I tried to stop him, but…this is all my fault."
Emmeryn wiped her eyes with her sleeve before showing them a smile. "You don't have to apologize, Chrom. I knew that Matthew would do this even if you tried to stop him. He's just that stubborn."
"B-But why did he have to sacrifice himself?!" Lissa exclaimed, burying her face in her hands. "That's just not right!"
"Lissa…" Emmeryn shook away whatever tears she had left and stood to her feet. Now was not the time to be weak in front of her siblings. "Don't cry, Lissa." Said Emmeryn as she wrapped her arms around her grieving sister. "We can't cry at a time like this. We have to be as strong as we can and hope for their return." Emmeryn soft massaged her sister's gold hair to continue to calm her down. Seconds later, everyone in the army was alerted by the voice and Naga.
"I will now use my power to transport all of you to safe ground. If everyone ready?" Emmeryn looked back to where her husband and daughters were before looking to the divine dragon floating in the air above the rest of the army. She nodded with the rest of the army and began to feel her body become light. They will definitely come back. Emmeryn told herself. She began to see everyone glow with light and could visualize the place she was about to be teleported to. I will definitely see them again. The former Exalt could see everyone's body begin to stretch and light fully taking over their bodies. Then they were teleported.
Now I just have to wait.
Hope everyone is having a great Spring Break! (For those who are actually in Spring Break) I must apologize to everyone on my previous chapter about Fire Emblem Fates. I was completely unaware that the game still had not released in other countries. For that, I am sorry. I will not be speaking anything about it and my current experiences. I will just calmly and peacefully tell you to BUY IT!
EMPIRE OF JOY and THE CREATOR: Is it out in your country now? Forgive me for speaking about it before the game actually came out out there L.
AU213: Hopefully this chapter answered your question! ^_^
Mlpfan11 and Megashady: Thank you so much for your patience! I don't have as much time as I use to have to write this story, but I try to write whenever an idea comes up or I have time. The next chanpter I have somewhat of an idea of what I'm writing and 1/3 of it is already done, so it will be out a lot faster than the previous chapters!
Erebus13: I have plans for the ending. It definitely an epilogue and will be as slightly shorter than my main chapters (not going to reveal the contents of the chapter). Play TRUE plan is to have all of this wrapped up before Summer. Hope you sick by until that happens!
As always, thank you for the reviews, favs and follows and hope you had a great Spring Break!