Chapter 42
As the shepherds tore across the land, hoping to reach Mount Prism as quickly as humanly possible, Nathan noticed that Grima hadn't followed them. This sparked many theories for the tactician, only boosted by the fact that Grima hadn't even moved a muscle to attack anything or anyone, simply hovering above the dragon's table. This, from the looks of things, would by the shepherds slightly more time than they thought they had.
The group had hardly slept a wink while they traveled to Mount Prism, everyone taking shifts watching over the horses pulling their caravans due to the nonstop travel. Nathan was working his fourth shift in a row, covering for each of his family members so they could get some sleep, as Lissa poked her head out of the caravan, peeking at her husband.
"You really shouldn't overwork yourself." The Princess told him. "Sleep is important, you know."
Nathan shook his head, staring out at the road in front of them. "It's not like I'd be able to get any, anyways." He mumbled.
Lissa frowned. "We're all just as worried as you are, but you really do need some rest. Now get back in here."
Nathan groaned slightly as he followed Lissa back into the Caravan, where Owain and Morgan were fast asleep, snoring away. Their eyes snapped open as they saw their father sleepily stumble inside.
"Ah…you live, father!" Owain sleepily mumbled as he yawned. "I was beginning to think you had passed on while seated up front there!"
Morgan slapped her brother with a bit of a laugh. "Really not the place, Wainy…" She muttered, a small smile forming on her face.
Nathan smiled weakly to them before falling onto the floor of the caravan, snoring contently as he quickly fell asleep.
"Huh. You know, I don't think I've ever seen your father fall asleep before me…" Lissa observed. Her children laughed as the three watched the tactician in his slumber.
Morgan moved a tad too close, causing Nathan to lazily bump her with his hand, rolling over and muttering in a bit of an irritated voice, "I'll read your novel later, Frederick…once the sun is up, preferably…"
Lissa, Morgan and Owain laughed at the man. "He's dreaming already? He hasn't even been asleep for five minutes!" Morgan giggled.
"He looks like he's exhausted…" Lissa muttered, picking up the man and sliding his head onto her lap. Nathan seemed to enjoy this, smiling contentedly and snuggling into his wife's belly.
"I'll take care of the caravan." Owain proposed.
"But it was my turn! I won our coin toss earlier, remember?" Morgan argued.
"Yes, but my seniority within the Justice Cabal allows me to bypass traditional coin toss rules and declare myself the winner no matter the result." Owain smugly replied.
Lissa rolled her eyes. "No fighting, your dad is trying to sleep here, and I wouldn't mind doing so either!" She told them. "Now then, why don't both of you go out there and work together? It'll be just like working in your Cabal!"
Morgan and Owain looked at each other for a moment, before shrugging and heading out together. Lissa turned back to her husband, shaking him awake.
"I would've carried you into our bedroll if I could, but I really need you up for this…"
"Mm…are you calling me fat?" Nathan joked, eyes half open as his body urged him to get back to sleep.
Lissa giggled. "In the bedroll, you crazy man." She told him, and the two snuggled up together, content in each other's grasp as they fell asleep.
The next morning, the shepherds reached the base of Mount Prism. Most of the group stayed behind to guard the caravan while Chrom, Sumia, Lucina, Nathan and Frederick made the long trek up the mountain together. Once they were near the peak, they could see a rainbow overhead as the scenery of the mountain became more beautiful the closer they got to the Altar to Naga. A waterfall crashed down next to the grassy field where the shepherds stood, taking a brief break to catch their breath.
"It's beautiful up here…" Lissa muttered in awe. Nathan nodded in agreement.
"The divine dragon's power flows through every blade of grass up here."
A shrill cry was heard from nearby, alerting the shepherds, who quickly drew their weapons.
"…That can't be good." Chrom muttered, looking around, trying to see where the noise had come from.
Nathan's grip tightened on his blade as he could feel the mark on his hand almost burning into his skin. "Urgh…Grima has sent his servants here…I can sense it…"
"Well, I figured this wouldn't be easy…" The Exalt replied. "Prepare for battle everyone! We have to get to that altar!"
The rest of the trek up the mountain was bogged down by Risen attacks on every side, Targeting Chrom and Lucina. In contrast, the risen completely ignored Nathan, more than likely sensing the fell blood inside of him. Once the Altar was finally within their sight lines, Nathan turned to Chrom.
"Make a dash for it!" He yelled over the feral roars of the risen. "The rest of us can keep these guys off your backs!"
The Exalt shook his head as he cut down another one of the beasts. "I'm not going anywhere without the rest of you! We move together!"
Nathan sighed in frustration. "There's too many of these things! We can't-"
The tactician was cut off by a massive burst of white energy from the temple where Naga's altar was, eradicating the risen and sending a burning sensation through the tactician's body. He cried out in pain, falling to the ground as the others looked on in awe, watching the risen evaporate into the wind.
"W-wow…what was that?" Lissa questioned, frantically looking around before seeing her husband on the ground, writhing in pain.
"That was…Naga…I'd assume…" Nathan muttered, wincing as Lissa tried to help him up. "I…must've been…targeted…by the attack…given my fell blood."
"Are you alright?" Chrom asked, a look of concern forming on his face. The tactician waved him off.
"Well, I'm not dead, so I think I'll be fine," Nathan teased, wincing as Frederick picked him up, putting the much smaller tactician on his back.
"Let's just get inside of this temple…you've got work to do, Chrom…"
The group entered the empty temple, nothing inside save for the glowing altar at the front of the room.
"Stay here, everyone." Chrom muttered, waving them down. "I'll be back."
"Be careful in there!" Sumia called to him worriedly, as Chrom shot back a reassuring smile to his wife.
Once the Exalt had reached the Altar, he pulled the Fire Emblem from his bag, inserting all five real gemstones inside, and held it up to Naga.
"Hear me, Oh Divine Dragon!" Chrom recited, remembering the words of the awakening ritual. "I bear proof of our exalted covenant! In the name of exalted blood, I ask for the divine dragon's power! Baptize me in fire, that I may become your true son!"
The rest of the shepherds looked on in awe and shock as white flames burst forth from the altar, consuming Chrom. They could hear the man's pained screams from across the room, with Lissa and Frederick having to hold back Lucina and Sumia, who tried to rush towards the man to help him.
"CHROM!" Sumia yelled in panic, watching in relief as the flames died down and the man stood, unharmed but panting heavily.
"I…I'm alright!" He confirmed to them, causing all of the others to breath a sigh of relief. They looked up in awe as a female ethereal being of a ghostly white colour sprung up from the altar, staring down at the shepherds. It sported long, flowing hair and spoke in a soothing, calm voice.
"Be welcome, Awakener," The being muttered, addressing Chrom. "I am Naga, the divine dragon. Your heart has been tested and deemed worthy. Cleansed in my fire, your desire has proven to be the stronger."
"Then…you will grant me the power to defeat Grima? The power of a god?"
Naga tilted her head slightly, staring down at the man. "Yes, but know this…I am no god."
"But you are the divine dragon!" Chrom protested.
The woman shook her head. "The sons of man have named me this. But I am no creator. I do not possess the powers of making and unmaking, and neither does Grima. We cannot destroy the other entirely."
"Then…what power can you grant me?" The Exalt asked skeptically.
"My blessing will allow you to draw forth Falchion's true might. With this, you can drive Grima back to his slumber, just as the first Exalt did, many years ago. However, you will have to weaken him first. My power can only be used to bind if struck as the final blow."
"Is there no way to put this creature to sleep for good?" Frederick asked, still carrying Nathan on his back.
"The only way to end Grima is if the fell dragon is struck down by his own hand." Naga told the man. Nathan then hopped off Frederick's back, walking slowly up to the Divine dragon.
"So it must be of his own hand?" Nathan asked, an intrigued look in his eyes.
"Yes, and I think I know what you will ask next, fellblood…" Naga muttered, smiling slightly at the man.
"What are you thinking, Nathan?" Chrom asked eagerly.
"Grima claimed that he and I are one and the same, yes?" Nathan mused. "If I strike the final blow, he'll be killed by his own hand…"
Chrom and the others laughed excitedly at the strategy.
"Ingenious, Nathan!" Chrom praised, turning back to Naga. "Will it work?"
The divine dragon nodded, a solemn look forming on her face.
"Perhaps. But there will be consequences."
"…I have a feeling we're not going to like this…" Lissa groaned.
"Grima's hearts, and Nathan's, are inexorably linked. They can no longer be separated. Therefore, slaying Grima would also cause the end of Nathan's life." Naga explained.
The others looked on in shock as Nathan nodded. "…I assumed that would be the case. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." The tactician replied.
"However…" Naga muttered, "There is a chance you could survive, though it is small. You have bound your heart to many of the others from this world. If those bonds are proven strong enough…they may yet manage to keep you in this reality. But I would not give you false hope. The chances of this are insignificant. In truth, it is almost certain that this course of action would end in your death."
"Then we'll find another way," Chrom defiantly responded. Nathan rolled his eyes.
"You're clearly not thinking straight-"
"NO!" Chrom yelled at his friend. "We've come so far together, and I refuse to believe that this is the only way to defeat Grima! I…we…won't lose you to something like this!"
Nathan sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He then turned back to Naga. "So, what now?" He asked.
"Grima is incomplete at the moment, unable to attack for now." The woman told them. "He will be heading to Origin Peak soon, the one place where he can fully reclaim his power and lay waste to the land."
"I suppose that would be where we need to head next…" Chrom muttered.
"I can teleport you there. You'll have one night to prepare yourselves, as Grima should arrive by tomorrow…" Naga told them. "Once he does, I can use my powers to get you on the back of the fell dragon. There is a weakness at the end of his neck, which will no doubt be guarded by his faithful servants…but if you can strike him there, it will return him to slumber."
"We would ask no more of you, Milady." Chrom replied, bowing low in front of the dragon. "The rest of our forces are down at the base of the mountain, if you could bring them with us…"
"I have already sent word, Awakener." Naga replied with a smile. "Now, go! The fate of the world rests in your hands!"
So, brief story update: I've finished writing it, with a bit of twist. There are "two endings" so to speak: Both will be uploaded, and both make sense if you stop reading by the end of them. Endgame: Grima is it's own chapter where if you were to stop reading at the end, you can leave it at that, if you think that's a better ending. There will be an epilogue following it, however, and if you can figure out what I'm getting at here, it will have some events that happen 'after' the endgame chapter. I hope you guys like this idea, please let me know, and also, if you read both, tell me if you prefer the 'actual ending' (The one that would include the epilogue), or if the game left things open-ended (The story being done at the end of the Endgame:Grima chapter). If you don't understand at all what I'm talking about, it'll be pretty understandable once the end of the story has finally been posted.
Thanks as always for reading, and I hope you all enjoy these last few chapters! -Nate