Chapter Text
First, the fires rage on to sear everything in sight. Anguished yells echoing throughout the camp would pierce even the most stoic of hearts, driving them to insanity. An odor of smoke emanating from the charred remains of those who once lived there would permeate the air. Its dense, suffocating clouds of ash would then choke the survivors with every desperate breath they take in.
And as the pathetic fools slowly suffer in the final minutes of their life, they will think to themselves, "What did we do to deserve this?" They will carry their regrets into their graves, all their past sins serving as the chains to drag them down into an infernal hellscape. In the midst of all this chaos and destruction, a single child will watch on, eyes wide with fear as he observes the horror that befell those he once knew. And he will carry a deeply rooted anger, swearing to the gods who forsook him that he would one day claim vengeance for their tainted souls.
"At least," Grima complains, setting his tea down on his plate, "that's how it WOULD go if you just let me handle it!"
Naga reaches over the table and slaps his wrist. "That would be very bad and I would never allow you to do such a thing."
"But think about it! Those wretched brigands would be extinguished from the world, then the nearby village wouldn't have to suffer by their hands anymore. AND, just to balance it out, I would allow one child to survive."
He reaches out for a baked lemon bar only to have his hand swatted away by Naga.
The Fell Dragon glares at her. "You're just jealous that my way is more efficient."
She sighs. "As the one who watches over this world, it is my responsibility to represent all lives, whether pure or not. Those brigands deserve chances to turn towards redemption, or at least, they should be allowed to spend their lives attaining redemption. It is not our place to determine their fates, but rather, allow other humans the right to guide the fates of others."
Grima scoffs. "So that's your reasoning for helping the Shepherds defeat me? I'm irredeemable and deserve to be extinguished from this world?"
"I did not say such a thing, and you know that I would never say such a thing."
He crosses his arms and legs and turns his head away in disbelief. The Divine Dragon sighs, reaches for a raspberry shortbread biscuit, then offers it to Grima. He turns his head away further. Naga gets up from her seat. She positions herself behind him and leans her head onto his shoulder. Her arms extend around his neck and, while smiling, she pokes his cheek with one hand while poking his mouth with the biscuit itself in her other hand.
"I know you want it," she cooed, "is it not your favorite?"
Determined not to give her the satisfaction, he puffs his cheeks up and closes his eyes.
"Very well then, I suppose I will have to eat it myself…"
Grima's head perks up.
"Oh! It also seems to be the last one. How fortunate I am."
Grima begins to twitch.
"That is unless, someone other than I would prefer to eat it?"
Grima tightens his grip on his arms. He could barely hold himself back at her playful taunting, but he knew if he took her bait then she would have won. And he couldn't possibly allow such a thing to happen-
"Although I don't believe there to be anyone else who would wish for such a thing. Oh well," she laments while raising the shortbread to her mouth, "I will simply-"
Just as her teeth would bite down on the delectable treat, a hand swiftly reaches out and pulls her arm away, successfully causing her to miss by a few inches. Naga slowly turns to Grima, a sly smile forming on her face. She sees him avoiding her gaze and keeping his head down to hide the red flush of his cheeks.
"Oh, Grima? Whatever is the matter?"
"..."
"Would YOU like to eat this treat?"
"..."
"Why, just earlier, you seemed to refuse it. Are you saying that you actually desire it?"
Grima silently nods.
"You should have simply said so in the first place! Here, say 'ah'..."
Naga giggles as he hesitantly opens his mouth. She gingerly places the treat inside and patiently watches as he eats it.
What will they do the next day? And the day after that? Will they be drinking tea with one another in a beautiful field of flowers like today, or will they travel high beyond the clouds to watch the earth turn below them?
For the longest time, Naga had been revered as an almighty being, a God who could achieve anything they attempt to to. But in truth, she was only a dragon. A dragon who managed to survive long enough to be revered as almighty. A dragon who was once willing to throw away her strength so that she could survive. A dragon who was forced to watch the rest of her tribe slip into insanity because they were too prideful to lower themselves onto the same tier of a human. Unfortunately her struggles didn't end there. She had to experience fighting against dragons belonging to the other tribes, and eventually had to seal an entire tribe because they had degenerated so far. For Naga, it had been years of loneliness and isolation spent only in watching over the humans who continued to live on.
Now she has someone by her side. Someone who had fallen so deep into their own ruination that they had become lost as she once felt.
Perhaps she was simply wallowing in selfishness. No, she surely and absolutely was.
Naga felt a finger poke her forehead.
"Hey. You've had your eyes closed for the past couple of minutes. What are you thinking about?" Grima asks.
"Mmm… Does it seem like I am contemplating?"
The giggling goddess pushes his cheek against hers before unlatching herself from him. She strolls away from the table to look at the flowers as he tilts his head in confusion.
If she was in fact indulging in her own selfishness, then she was thankful to have someone who was bored enough to entertain her. She was thankful to have Grima by her side.
At least, she has him from now until the eventual end of their lives.
"I can tell, you know," Grima says while holding up his teacup, "you're thinking too hard about things. And I think I have an idea about what's going on in that head of yours."
He gently waves his cup to the side, gesturing her empty seat at the table. "Neither of us will be going anywhere for a long while. Go on and do whatever it is a 'God' does, I'll still be here waiting for you when you're done."
Without as much as turning to face him, the Divine Dragon smiles. "Is that your promise?" she asks in a hushed voice, her words carried away by the wind itself.
"What was that?" he asks.
"Nothing. Think of it no longer," she replies. And as Naga departs, leaving him alone with a mountain of sweets piled upon his plate, Grima sips his tea and smiles.
"It's a promise," he quietly answers.