NOTE: YOUR POV IS NOW BACK TO NIGHTMARES' READER FOR THIS CHAPTER
They had done it. The moment she killed the King and destroyed the Nightmares heart… They all began to fade around you, including Isa. Though she could only smile. With relief? Joy? Gratefulness? Pride? It was her son that helped the new Goddess grant your son his Godliness. Your son… Grimmy. She protected him as she promised you, and in return, you too had to finally let go and trust them both. Then again, you had been waiting for this moment and you were lucky enough to obtain it so soon.
As the fire finally died out, there was no need for any of you to stay but Isa and you lingered. Perhaps to watch the embers float into the blank sky as the scarlet fire you would gather around became nothing but a sad pile of ash, or perhaps you both didn't believe this was it. Was it that easy? Was it finally over? Though the flame never relit, thus your dreams had come true. Isa fluttered her wings a bit as her clothes had changed back to a beautiful armored set she might have worn when alive. One that made her purple body stand out and her wings seem even more powerful, while you had only turned back into clothes you would have worn when alive in Dirtmouth.
"Well, thank you Y/n… For everything. I wish I had trusted you a bit more along the way but-."
"No need for wishing now, our dream was met has it not been?" You gave her your usual carefree smile as you felt the weight of something on your back held up by a strap across your chest. You held the strap and felt a bit more comfort as Isa made sure her sword was in place at her side before she nodded to you.
"I suppose you are right. We shouldn't keep our loved ones waiting, but I wish to thank you. Without your dedicated help and desire to set this wrongful act to right, we wouldn't be here. You are as much of a hero as the Goddess and your son are. I hope you rest like a true hero." She said as she placed a gentle arm on your shoulder. "Rest among your family, friends, and loved ones. I will be doing the same with my tribe. Farewell Y/n." she ended with a warm smile before you embraced each other one last time as a sign of saying goodbye. When you parted, Isa walked away and disappeared like the others, completely faded. She would be with her tribe, finally happy with her family as the hero and dedicated daughter she was. She would be treated as a warrior for eternity.
In this realm of imprisonment, you were the last to remain. Not that you wanted to keep anyone waiting, but you had a feeling in your chest. One that reminded you of when you first entered the Grimm Troupe's tent so long ago it felt. Anxiety, perhaps? Though it wasn't the fear of facing people, no… It was the fear of possibly not getting your idea of eternity. When you entered the tent for the first time with Ghost, he was there. Then your pain slowly began to fade. What if he wasn't here now? What if…
You hated to sound so picky, but you had made a promise. You only wished for that promise to be kept. You couldn't keep everyone waiting forever, so that was when you finally turned your gaze away from the once lit fire and began to slowly walk away. With your violin case hitting lightly against your back as you walked, you too began to fade and the realm around you died forever.
****
Your eyes readjusted finally as you saw many figures standing in what looked like Dirtmouth. You didn't hesitate to approach the place you called home, and with approaching you could see the figures all so much more clearly. A woman and man paired together, two young boys running about and a child held in the arms of the woman. An elderly bug stood nearby talking to them both, as a few more bugs walked about cheerily. This was your eternity… To have a peaceful quiet life in Dirtmouth and as the female turned and saw you, you felt close to tears as you rushed up to her.
"Mother! Father!" You cried as the male also turned and the two of them opened their arms and held you close. They were there, they felt so real. They were real, and you were finally safe.
"Y/n is here! Y/n is here!" You heard Klo from not too far away. Your parents backed away so you could kneel down and embrace your brothers, Ryin and Klo. Both still as lively as you remembered. You held onto them tightly never wanting to let go, even as you heard the cooing of your little sister Pira. All of them were happy, healthy and well despite last seeing them perish at the hands of the infection.
You soon stood to your feet as your mother let you see Pira. Her eyes expressed pure joy at the sight of seeing her big sister as she reached out to you and you let tears spill over as silly as it was. They were tears of joy, which made your chest want to burst from it all. You heard the voice of an elderly man talking to your father and that was when you walked over to see Elderbug himself. A delicate flower tucked into his robe still. You let your mouth open in a bit of surprised awe as he then turned to you.
"There you are, child. We have been waiting to see you come join us here… I've been telling your family about your dedication and passion to save Hallownest." He said with a chuckle and you felt yourself laugh a bit as well. Your father nodded with a sincere smile on his face.
"Your mother and I are so proud of you my dear. Even through your hardest times, you still overcame it all."
"Your father became so overprotective when we heard you met Grimm." Your mother added with a light laugh, which made your father rub the back of his neck.
"I wanted to be there to ensure my daughter would be safe. Though after hearing you adopted his son and raised him as you learned from your mother, we knew you would be safe and making proper choices. We weren't wronged either." He said with the warm smile he would give you and your siblings usually. It made you feel alive again. It made you assume you were alive and nothing had changed, only time had passed and life went on.
Your attention on the elders in your life was pulled away as you heard Klo am Ryin running around the bench in the center of town. You decided to see what trouble they had gotten into since you had not seen them in well over a lifetime. When you made your way over, not many people were wandering around this area of Dirtmouth so you had a clear shot of the bench. Klo and Ryin ran around the bench which seemed to confuse a smaller figure who sat on the bench.
They had a white shell with slightly curved and pronged horns that sat atop their small form. Their empty eyes looked from your brothers to you as you entered their peripheral vision. Your eyes went wide with surprise as they never expressed anything different, but you knew they were just as surprised as you. As they hopped off the bench and sprinted to you, you met them halfway and hugged them tighter than anyone else.
"Ghost! Oh, my Wyrm… Ghost." You sobbed as their small arms wrapped around your neck and they nuzzled you a bit under your chin in an affectionate manner. You didn't expect to find them here, and it never crossed your mind. In a way, it made everything so much better. Not only did you have the ones you loved before the infection, but you also had those who helped push you through it and come out alive after it all.
After the warm embrace and reunion, you stood to your feet with a smile you couldn't shake. Everything was perfect for you, as you were finally surrounded by others you had missed for so long and who had missed you in return. It was what you wanted for so long as your brothers saw your violin on your back and gasped.
"Y/n! Play! Play!" Klo clapped and Ryin jumped up and down joining in. Even Ghost clapped their hands above their head as they wanted to hear you play for the first time in a long time. It warmed your heart to know that they all still adored your music, and you knew you couldn't keep them waiting. You removed your violin from off your back and out of its case as they all watched you with anticipation. You would play a truly joyous tune, like what you dreamed of when the infection made you feel so alone.
You were never alone though, you had Ghost who protected you and Grimm who… Grimm. Your eyes filled with realization as you looked around and he was nowhere to be seen. Ghost was the first to notice your change to worry as they reached up to hold your hand. You looked down at them with said expression before looking around once more and starting to make your way to the edge of town on the outskirts.
As you passed by your parents and Elderbug they all watched as you stood looking at the empty end of town closer to one cliff that Dirtmouth was bordered by. It was where the Grimm Troupe tents once stood and Elderbug let out a sad sigh.
"Oh, young one… He hasn't appeared here. None of them have."
"He has to appear. We promised one another…" You had gained so much, but the weight of doing all in your power only to not save Grimm or fulfill your promise crushed you. Your father placed a gentle hand on your shoulder to comfort you.
"It will be okay dear. You still have your family. We'll always be here for you, so don't become too hard on yourself." He recommended and you could only look down and hold yourself from crying. Allowing them to usher you away to cheer you up, but without Grimm, you questioned your success. He was a strong one, he had to have overcome his other ancestors to come out as the lone soul to rest peacefully. Right? He was a kind soul…
You gripped the neck of your violin tightly as you could only accept this and move on until someone called out.
"Y/n!" The voice called from behind you at a distance. It made you stop and your hope instantly returned. Turning back it had appeared from thin air like when he first appeared. Your father seemed confused and you heard your mother question how those tents magically appeared but you didn't hesitate to start running. You saw him standing at the entrance of the tent in his usual cloak, his fiery eyes landing on you with just as much joy as you had in yours.
"Grimm!" You called back and began running to him with no more hesitation. He strode towards you and took you into a tight embrace when you both had connected. Grimm lifted you off the ground and held you with his long arms and even wrapped his cloak around you. You felt his familiar warmth, and his familiar scent of cinnamon and toasty bonfires. He was here, and you were born together without needing to part again.
"I missed you." He admitted with a shaky chuckle that was still gruff like usual. "You did it though, you brought an end to the ritual! You freed me, and freed the rest of the troupe." He set you down and brought a hand to gently caress your face. His eyes were full of awe and content as you could only smile at how he admired you.
"You helped also, we all saw you come out above them all. You helped her, and helped save Grimmy." You explained as you placed a hand on top of the one he held to your face. It made him smile warm before leaning down to your height and giving you a gentle kiss. When he pulled away and stood up he still didn't move far away from you. As if he didn't want you to slip away or he didn't want to vanish.
"You raised him so well my love. You prepared him to take on this responsibility. So did Divine and Brumm, speaking of which..." He looked back to the tents not too far away and that was when you realized instead of the usual Grimmkin, a variety of bugs stepped out of the tent. All holding masks signature to the Grimm Troupe but not wearing them.
Two bugs also emerged with joyous expressions before their eyes landed on you. One a vibrant pink, orchid mantis with a nice smile and young face who you assumed was once Divine. Another was similar to Brumm but without his dark mask and brooding aura. All the once past trapped troupe members were free and were who they once were before becoming enslaved to the Nightmare's heart. It brought a caring smile to your face and did the same for Grimm.
"They're free. Just like us." You breathed and Grimm could only nod. He looked back down to you and noticed your violin.
"Will my enchanting musician play for us all?" He asked in a soft voice that made you feel like the young woman you were long ago when alive and the young woman you were now. Who were you to keep any of them waiting? They had all been through so much and so had you, it was time you played a nice tune to settle everyone in.
"Yes! Of course! Come, Grimm. Let's get back to the town! My whole family is waiting, and so is Ghost!" You cheered with excitement. As you took Grimm's hand and began leading him back to town he looked surprised.
"Your whole family? Do you think this is the best time to meet them?" He asked in the gentle tone he used when unsure and you gave him a reassuring smile to comfort him.
"They will love you. Don't worry too much. This is a time for us to celebrate and rejoice, as we all finally enter peace. For eternity, right my King?" You joked with Grimm as he and you walked back to Dirtmouth hand in hand. He smiled at your words which he believed more than anything. Your parents saw you both walking hand in hand and their expression portrayed pride for their daughter. As long as Grimm could call you his own, he didn't mind about any others or their thoughts. Though he was willing to take all this time to come out of his shell and have others trust him. That was when he gently replied.
"Yes… For eternity, my Queen."