lucykuo:

“Though wealth eludes him at the the conclusion of Drake’s Fortune and Among Thieves, Nate on both occasions gains a treasure of great value in Elena… And, on both occasions, he blows it, walking out when his phobia of commitment drives the couple apart. Elena perhaps best understands Nate’s existential fear: he’s afraid of admitting who he really is, and almost obsessively takes refuge in an identity that doesn’t truly belong to him.

The motto on Drake’s ring has defined Nate’s entire life; there’s a sense that he has always walked backwards into his future, defined by his troubled childhood. In the closing cinematic, however, his reaction to his wedding band when Sully produces it — so much like the one belonging to Sir Francis, but locking the motto; a blank slate — perhaps suggests that it might finally be ‘Nate’, not ‘Drake’, who accompanies his closest friend and wife to the plane before the closing credits roll.”

— Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception - The Complete Official Guide (Collector’s Edition)