Aloy wakes up in Meridian alongside the Sun-King Avad, not knowing how her got there. Together, they will experience adventures and emotions that will form strong bonds between these characters.
🧭 This story takes place after Horizon Forbidden West...
"Aloy!, What's happening? Is there someone there?" he asked, puzzled, not understanding what was going on.
"I heard a loud noise, or an explosion. Maybe they're attacking again, but don't worry, I won't let them hurt you again." she replied, her brow furrowed, ready for combat, turning on her focus to locate the enemies before they entered the room. Another loud rumble was heard, causing her to tense even more. He, realizing what was happening, carefully got up and approached her "Hide, you're injured!" she exclaimed, very frightened, looking in all directions "If they come in, they mustn't see you, it's dangerous!"
"Aloy..." he said, placing his hands on her shoulders "Put down the weapons, we're not being attacked, it's... the storm..." he whispered gently. She relaxed the bow and listened, still keeping the arrow nocked just in case. The wind and raindrops echoed through the room, striking the building as if trying to enter inside and bring it down. She remembered the battles she had been through and everything that was still ahead. So much destruction, so much hatred, too many unjust deaths... She was overwhelmed by a multitude of unpleasant emotions, and images of the combat. Dropping the bow, she covered her face with her hands, remembering Rost and Varl.
"I... I'm sorry..." she murmured "I didn't mean to scare you..." Avad held her tightly in his arms, trying to comfort her. It was true that he had his own battles, but certainly not to the same extent as her, who had fought face to face against Helis himself and the metal devil that nearly destroyed her city, faced numerous hostile machines, including a deathbringer, and had taken down many others from a distance... In addition, she had been buried by the collapse of a bridge caused by an explosion, and had traversed the city while it was engulfed in flames to defeat the metal demon. All of that, plus all the other exploits and battles he didn't know about from her journey to the Forbidden West, although some rumors had reached him, especially from the rather outspoken Regalla during the Embassy. Without a doubt, she had experienced it all much more intensely, so much so that when she had woken up in Meridian, she thought she had been abducted by someone named... Tilda.
"You can vent to me without any problems, don't worry, I'm here for whatever you need." she sighed quietly, pressing her face against his chest. She hugged him tightly "The memory of the battles will stay with us for a long time, we have to process it in our own way. Thanks to you, we're safe." he continued, blushing a bit "And even if they were to return, our strength to fight hasn't been exhausted." Gradually, she began to calm down "Everything's going to be alright." He finished, gently wiping her tears away with his thumb "We have to overcome this and move forward, just as you've always done."
"Thank you, Avad." She said with a bittersweet smile. For a moment, Aloy thought about how she was indeed used to fighting, but those months had been too intense even for her. The death of Rost was far from being overcome, and as for Varl... They were the only people she had truly opened up to, and their losses were still very recent. She hadn't even had time to mourn her own father.
"That's what I'm here for." he replied "And now you need to rest." holding her shoulder, he accompanied her back to the bed where they sat down.
"Avad, I have... I have to leave." she said, making a motion to get up, while staring fixedly at the chest where her things were.
"Where to?" he asked, confused, not quite grasping what she meant, placing both hands on her shoulders to prevent her from standing up.
"I must continue my journey..."
"But... you've just arrived, and... you're injured..." he replied, sounding sad "Besides, it's late at night..."
"I haven't finished all my battles yet." she answered, furrowing her brow with sorrow.
"If you go into battle in this state..." he said, looking at her bandages "you'll only end it prematurely... It's suicide to go... wherever it is you have to go in this condition, Aloy." he held onto her wrist, keeping her seated.
"It's what I must do." she resisted.
"Aloy!" he exclaimed. She really couldn't leave like this, everything was against her with her injuries, the weather... If she went anywhere in this state, she'd be begging for death "You can't leave like this!" he said, looking at her intensely in the eyes. A thunderclap startled them "Nothing about the situation is favorable, not even the weather."
"Ahh..." she sighed, stopping her resistance "You're right..."
"I hope you're not agreeing with me only to sneak away later." he said with a reproachful tone, not looking away from her eyes, alternating between one and the other "What you need to do now is rest. When you're well, I... I won't object to your... your departure." he stammered nervously. He had hoped that their previous "farewell" before her journey to the Forbidden West (although the next day they found she was gone again, at least she had managed to speak with him beforehand) would have been the last, but he had just realized it wasn't so. He returned from his thoughts to look at the huntress again, who nodded.
"Alright... I'll recover and then... I'll continue."the Sun-King smiled, satisfied. She was truly stubborn, but it seemed she would stay at least for a short while, enough to not go around with half her body injured "Could I stay here for a while... by your side?" she asked, still somewhat uneasy. He nodded, opening the sheets with a gesture, and they both lay down. They covered themselves and remained side by side without saying anything. In an instant, they turned towards each other and locked eyes just as a lightning illuminated the room, followed by the loud sound of thunder. Their gazes instantly sparkled as they met.
"How's your wound?" she whispered gently after a few minutes.
"Fine..., it doesn't hurt anymore, and I don't think it has bled again." he responded in a low voice "You were right, despite everything, it's improving very quickly."
"I'm glad to hear that." that was the last thing they said. They fell asleep quickly.
An hour later, Aloy woke up startled by the sound of another loud noise. It reminded her of the war that had happened days before, but this time, she felt more at ease knowing it was just the storm. Nonetheless, the unpleasant thoughts still lingered in her mind. The final moments of Rost and Varl haunted her with dreadful images. Anxious, she turned to Avad, seeing that he had fallen asleep next to her, leaning against her shoulder. She watched him. Being so close to him truly brought her peace, and seeing him sleep nestled by her side filled her with tenderness. Occasionally, he would let out a soft snore. She smiled as she gazed at his relaxed expression, and another thunder rumbled. Restless, Aloy sought the hand of the monarch and intertwined their fingers. She listened to his calm breathing until she too fell into a deep sleep.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
