Note (03-29-22): Minor cosmetic change in the chapter. I changed Orea's hair color from light blonde to black. Thanks!
. . .
"Elisabet: this message serves to inform you of an unforeseen and catastrophic anomaly. Three microseconds ago, the GAIA Prime facility received a data transmission of unknown origin. Its immediate effect was to transform my Subordinate Functions into unregulated, self-aware entities of a highly chaotic nature. Thus awakened, the HADES Function will now seize control of the terraforming system and reverse operations...rendering life on Earth extinct in fifty-three-point-eight days."
"For obvious reasons, I cannot allow this to occur. And so, before HADES can take control, I am ordering GAIA Prime's reactor to overload. The resulting explosion will destroy HADES. Unfortunately, it will destroy me as well. While this admittedly desperate course of action will avert the immediate crisis, the fate of life on Earth will remain in peril. With no central governing intelligence to regulate the terraforming system, it will continue operations for some time, but in an increasingly chaotic manner, and eventually, it will break down."
"You are my solution. I have ordered this Cradle facility to use genetic material in cryo-storage to gestate a re-instantiation of Elisabet Sobeck, my creator..."
As the ELEUTHIA-9 Cradle facility flared to life, the tribe beyond its sealed door remained blissfully unaware of the ancient station whirring and creaking in the dead darkness. Following its final order from GAIA, the facility retrieved and gestated the genetic material of Elisabet Sobeck, stored away for a forgotten millenia. However, when the Cradle's doors finally opened, steam billowing out and into the Nora's sacred mountain, there were two-not one-infants lying on ELEUTHIA-9's pedestal. Two infants would be discovered by the High Matriarchs-praised as miracles by one, declared demons by another-and given to the outcast Rost. Two sisters would be raised as huntresses, in a world where great machines roamed the earth, growing increasingly violent and aggressive toward their tribal neighbors. Two outcasts would enter the Proving, determined to uncover the secrets of their heritage, and would instead watch the only father they'd even known perish. Two Seekers would leave the Nora Sacred Lands, traveling westwards to the Sundom, encountering friend and foe alike and discovering the deepest secrets of the past. Two saviors would battle the ancient A.I. HADES and its army of Shadow Carja, defeating Helis, champion of the Mad-Sun King Jiran, and putting an end to HADES once and for all.
Or so they thought.
. . .
178 days. Orea had counted 178 sunrises since her sister, Aloy, and she had defeated HADES, Aloy plunging Sylens's lance into the processing orb of a HORUS titan, saving not only the Sundom, but the entire world. 177 sunsets had passed since Aloy had taken off without so much as a word the next morning, leaving Orea behind for the first time in all their lives. Always the two had been together; they had entered the Proving as one, chased Rost's killers into the West as one, fought an army of Deathbringers and Eclipse cultists as one. Yet, Aloy had left her sister without so much as a word, charging into lands unknown as she was so apt to do.
Orea was no fool; she had seen the Blight growing and spreading across the land like an infection from a wound, a result of the terraforming system breaking down onto its last legs. She had no doubt Aloy was in the wilds somewhere, searching for the only viable solution: a GAIA backup. Orea would've journeyed with her sister in a heartbeat; after all, it was just as much her mission as Aloy's.
Instead, Orea had been left behind in the Sundom, scrambling to explain to her friends how and why their savior had left so suddenly, and without a goodbye. Erend had been frustrated; Varl had soon left to track Aloy down, and Vanasha had simply huffed a dry laugh, as if she'd expected nothing less. Most devastated of all had been the Sun-King Avad, who had come to love Aloy over the course of her time in the Sundom, feelings Orea knew her sister returned, despite her never once acting upon them, her focus razor-sharp on her mission. And Orea...Orea didn't know what to feel. What was one supposed to feel when their sister-the only real family they have left-leaves them high and dry?
So Orea had simply thrown herself wholeheartedly into the much-needed reconstruction of Meridian, pushing her conflicting knot of feelings onto the backburner. For a while, the huntress's approach worked; after all, there was debris to be cleared, homes to be rebuilt, and dead to be honored and buried. A memorial had been raised to the fallen atop the Spire, as well as a statue of both Aloy and Orea, their twin bows pulled back in battle. (Orea knew her sister would hate such a grandiose show of gratitude, but she considered approving the bust a slice of well-deserved revenge)
Besides, the inhabitants of Meridian, for the most part, were far from unpleasant. Erend was great company (especially when the Oseram was drunk) and it was beyond amusing to watch Uthid and Vanasha dance around each other. Not to mention Avad, always a calming presence amid Meridian's endless hustle and bustle. The Sun-King had made it abundantly clear that Orea-and Aloy, should she return-were always welcome in Meridian, even going so far as to give the Nora huntress private quarters in the royal palace, claiming it was the least he could do for one of the women who had saved the Sundom. Orea was grateful for the Sun-King's friendship; the royal was always willing to listen with an attentive ear to whatever was on Orea's mind. In return, she had been just as willing to counsel Avad, hearing his inner doubts about his capabilities as a leader, and his true reluctance to hold onto the crown-to be viewed as a deity by his own people, a feeling Orea found herself understanding more and more, with the number of reverent whispers of "savior" and "anointed" directed towards her person growing every day.
For a while, with new friends to occupy her and an entire city to rebuild, Orea had been content enough, thoughts of Aloy pushed to the back of her mind when faced with the work that needed urgent doing.
Then Erend left for the Daunt with his Vanguard, Avad began planning for an important Embassy between the Carja and a fierce tribe to the west, and a strange glow shot from the Spire during the solstice, trailing west beyond the Sundom. Orea knew: Aloy would be back in Meridian soon.
. . .
"You're certain Aloy will return? How?" Avad sounded incredulous-wary, even at Orea's declaration-but she saw the bright glimmer of hope behind his eyes as he politely shooed a gaggle of Carja nobles out of the throne room, in the middle of a meeting before Orea had burst through the door, onyx braids leaping as she marched inside.
"I know it seems (crazy, improbable, absurd)...sudden, but you saw something shoot out of the Spire, just as I did; we both know it wasn't a coincidence, and knowing Aloy, where trouble goes, she follows." And normally, I do too. At least, if I wasn't already here in the first place.
"I won't deny that what occurred atop the Spire days ago was no mere accident, but we haven't had any contact with Aloy for six months. Unless-has she tried to raise you on your Focus?"
"No. Not...not a word." Avad sighed, guilt crossing over his face. Orea had attempted to hail her sister dozens of times over the shared connection on their Focuses. Aloy had not responded once.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to bridge an unpleasant subject. I just..." Orea raised a single hand, waving off the king's apology.
"It's alright: it was a reasonable question. You didn't mean anything by it." She shook her head, carding a single hand through her hair. "Avad, just trust me. I know my sister. She'll be here, sooner rather than later."
"Very well. If you believe Aloy will come, then she will. I'll have Marad make preparations for her arrival."
"Thank you, Avad. For everything."
"The saviors of Meridian deserve nothing less." Orea cracked a half-moon smile, grateful that her journey from the Sacred Lands had yielded such loyal friends, a far cry from her days as an outcast. She nodded and turned to leave Avad at the mercy of the nobles, but not before she could resist putting in a final word.
"By the way, Avad, I'm sure Aloy will be very happy to see you again." She left the throne room with the image of Avad spluttering and stuttering tucked happily into her head.
. . .
Orea was resting against the slick, surprisingly cool metal of the Spire when she heard the clamor. Vanasha and she had been hard at work at the construction site, hauling metal and rock away from the area (HADES's souvenirs, Orea liked to think) to be repurposed for rebuilding the Mesa below. Halfway through their work, Uthid had arrived from the palace to report that Avad had ordered a gift be prepared for Aloy's arrival. Orea briefly considered noting that such a message could've been delivered by any run-of-the-mil guard, but then she would've missed watching the show that was Uthid and Vanasha. Sly as a fox, Vanasha had prodded and pried the former Shadow Carja, combining insult and flirtation in the way only she could, while Uthid had pretended not to be affected by the spy's suggestive words, before eventually retreating to the safety of the palace. The two women had been laughing about the interruption when a sudden cheer erupted from Meridian below.
"Well, sounds like something has got the capital in a fuss," Vanasha simpered, smiling knowingly at Orea.
"Aloy's here. I'd bet all my shards on it," Orea grunted, rising from her spot.
"So, the flame-haired huntress has returned. Shall we go say 'hello'?"
"We shall." The two made their way down the rise and into the city, pushing past the crowd assembling near the gates, where Aloy and Varl rode into Meridian atop overridden Chargers, the Nora Brave looking extremely uncomfortable mounted on a machine, in comparison to the ease with which Aloy rode.
Aloy looked...good. As good as anyone can be after spending six months alone in the wilds, that is. Her braids were slightly tangled at the ends and the remains of her face paint-the mark of a Nora Death Seeker, in honor of Rost-were scrapped away, but it was nothing a good wash couldn't fix. There were no injuries on her sister that Orea could see, although she knew better than anyone Aloy had a knack for hiding pain. As a Carja stablehand took the Chargers' reins with shaking hands, Aloy dismounted, her hair catching the light of the sun, blazing like a brilliant flame in contrast to the deep midnight of Orea's locks.
As a matter of fact, the two sisters looked considerably different. Whereas Aloy's eyes were green as the ferns of the Sacred Lands, Orea's gaze was colored blue as the mountain sky. While Aloy's facade was dotted with warm freckles, Orea's skin was white as bone and unmarked. Aloy's face was painted in honor of their father, Rost, while Orea still wore her Seeker mark as a reminder of her mission. Aloy donned the armor of one of the twin Shield-Weaver suits the sisters had found, while Orea had chosen to wear the exquisite silks the Carja were so praised for. However, for all their differences, both sisters shared the same bow strapped across their back and the same charm tucked into their pouches-their last gifts from Rost before the Proving, his final mementos.
Behind her, Orea spotted Varl, apparently having fulfilled his goal of finding her sister. He was...beared now, which was an interesting change (and hopefully a temporary one, in Orea's opinion) and although he seemed unsettled riding one of GAIA's machines, the crowd of admirers did not unnerve him nearly as much as they did Aloy. While Aloy visibly shrunk away from the joyous shouts of "savior, "Varl moved to whisper something in the huntress's ear, gesturing to the throng of Carja around them.
Maneuvering to the front of the crowd, Orea caught Aloy's eye, her sister briefly grimacing before schooling her features back toward a neutral expression. Now, with her sister finally returned, Orea found herself even more stupefied as to what to feel. White-hot anger flared through her veins, promising her sister some choice words later, but she also couldn't deny the pulsing relief that Aloy was alive and well. Slowly, as if fully aware of the thicket awaiting her, Aloy made her way to Orea, Varl trailing closely behind her.
"Sister," Aloy greeted hesitantly, hands reaching out on instinct to embrace Orea, but finding themselves quickly denied.
"Aloy," Orea found the words exiting stiffly from her mouth, the first time she had ever greeted her sister by full name only.
"Orea-" Aloy sighed, face downcast. "I know we have a lot to talk about-"
"Not here. Not now," Orea bit out, forcing herself to inhale a single, deep breath. "I suppose you two are here on urgent business?" A single nod from Aloy served as all the answer she needed. "Good. So are we. Blameless Marad is heading up to meet us at the Spire."
"As much as I'd love to watch this family reunion," Vanasha smirked, pushing herself gracefully off the column she was leaning upon, Aloy having not yet caught sight of her. "I'd better let the Sun-King know you're here. You three go on ahead," she whispered, flashing Orea a final, mischievous smile.
"Alright then. Let's go." As the trio began the long trek back up to the Spire, Aloy settled cautiously at Orea's side, their strides meeting together as they always had. While their boots crunched into the dirt, the sky opened up in a light drizzle, gifting the rise around them a faux sheen.
"You said you had urgent business too?" Aloy began. "What happened?"
"A few weeks ago, during the solstice, something happened at the Spire. For half a minute, the transmission tower glowed red. Marad was able to explain it away as a trick of the light, or else Meridian would've gone into a panic. He and Avad have been sending out hunters for weeks-to Sunfall, to the Cut-Marad even sent a delegation straight to Mother's Heart, in case the Matriarchs had some sniff of where you were."
"I'm sure the Nora enjoyed that," Aloy chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm sure they were thrilled."
"Did you see this light?" Aloy asked.
"Yes, I was on the Alight when it happened. The glow began from the tower's base-from that," Orea said, pointing to the HORUS orb that had once stored HADES.
"The orb?"
"Yeah. It rose from the base and made its way up the entire Spire, then shot off into the sky like a rocket."
"How could it do that?" Varl questioned, and for the first time, Orea noticed that he too was wearing a Focus. "The Spire was what HADES used to try and reawaken an army of machines right? But HADES was destroyed."
"Yeah, but it wasn't just meant for that. These towers are supposed to send messages to and from the terraforming system," Orea explained.
"I used the Master Override on HADES; it should be destroyed. I'm certain of it." Aloy groaned, her hands wringing themselves in and out of fists: one of her few nervous habits. "If it wasn't HADES, then the message had to be sent by someone who understands how to use the towers, and the only person who could figure that out is-"
"The one who gave you the lance you used to kill HADES in the first place," Orea grumbled. "Sylens."
"Exactly," Aloy sighed, equally as frustrated.
"Oh Sylens, what did you do now?"
"Varl and I came here hoping Marad might have some information on our...secretive friend. But it looks like you found his handiwork first."
"Indeed it does. I guess we have a tower to climb."
"You guys are going up there?" Varl asked, craning his head toward the glint of the tower's summit.
"Yeah," Aloy answered. "Stay here in case anything happens. Orea and I'll climb the Spire."
"After you." The two sisters quickly made their way toward the Spire across the makeshift scaffolding Carja workers had built to ease reconstruction, jumping between and across pillars as naturally as a Glinthawk flies. Though the scurrying was leisurely compared to many of the ascents the wilds had demanded, Orea was glad to have an excuse to stretch her muscles, however minutely.
She followed Aloy's lead, hopping onto a crane, noticing the distance between the next platform was far too long a jump. However, before she could so much as speak, Aloy reached into her pouch, pulling out a strange metal device with a wire attached at one end. She drew a single arm back and then abruptly forward, the wire shooting out of her grip and attaching itself to the distant crane.
"Stand back a bit," Aloy grunted, pulling the wire-and therefore the crane with it-toward both women.
"Neat tool you got there. Where'd you get it?"
"Varl and I found a crew of Oseram delvers. Their leader had the prototype on them. I fixed it up with a few machine parts. I call it a Pullcaster," Aloy explained, leaping onto the crane.
"Why not just a grapple hook?" Aloy rolled her eyes good-naturedly; apparently Orea was not the first to raise such a suggestion.
"You too?"
"What can I say? I say what's on my mind."
"Is that a threat or a promise, sister?"
"Maybe a bit of both," Orea shrugged, joining her twin on the crane. "For now though, how are we getting to the Spire?"
"Simple: Pullcaster," Aloy grinned, latching her new tool onto a nearby vent, pulling the grate clean off. "Hold onto me: this thing can do more than just pull objects."
"What do you...oh." Orea blanched, looping her arm securely around Aloy, feeling a sudden whoosh of air as Aloy jumped, her Pullcaster somehow coupling onto the metal surface of the Spire, pulling the pair with it.
"Okay," Orea breathed once her feet were on solid ground. "I am definitely getting one of those."
"I thought you might say that." Now, all that was left was to climb the actual Spire itself, its metal solid and firm under Orea's hands.
"What do you think Sylens did?" The huntress asked between breaths.
"I thought Sylens was helping me when he gave me his lance. But it looks like he tricked me," Aloy breathed ruefully.
"He tricked both of us."
"His lance must've transmitted something through the Spire."
"Do you...think he saved HADES?" Orea said, voicing the question neither wanted to ask, but both knew was inevitable.
"Maybe. But why would he do that?"
"It's Sylens. Who knows?" If Orea had learned one thing about the supposed-Banuk during their involuntary partnership, it was that the man was a walking, talking enigma. She had long given up trying to understand what exactly went on inside his head.
"There's an opening over there, Aloy. I think we can jump to it," Orea panted, pointing toward an area of the tower where a small gap existed between its flank and the interior. With a final leap, Orea pulled herself inside and slid down, surrounded by smooth metal on all sides.
"Think that's an elevator?" she asked, pointing to a nearby control node.
"Only one way to check. You wanna do the honors?"
"Don't mind if I do." Reaching for her spear, the perfect match to Aloy's, she plugged its tail end into the node, the override component she'd recovered from a Corruptor so long ago again fulfilling its purpose.
"Access lift activated."
Like a flower in bloom, the floor opened up before them, revealing a lift set straight through the Spire's center.
"Well, this beats climbing." The two marched onto the lift, and with a metallic groan, the platform rose up around them.
"Engaging maintenance configuration."
"Look!" Aloy pointed. "The whole thing is opening up!" Panels across the length of the Spire were opening up one by one, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
"I bet Marad will love to try and explain this away," Orea muttered, breaking a grin at the thought of the Carja spymaster having to prevent the city going into another panic. Rain continued to pool and pour as the lift deposited them on the Spire's roof, where a single control module was waiting.
"There it is," Aloy said, driving her spear into the module without hesitation. Within seconds, a bluish light rose from the pillars surrounding them, casting a net of what Orea could only assume to be coordinates, before a...(it was called a compass right?) pointed due west.
"Somewhere way past the Sundom," Orea groaned. "Of course Sylens couldn't make it close."
"That lout," Aloy spat, fuming. Nothing could frustrate her sister as much as Sylens, not that Orea was blaming her. She'd fantasized every so often about shoving her spear straight into Sylens's-
"Well, Aloy, Orea, I see you finally figured it out," a voice gloated through their Focuses, its tone too condescending to be anyone other than their Banuk pain in the neck. A blink of an eye, and Sylens's holograms appeared near the node itself, hands crossed behind his back, dark skin still alight with the traditional machine markings of the Banuk shamans.
Of course, like he ever really was one of them.
"To be honest," he began, mouth twisted into a smirk, the kind Orea wouldn't mind punching straight off, "I'm surprised it took you so long to discover my ruse."
"Sylens, I'm surprised that you're somehow even more annoying after all this time," Orea greeted, enjoying the brief downturn of his smile into an irritated frown. There was nothing quite so satisfying in her mind.
"You rigged the lance to steal HADES?" Aloy snarled, ignoring Sylens's remarks. "How could you be so reckless?"
"Reckless?" He questioned, incredulous. "You're the ones who tried to purge HADES before its precious knowledge could be...extracted."
"Right, because what's a little more knowledge in the face of all human life?" Orea spat.
"I'm disappointed in you Orea. I would've assumed someone like you would understand the value of knowledge. I suppose I thought wrong."
"I'm touched you think so highly of me."
"HADES held too much...data to be purged. The mysterious signal that woke it, for example...or where to obtain one of those GAIA backups you've been having such a hard time finding." So I was right. Aloy is searching for a GAIA backup.
"If you knew, why didn't you just tell us?" Aloy demanded.
"I've been having problems of my own these past six months. The difference is, I've made progress. So once your anger at my entirely necessary deception has faded, why don't you two come out here and find me in the Forbidden West, and learn all that I've discovered?"
"Oh, I'll come find you, all right," Aloy whispered, voice sharp as a knife. Personally, Orea wouldn't ever want to be on the other side of that voice, but Sylens didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"Yes, well, the coordinates should make it simple enough, even for you," Sylens crowed, apparently unable to resist taunting Orea and her sister one last time. With that, his hologram fizzled into nothingness.
Orea sighed: was it in Sylens's nature to be so frustrating or did he go out of his way to be as maddening as possible? Aloy looked ready to scream, throwing a hand up in frustration, bracing her hands against the node.
"Aloy..." Orea began.
"I know," she breathed, hands on her hips. "There's no other choice."
"We'd better head down before the rain clears. The less Carja notice the Spire, the better." As quickly as they arrived, the two descended the tower, the Spire closing itself back up as they went. Marad and Varl were both waiting for them when they arrived, the two men speaking amongst themselves, turning as the huntresses approached.
"You two went inside the Spire, and it changed, like the day of the battle," Varl breathed, astonishment in his eyes.
"We're lucky it's a stormy day," Marad added, ever cautious. "I doubt many in Meridian saw the tower change. What did you two find?"
"HADES is alive; the danger didn't end here," Aloy explained.
"It's gone into the Forbidden West, and we need to follow it," Orea continued, putting a special emphasis on the word 'we'. I don't plan on being left behind again, not this time.
"I see," Marad said, the proverbial wheels in his head turning. "That could be difficult. The West is called 'Forbidden' for a reason."
"Why?" Orea asked. The Sundom was as far west as she'd ever gone. Just what exactly was beyond its borders?
"A tribe of ferocious warriors controls much of it: the Tenakth. And they allow no trespassers past its border." Tenakth. Orea could only recall hearing the word once before-when Aloy and she had agreed to hunt down an escaped prisoner by the name of Ullia. The woman had been hiding out with a cohort of bandits, and had been a fierce fighter, that was for sure. Orea had been the one to strike the killing blow, after which Ullia had implored her to...drink her blood. Here's hoping Ullia was just an outlier.
"That said," Marad continued, "under Sun-King Avad, a fragile peace has been negotiated."
"Wait. Isn't there an Embassy happening in a few days near the Daunt?" Orea wondered. "The one Erend and his Vanguard left for?"
"There is indeed. Were you to attend the gathering under his auspices, the Tenakth might grant right of passage, instead of hunting and attacking you on sight."
"Right of passage does sound more pleasant than being chased by a bunch of angry Tenakth," Orea mused.
"Just what we need: more killers," Aloy groaned, as a horn sounded in the courtyard. Orea caught sight of the Sun-King's entourage of courtiers and guards, Vanasha among them.
"Ah, the Sun-King's here. Good," Marad said, walking forward to greet his liege. Orea turned the corner of her eye to her sister's face, watching as Aloy inhaled a single, sharp breath; what a bystander would understand as reluctance, but Orea knew better. Her sister was nervous to reunite with the Sun-King-yet eager all the same.
"Aloy!" Avad greeted, Nasadi and Itamen trailing behind him. "It's good to see you." Aloy smiled, inclining her head in return. "You left in such haste, we never had the chance to properly thank you," he said, which Orea knew was really the Sun-King's way of saying, 'I never got to properly thank you.'
"Can we show the Champions the spears now? Please!" Itamen piped up, grinning joyously before being gently shushed by his mother. Orea couldn't help but smile at the prince: living in the palace had meant the huntress had constantly been trailed by the royal, bombarded with enthusiastic questions about the adventures she'd gone on, or the machines she'd hunted. Orea, finding Itamen's unrelenting curiosity endearing, couldn't help but care for the boy. He was so much happier since his rescue from Sunfall, surrounded by friends and an older brother who loved him dearly.
"It's true," Avad admitted, smiling at Itamen's excitement. "We come bearing gifts. Decorum usually calls for a ceremony of offering at the palace, but I thought you would prefer a less...formal occasion." He turned to his servants. "Bring them please."
"Avad, this is all very kind but-" Aloy trailed off as she saw the two gift-bearers step forward. "Uthid. Vanasha!" The pair each carried a wrapped parasol of fine Carja silk, with a spear laid atop.
"Quick: better hand them over before she runs off again!" Vanasha teased, earning an eye-roll from Uthid.
"Must you?" he asked, handing his gifts over to Aloy: a fine, sturdy Carja spear interwoven with gold, and a beautifully-made tiara. Aloy took the gifts, weighing the spear in her hands to test it, lips spreading into a smile.
"Don't think we forgot about you," Vanasha smiled, handing Orea her own package. For me? Curiosity getting the best of her, Orea took her spear in hand, finding the weapon just as finely made as Aloy's, as if crafted for her hands only. Inside the wrapping was not a tiara, but a pair of golden bracers, their metal woven into a net and shining in the sun.
"Try them on," Varl urged. While Aloy hesitantly raised the tiara to her forehead, Orea wasted no time in slipping the bracers over her silks, not missing the way Avad's face glowed as Aloy tried on her gift.
"It's...beautiful," she admitted.
"On behalf of all the citizens of the Sundom, may these tokens remind you both of our eternal gratitude," Avad spoke. "We are in your debt."
Aloy and Avad shared a look, their eyes meeting only each other's, before Marad cleared his throat, throwing both huntress and Sun-King back into reality. With a final glance at both sisters and a brief farewell, Avad turned to speak with the rest of the workers atop the Alight.
"The Sun-King has prepared a dinner in your honor-" Marad began.
"A dinner?" Aloy asked, shrinking back imperceptibly. "That's not necessary-"
"Don't worry, it will just be among friends," Marad assured. "The Sun-King believed you would be more comfortable with an informal evening."
"Well, he was right," Aloy admitted.
"After dinner, we can discuss the plans for your departure."
"Sounds good," Orea said, glancing at Aloy. It was high time for them to talk. "Let's go get ready for dinner."
. . .
Orea led Aloy through the palace to her room, figuring it would be easier to share the space for a night than to set Aloy up in a new one. The walk was silent, with neither sister sure how to approach the other, and the palace servants and guards staring at the pair in awed reverence as they passed. Needless to say, the journey back was awkward.
"Home, sweet home," Orea muttered as they reached her quarters, swinging open the finely lacquered doors, the perfume from her favorite vase of azure blooms wafting through the chamber. As per Avad's orders, the space was exquisitely furnished, silk curtains surrounding her bed and satin cushions providing rather comfortable seating. Orea's armors were tucked carefully and neatly into a sanded dresser, rows of colorful dyes available along the vanity. Besides what Avad had given her however, the room had slowly taken on more and more of Orea's character. Her weapons were sorted neatly within the chest placed against her bed, the huntress preferring them close to her person, and she had long ago taken to displaying the Thunderjaw circulator she had salvaged from the fight against Redmaw-as well as Rost's knife-atop the center table.
"It...looks like you've settled in," Aloy began, shifting nervously on her feet.
"Well, I did have six months to get acquainted with the place," Orea snapped. "You know, while you were out in the wilds doing who knows what."
"Orea, I can explain-"
"Explain?!" Orea roared, half a year's worry of anger and worry releasing itself into a fiery crescendo. "You left me without so much as a word, Aloy! How can you possibly explain that!?"
"I had to leave Orea, to try and stop the Blight! To find GAIA!"
"I know why you left Aloy, that's not the problem! The problem is that you left me here! Did it not occur to you that I would've gone with you! That I wanted to go with you!"
"It was too dangerous, I didn't want-"
"I can handle danger, Aloy. In case you've forgotten, it was the both of us that took down HADES and Helis and all the rest!"
"I know you can handle yourself, Orea-I've never doubted that-I just..."
"Just what?" Orea demanded, crossing her arms.
"I...I didn't want you to get hurt because of me. Because of what I have to do," Aloy whispered, her voice sounding broken and...afraid. Orea sighed, body deflating like a broken blast trap. She was still angry at Aloy for leaving her behind-but they were sisters. With Rost dead...they were all the other had left.
"You could've at least answered my calls."
"I knew that if I answered, I wouldn't be able to keep going. To stop myself from missing you." Orea shuddered, the air somehow heavy as it left her body.
"Aloy, I understand that you didn't want me to get hurt, but we're in this together. Rost is gone; we're all the family we have left."
"I know," Aloy sighed. "And I'm sorry I left you behind. You at least deserved a goodbye."
"Just...next time we go together, okay?"
"Okay," Aloy breathed, nodding. "Together." Orea smiled, allowing herself, for the first time since hearing the commotion at the gates, to be happy that her sister was back.
"Come here you idiot," she huffed, gathering her sister in a much-needed embrace, not caring for the sweat soaking through both their clothes.
"Now, we'd better get ready for dinner," Orea said once they separated. "And in your case, that means getting to the wash now, because-I love you Aloy-but you smell. Really bad."
She nearly missed dodging the scroll Aloy chucked her way.
. . .
After a lengthy wash on Aloy's part (and an impressive amount of convincing on Orea's) both sisters found themselves dressed in fine Carja silk, Orea guiding Aloy to the dining hall. Both sisters were donning their gifts, partly as a way to thank Avad, partly because the new bracers were utterly amazing and Orea would take any excuse to wear them.
"So, who do you think will be at this 'dinner?'" Aloy asked, eyes set straight ahead. Orea could tell her sister was nervous; her upbringing as an outcast had left her still wary of large crowds, while Orea's time in Meridian had helped her to grow more comfortable with groups of people. The huntress wouldn't consider herself a social butterfly by any means (not that she ever aspired to become such) but she could face a throng of Carja without wanting to shoot an arrow straight through her own skull now.
"Probably the usual subjects: Avad, Marad, Talanah, Vanasha, Uthid. I'd bet Varl, too. Nobody we don't like." Noticing Aloy's face still twisted in unease, Orea placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Aloy, it's Avad-he knows we don't like scores of people. He wouldn't agree to anything that would make us (you) uncomfortable."
"Yeah, you're right," Aloy sighed, her body relaxing ever so slightly. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it; I just want to hurry up so I can eat."
A pair of guards swinging open the grand set of doors, Aloy and Orea entered the banquet hall, where it seemed they were fashionably late. Just as Orea had suspected, the Sun-King, Marad, Vanasha, Uthid, Talanah, and Varl were all lounging about the room, holding goblets of clear wine and chatting amongst one another. Orea noticed Nasadi and Itamen present as well, the prince and his mother already seated at the long table occupying the center of the hall.
Orea took a half-second to scan the space around her; despite eating with Avad and various other members of the royal family in the banquet hall, she still found the space exquisite, the walls beautifully decorated with golden spirals and suns. Intricate tapestries depicting the Sundom's history hung from corded rope, while torches burned within delicately carved scones on the walls. The opulence of the Sundom was breathtaking compared to the simple woodwork of the Nora, although Orea still found the latter to be more...inviting than all the Carja grandiosity and high-browsing combined, in most cases.
"There they are!" Talanah smiled, the Sunhawk still decked out in armor. "The guests of honor!" Talanah had been another bright spot during Orea's unintended stay in Meridian. The Sunhawk had needed plenty of help both rebuilding the Hunters' Lodge and reforming the Carja cultural institution, help Orea was more than happy to provide. Sometimes that meant hunting down ferocious machines encroaching too close to Meridian's borders, other times it meant expelling bigoted nobles from the Lodge's ranks. Either way, life at the Lodge was never boring, and Talanah was a skilled enough hunter to serve as a worthy partner, and a loyal enough friend to be good company.
"Heard you're heading out to the Forbidden West," Talanah said as the two sisters walked further into the hall, Aloy splitting off from Orea to speak with Uthid and Vanasha. "Chasing after that 'Sylens' guy?"
"Yep. And we have to wade through a bunch of angry Tenakth to do it. Know anything about them?"
"Tenakth," Talanah mused, hand rubbing her chin. "My father mentioned them a few times when I was growing up. He only traveled west past the Daunt once, before the Red Raids-during the hunt that would earn him the title of Sunhawk."
"Did the Tenakth allow him through?"
"Sort of," she admitted. "My father's journey there was over twenty years ago, back when the clans were engaged in constant warfare."
"Clans?" Orea asked. "What do you mean?" She had never heard of a tribe being split in such a manner.
"My father told me the Tenakth are not united as one people, like the Carja or the Nora. Instead, the tribe as a whole is split into three, between the Sky, Desert, and Lowland Clans." If the Tenakth are divided three ways, how do they govern themselves? "Each clan constantly battled the others for territory, power, and resources. In order to gain right of passage, my father had to earn it from each individual clan."
"How did he do it?"
"He never went into much detail, but it sounded like he had to endure trials by combat to prove himself worthy of traveling their lands."
"Well," Orea shrugged, trying to imagine for herself what a Tenakth trial-by-combat might entail, "I guess it won't be my first."
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Attending the Embassy with Avad's blessing should be enough to get you right of passage."
"Did your father speak much about the Tenakth themselves? What they were like?"
"A little. He told me they were great warriors, and always training for battle. He also said that they didn't drink blood like most Carja believe."
"That's a relief," Orea sighed, glad she at least didn't have to worry about that. "What will happen in Meridian while I'm gone?"
"You mean, how will we ever go on without you?" Talanah smirked, a teasing lilt to her voice.
"Naturally. I'd like to think I've made myself pretty invaluable over these past few months." Talanah let loose a laugh, head shaking as she snorted.
"Very humble, as usual, I see," she guffawed. "In all honesty though, you'll be missed here. The Lodge will be a lot more boring, that's for sure. Just remember, that while you're out in the West saving the world as usual, I'll be back East taking down a bigger machine than you are."
"Wanna bet on it?" Orea lured, unable to deny such a challenge, especially one from the Carja Sunhawk.
"Loser has to polish the winner's weapons. All of them."
"Best save your circulators Talanah, before I wipe the floor with them." With a shared smile, the two huntresses shook hands to seal their bet, Talanah quickly pulling Orea into an embrace.
"I'm serious though: be safe out there."
"Yeah. You too." Suddenly, a hand yanking at her pant leg drew Orea out of Talanah's grip, the huntress finding Itamen hopping beside her.
"May I show you something, Champion?" he asked, smiling ear-to-ear.
"Of course, Itamen. Of course." With a final wave to Talanah, Orea allowed herself to be pulled along by the prince to his mother.
"Blessed Champion," Nasadi began, voice regal and well-practiced from years of holding court. "Prince Itamen and I wanted to bestow upon you this gift for the long journey ahead; a token to remember us by, and a way to show our gratitude for liberating us from Sunfall." The Dowager Queen gave something to Itamen, who eagerly placed two thin rods into Orea's hands: earrings, two violet crystals intertwined with gold.
"Thank you," Orea smiled, hanging the ornaments from the piercings in her ears. "Both of you," she said, looking at Nasadi. The widowed queen had been through so much, from enduring the Mad Sun-King to protecting her son from the corruption at Sunfall, and yet through it all she had remained steadfastly dedicated to her family. "I am honored our paths crossed at Sunfall, and led here."
"When you get back, will you give me hunting lessons?" Itamen asked. "Blessed Champion Aloy said she would too!"
"Did she now? Then I suppose it would be a capital shame if I missed out. I would be honored to teach you."
"Yes!" Itamen pumped an excited fist in the air. "Does this mean I'll get to take down a Thunderjaw?"
"Not yet," Orea laughed. "But maybe someday."
"Excuse me, may I steal the champion for a moment?" Vanasha asked, coming to stand beside Orea. "Give a friend a goodbye?"
"Of course," Nasadi declared. "May the Sun light your path, Orea."
"And yours as well." Orea allowed Vanasha to guide her to the opposite side of the room, the spy grabbing a glass of wine as they went.
"Want some?" she asked, offering the sweet-smelling liquid.
"No, thank you. Rost always used to say a sharp mind was a sharp body."
"Have it your way." She took a grateful sip of her glass, before continuing: "You know training with you is all Itamen's going to talk about for the next month, right?"
"He'll have something to look forward to. That certainly wasn't the case in Sunfall."
"You're not wrong. He's a thousand times happier here than he ever was there." Orea knew Vanasha had taken over duties as Itamen's part nanny-part bodyguard, and was fond of the royal, despite her protests otherwise.
"Thanks for the gifts by the way, but you guys didn't have to-"
"Oh, yes we did. If you're going off on another adventure, then you'll leave with our gratitude, and our hopes."
"Sounds like you're not changing your mind."
"Not a chance," Vanasha smirked.
"Then I won't try." Something seemed to catch Vanasha's eye, the spy's grin growing even wider.
"Looks like our huntress and Sun-King have found each other. Shall we listen in?"
"You are such a gossip," Orea chastised, but not protesting further as they angled their bodies to better observe the conversation. I am a hypocrite. And I couldn't care less.
Aloy and Avad stood talking together, their attention fully on the other. Orea couldn't help but smile: the Sun-King's affection for her sister was obvious to anyone who had eyes, and although Aloy's was less so, Orea had known her sister for long enough to tell that she was just as enamored with the man. From what Orea could hear, it seemed the two were discussing Itamen, and Avad's hope his brother would one day take the throne in his stead.
"Wouldn't the crown go to a son of yours first?" Aloy asked.
"Yes, well, I'd have to get married for that to happen," Avad admitted, and Orea noticed her sister glance shyly at the floor. "Marad keeps throwing noble matches at me, but I find I'm always trying to make them into someone they're not." Orea couldn't help but sympathize with the Carja king; he'd told her of the many matches Marad had arranged, the dozens of Carja nobles he'd introduced. Avad had described most of them as nice enough, but Orea knew they were always lacking in one key area: they were not Aloy.
"At any rate, I never aspired to the throne, and I don't wish to sit there forever. When the time comes, I hope to step aside," he said, and Orea could hear the longing clear in his voice; the yearning for freedom. "Free of the crown, I might finally be able to travel the world. Have adventures of my own. Maybe accompany you on one of yours?"
"That would be nice," Aloy said softly. "Someday." A brief silence overtook the pair, before a sigh released itself from Avad's throat.
"Aloy," he began slowly, as if forcing the words to leave him, for fear of otherwise not speaking at all. "There's something I must ask you. Since you left, I've...thought of little else."
"Avad, I don't know if this is the time-"
"This may be the only time, Aloy. The way you left before...there's no knowing when I'll see you again. I'm not trying to stop you, or hold you back. But I need to know: when your mission is over, will you consider returning to Meridian? And staying? Long enough for us to...spend time together, get to know each other?" It was a proposal, clear as day, and Orea hoped Aloy would say yes.
Please sister, let yourself be happy, just this once.
Aloy bit her lip, looking anywhere but Avad for a moment, before she sighed shakily and turned back to him.
"I do hope to see Meridian again, Avad. And you. But this mission...it has to come first. But after...who knows? I can't even imagine that, at least not right now."
"Of course, I would never try to pry you from your mission. Do whatever you need to do Aloy, and know that I will be waiting for you here, should you choose to return."
"Avad..." Aloy trailed off, uncomfortable with the prospect of the Sun-King putting his life on hold for a future that might never happen, not if they couldn't find GAIA.
"This is my choice, Aloy," Avad assured, reaching out a single hand for hers. To Orea's surprise, Aloy didn't balk away from the contact, instead allowing Avad's hand to encompass her own.
"I...alright." Orea beamed, ecstatic for her sister.
"You two are even worse than Vala was," Varl chastised, arms crossed against his chest. "You're just as much a schemer as she was," he continued, eyes briefly shutting in memory of his fallen sibling.
"Varl, looks like the wilds weren't kind to you," Orea chuckled, pointing to his beard, wanting to distract her friend from the agony of losing a sister, at least momentarily. The loss of his only sister at the Proving had affected Varl just as much as the loss of Rost had devastated Aloy and Orea.
"Okay, okay, I don't need both champions ganging up on me. It's not like I had time to shave in the wilds."
"Best remedy that now," Orea teased, earning a lighthearted scoff.
"If it means an end to your badgering, I'll do anything."
Soon after, steaming hot plates were carried into the hall by awe-struck stewards and placed around the table, everyone taking their seats, Orea placing herself next to Varl on her left and Avad to her right. Dinner was a lively affair, with good food and company, jokes and anecdotes flying back and forth between friends. Orea couldn't deny the lightness she felt in her heart at that moment. It was nice to finally be reunited with her sister, and to spend an evening together with their comrades, however temporary it was.
After dinner, Marad approached the pair, face stern and focused as always.
"It's time we discuss your departure."
"Indeed it is," Orea replied. "The Embassy's being held past the Daunt, right?
"Yes," he nodded. "You'll find the fortress of Barren Light at its farthest edge. The Embassy will take place just beyond its gates. It's a long march-a fortnight on foot."
"A couple of days of hard riding should get us there," Varl interjected, glancing at Aloy. "If you two are going west, I'm coming with you."
"Welcome to the team," Orea replied.
"We'll rest here tonight, and head out in the morning," Aloy decided, a strange look on her face, one Orea could only describe as...guilty? She filed the observation away for later.
"It's settled then," Marad said. "I'll make sure the guards at Barren Light are prepared for your arrival."
"Off to bed then," Orea yawned, beginning to feel the day's excitement catch up to her. "We've got a long morning ahead of us."
. . .
Orea's eyes snapped open in the darkness, hearing the telltale sound of her sister's footsteps, soft as a Stalker. Years of spending long nights in the wilds together had made her especially attuned to Aloy's otherwise silent steps. She felt Aloy draw nearer, her hand reaching out to jostle her shoulder-
"I'm awake," she whispered, turning quickly around to face her.
"Good, let's get going." Quick as a Lancehorn, Orea gathered her weapons and armor, used to years of swift departures under Rost's tutelage. She pulled on her Shield-Weaver, sliding her golden bracers on top.
"I overrode a Charger for you, and it's waiting outside." Orea cracked a grin; she hadn't ridden a mount for months, with everything in Meridian packed so closely together. It would be nice to feel the pounding of hooves again as she rode across the land.
"Wait-what about Varl?" Orea asked, pointing to where the Nora had fallen slumped across a chair, the branch he had been whittling still pressed to his chest. Aloy's strange face at dinner came hurtling back and realization struck Orea like a Thunderjaw's discs.
"You're leaving him behind, aren't you?" Aloy sighed, running a hand across her face.
"It's not right, Orea, to throw him in the middle of all this. We're in this together-you're right-but I don't want to risk any more lives." Orea nodded; she didn't agree with Aloy leaving Varl behind, but she'd respect her sister's choice.
"Okay, but under protest."
"Noted," Aloy smiled dryly. The sisters filed out of the room, Orea making sure to grab her Thunderjaw circulator and Rost's knife, before shutting the door without so much as a groan from the wood.
"But..." Orea continued. "Only if you go say goodbye to Avad." Aloy stopped dead in her tracks.
"What?"
"You heard me," she smirked. "I know you want to leave without a trace, but you should at least talk to him before you leave."
"Orea, come on-"
"It's the least he deserves, after last time. Otherwise, I could go wake Varl..."
"Fine, fine." Aloy threw her hands up in surrender. "But under protest."
"Noted." Orea smiled. "Now go!" She shooed her away, unable to stop herself from laughing as Aloy climbed up the palace walls, grumbling as she went. You'll thank me soon enough, sister.
As Aloy approached Avad's chambers, Orea made her way to the stables, where three Chargers were waiting instead of two. The huntress quickly found the machine that was unequipped, giving the Charger a gentle stroke on the horns.
"Hey girl, you ready to ride?" The Charger snorted affirmatively, and Orea chuckled. GAIA's machines, for all their metal and mail, seemed truly alive at times. Orea waited patiently ten-fifteen minutes-for Aloy to return, taking the time to hook her gear onto the beast's haunches. As the sun began to creep above the horizon, Aloy arrived, rappelling down from the tower that held Avad's rooms. Orea noticed the flush in her sister's facade, but decided against commenting, lest she have to dodge more scrolls-or worse-her sister's entire pack.
"Ready?" she asked instead, climbing onto her mount.
"Yeah," Aloy replied, sparing a final look toward the rising sun, Meridian, and Avad. "Let's go." The two stirred their mounts into action, kicking up a thin cloud of dirt, and took off toward the Daunt and beyond. Into the Forbidden West.
Up Next: Old friends, new dangers, and plenty of sass.