The Sweet Escape |Part 1| The Carja

Chapter 6 - The Sinking Ship

Meridian. Three months after the Battle of the Alight.

Erend woke up on the floor of his bedroom with a metallic taste in his throat and a pulsing headache. Again. His mouth was mushy and dry and everything was hazy around him. He tried to move, but he was still dressed in his full armor and it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. He rolled to his side in a loud groan, crawled to his bed and finally managed to sit upright, leaning against the wooden frame. He brought his hands to his face.

He had to pull himself together, and quickly.

He had so many things to deal with... Ensure the King's safety. Maintain peace in the city while a lot of people were still on edge, for having lost so much so abruptly. Help clear up the debris, organize the reconstruction. Keep the Vanguard in line, as the boys were still high with the thrill of the victory and all they had in mind was the celebration. Which for any Oseram meant a lot of ale.

Well, he couldn't say that he did not like it himself. Or more accurately, he needed it. Day after day, he was struggling with his old drinking habits, without much success.

His men were dragging him every night to the Oseram tavern down in the village, not far from the barracks. They couldn't stand to see their beloved Captain being turned into a shadow of himself, always so grumpy and depressed, him who was such a cheerful guy before. After all, he was the hero of the City, one of the three warriors that fought alongside the Savior of Meridian on the Spire to save them all! But since this memorable battle, he had changed...

... No, they couldn't let that happen. So every evening, it was the same routine. Erend would tell them that he will not do it again, that the night before was the last. This time, he will just grab a bite and go to bed, rise early the next morning. Be a good Captain. Be the man that Ersa wanted him to be.

The man that Aloy would share two minutes with.

And every night finished in the gutter. Again and again. He was just so... weak. He was just... his father's son.

Alcohol was lifting the weight off his chest and appeasing the sting in his heart. Making him numb, temporarily at least. Until he sobered up the morning after.

Joruf, his second, was constantly trying to lift his spirits up. "Forget about the Nora girl, Captain. There are plenty of other fish in the sea!"

And he was right on this, there were plenty. Since the victory, many women had found him attractive all of a sudden. Eyes were lingering on him when he was patrolling through the city, women were giggling and whispering when he walked close by, casting suggestive glances and sensual smiles. He often found letters, perfumed invitations, on his desk at the Vanguard headquarters.

The boys were pushing him hard. Many of them had girlfriends within the locals, a couple of his men were even married. "My lass has a friend who keeps talking about you, Cap!" Or, "My wife's sister is single and has asked if you had someone..." But he wasn't interested. Not once, he had taken one of these opportunities.

There was no point explaining, they couldn't understand. How his self-confidence had been shattered, how he still felt brittle and exposed. How his heart stopped beating each time anyone mentioned her name, or when he would spot a red-haired woman on the bridge or in the marketplace. And the overwhelming disappointment when he would realize it wasn't her.

It was still vivid in his mind.

Avad hadn't put a cap on the expenditure to celebrate the defeat of the Eclipse. It was open-bar for everyone! All the musicians, dancers and artists were in the street, people from all the tribes were drinking, singing and dancing together, nobles and populace alike. That was something he had never seen in his whole life. So much joy. So much relief to just be still alive, despite the desolation around them.