After the War's End

Chapter 2

After a few minutes, the Sun-King returned to the room with a tray in his hands. On it, there was a glass of water, a bowl of steaming chicken soup, and a piece of bread. He placed the tray on a table and helped Aloy sit up by holding her shoulders. Then, he put several cushions behind her to make her comfortable and brought the tray closer to her.

"I hope you like it," he said, sitting back down beside her. Aloy thanked him and started eating eagerly. She felt her empty stomach filling up and warming with the delicious food. After finishing, he took the dishes away, and they started chatting. They had always been so busy that despite appreciating each other, they hardly knew each other, so they had plenty of things to share about their lives. She explained how and when she found her focus, and he shared many things about Meridian and how he had seen the city grow. They continued talking until the night sky darkened with colors. Aloy kept talking until her words started to come out heavy from her mouth, and she fell asleep in the middle of a nonsensical sentence. Avad remained by her side, watching tenderly as she slept, listening to her soft breathing. Then, he leaned in and kissed her forehead while carefully tucking her in. He slowly stood up to avoid waking her, whispering, "Goodnight," and went to the sofa where he had been sleeping for the past two days. He looked at it with some resentment since it was excellent for sitting, but not for sleeping. The armrests were too high to rest his head on, and it wasn't long enough for him to lie down comfortably. Apart from feeling a bit cramped, it had caused him a neck and back pain that had tormented him all morning. He lay down as best as he could, curling up in the limited space, and fell asleep.

Aloy woke up in the middle of the night. She needed to use the bathroom urgently. Though still sore, she felt a bit better than she did hours ago. The soup had given her strength, so she thought of finding the bathroom. She looked around to orient herself. The faint light of the crescent moon slightly illuminated the room. She heightened her senses and could hear a soft breathing near her. She turned, glancing to her right, and saw Avad sleeping curled up on the armchair. He was wearing the same clothes as her, and one of his bare feet rested on the floor due to the small space he had occupied. She stared at him for a few moments before limping towards the bathroom. The bathroom was very nice, much larger, complete, and luxurious compared to the ones she used to find in the Sacred Lands. It even had a... bathtub? She had never seen one before.

When she returned to the room, she sat on the bed and remained silent, watching Avad sleep. He was still there, sleeping. He had taken off his crown, which lay on one of the tables, revealing his dark hair. She thought about how kind he had been to her. He was the ruler of the most powerful city she knew, yet he was lying on a chair without even a blanket or cushion. He had lent her everything he had to make her comfortable. Despite being the Sun-King, considered a god by his citizens, and whose word was law, he never acted superior. He treated everyone as equals, whether they were rich or poor. For a moment, she felt that their situations had some similarities. She had grown up as an outcast, shunned by the tribe, but now, everyone insisted on calling her "Anointed," "Redeemer," "Champion," and a myriad of other strange names. It made her uncomfortable. The fact that the door of the sacred mountain had opened for her didn't mean she had become a different person from when she was an outcast with no one's affection. However, others' treatment towards her had changed drastically. Maybe he felt the same way. He glanced at him tenderly, and suddenly, she noticed her cheeks reddening, and her pulse slightly quickening. When she was by his side, she felt... certain feelings she had never experienced before. At first, she had ignored and isolated them to avoid distracting herself from her important mission, but they were becoming stronger and harder to dodge. Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing if he felt the same. Yes, he had been very helpful, and he had insisted countless times that she should stay with him in Meridian, but maybe he was just being polite because he felt indebted to her. Perhaps she had broken his heart when she left without saying goodbye after the battle at the Spire, and for all the times she had given him the runaround. Maybe Marad was right, and he had found a good candidate for him while traveling through the Forbidden West. She sighed. Perhaps it was for the best, as her battles were far from over. As soon as she healed, she had to head to the Sacred Lands to report Varl's death, and, most importantly, continue with her mission. She had to find a way to gain an advantage in the battle against HADES. She sighed again, feeling her feet cold since she got out of bed. She thought maybe he would be cold too. She considered looking for a blanket but didn't think it appropriate to rummage around the room without permission. Instead, she took the orange blanket from the bed and gently called him to see if he was awake. There was no response, indicating he was still asleep. So, cautiously, she approached him and covered him carefully. As she bent down, she accidentally stepped on the blanket with one foot and watched his relaxed expression. It seemed he felt better with the blanket. She looked at his dark hair. She had always wondered what it would feel like to touch it. She looked around, making sure no one was spying on them, and slowly slid her hand through his hair. It was incredibly soft. She had to suppress a foolish grin, biting her lower lip. Then, she decided it was best to return to bed, but when she turned, her foot got caught in the blanket, causing her to stumble and make some noise as she fell to the floor, feeling immense pain in her broken arm.

"Aloy!" he exclaimed, startled by the sound of the fall, quickly sitting up and getting tangled with the blanket.

"Sorry..." she apologized, trying to get up, "I didn't mean to wake you. I went to the bathroom, and..."

"And... you covered me," he interrupted with a half-smile on his face as he removed the blanket from himself.

"Yes... well... I-I also..." she stammered nervously, blushing like a flameheart flower, hoping the darkness wouldn't reveal her embarrassment.

"Thank you," he replied with a friendly smile, extending his hand to help the warrior up. She quickly let go as a sign that she could manage on her own, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know," he added, accompanying her back to bed. Aloy laid back down, covering herself with the blanket up to her chest, leaving her arms uncovered.

"Sorry for scaring you," the Nora apologized.

"Don't worry, it's fine," the king replied, returning to the sofa.

Avad grumbled to himself. His neck was starting to hurt again. He rubbed it with his hand, feeling sore.

"Do you want a cushion, or two?" Aloy asked, seeming to guess what he was thinking.

"Oh, sure, if you don't mind," he answered, picking up the fallen blanket, making a sound as he bent down.

"Take as many as you want. This is by far the most comfortable bed I've ever tried in my life, and I have plenty of cushions," she said, offering him all she had. He took a few and returned to the armchair. It was much better this way, but his neck pain was killing him. He sighed as he curled up and wrapped himself in the blanket. It would take an eternity to fall asleep again, though at least she seemed to enjoy her stay there. He turned towards Aloy, who was already sleeping peacefully, and gazed at her serene expression until his eyelids finally closed, falling into a restless sleep.

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