After the War's End

Chapter 17

Marad was very restless. He hadn't slept since the Sun-King had been kidnapped, and deep dark circles surrounded his eyes. He worried about his friend, he worried about the city and its inhabitants, and he worried about the days that would follow if everything went wrong. Meridian couldn't handle another war. Everyone was tired of so much violence. First, the Red Raids and Jiran's madness, then the battle against that army led by the metallic demon, followed by the attack from the Regalla rebels with Fashav's death, and now this. He sighed, covering his face with his hands, enduring a pounding headache. In one of the rooms, his trusted soldiers, including Erend, the captain of the Vanguard, were gathered, trying to figure out what to do.

"Sir, we must do something," one of them said. "We've been waiting for his return for two days now."

"I don't like sitting idle either, but believe me, if I could do something, I would have done it by now. We don't know where they are... we don't even know if they're still alive."

"People are starting to suspect. It's been two days since their attentive king met with his people without any explanation. The nobles are getting restless, they haven't stopped complaining."

"As soon as I find out who's responsible, I'll make sure they pay for what they've done!" Erend exclaimed angrily, slamming his fist on the table and spilling some drops of beer he had next to him. Marad rubbed his temples. He had a headache from all the stress and wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. Suddenly, a Carja soldier burst into the room.

"Marad, two Striders are approaching with riders," he said. The royal advisor's eyes lit up. While he had heard rumors about rebels who knew how to sabotage machines in the Forbidden West, his hopes rested on the only person he knew who could tame those beasts: Aloy. The other rider was likely Talanah.

"Where are they coming from?" he asked, sitting up straight.

"They're heading toward the north gate of the city," the soldier replied. Without saying another word, the Blameless Marad rose and rushed to the location he had been told. When he arrived, he looked ahead and confirmed that indeed two machines were approaching, ridden by people whose front lights illuminated the darkness of the night. Still, he couldn't relax until he was able to speak with them.

"You've returned!" he exclaimed joyfully, approaching the huntresses with open arms. However, his smile quickly faded when he saw Avad lying in Aloy's arms with an arrow lodged in him, and all his clothes soaked in blood. "He... he's d-dea..." he tried to say, his voice trembling, unable to finish the sentence, feeling his legs give way and his face growing pale with each passing second.

"No, no, you can relax, as far as it goes, he's... safe and sound." she hurriedly replied, holding him up so he wouldn't fall, still holding onto the king. "Let's just say it's been a tough few days..."

"Ah..." he sighed in relief, leaning against a wall "I nearly died of fright. Please bring a sheet; it's not appropriate for anyone to see him like this." then, turning to the Sunhawk, he added "Thank you very much for your assistance and for your sudden departure without even knowing what it was about and without asking for explanations. As you know, it was a complicated matter. Thank you for everything and for understanding."

"My responsibility, apart from leading the lodge, is to defend Meridian and its members. I believe I should be there when I'm needed." he responded with a small smile.

"Thanks to all of you, Meridian is safe again. Talanah, if you don't mind, we'll return to the palace to tend to his injuries more thoroughly. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Let Aloy's mount in to carry the Sun-King more safely, but if it's not too much trouble, it's better if yours stays outside."