After the War's End

Chapter 27

Avad woke up at dawn, feeling the first rays of daylight on his eyelids. He heard Aloy's soft breathing as she slept peacefully, leaning on his chest, embracing him. One hand was extended, resting on one of his pectorals, and the other, with the wrist near the monarch's armpit, hugged him, gently holding the back of his shoulder. He blushed as he looked at her relaxed expression, with closed eyelids and a slight smile on one corner of her lips. Unclasping the fingers he had crossed on her back, hugging her, he placed his hands on the Tallneck's metal base to sit up slightly, enough to see the sunrise without waking her. The large machine continued to move among the trees. The Sun-King watched as the lush treetops passed by. A gentle breeze brushed his face, bringing the scent of the forest. He took a deep breath, filling his chest with the pleasant smells around him. The soft wind also carried the sweet scent of the huntress. He gently stroked her red mane while watching the orange circle of the sun appear between the mountains. He looked at it, thanking for these wonderful days he was living and wishing for prosperity, not only in his reign but especially in his personal life. He remained in meditation for several minutes, grateful that one of his greatest dreams had finally come true. After that, he affectionately caressed the young woman's face and woke her up.

"Good morning, Aloy." he said, smiling. She started to stretch while grumbling.

"Good... morning." she replied, opening her eyes and meeting the tender gaze of the monarch. The sunrise tinted the surroundings orange, illuminating everything its rays touched. The Nora finished sitting up to look at the landscape. They spent several minutes enjoying the spectacular view.

"Well, I guess we should start packing up." she said, starting to fold the blanket they had slept on, thinking that he probably had urgent work at the palace.

"Yes." he replied, putting on the Sun-King ornaments he had removed to sleep. "Marad will be waiting for me." Quickly, both finished getting ready to leave. The only thing left was the most complicated part: getting down from the Tallneck. The monarch swallowed hard before asking, "H-how do we get down from here?"

"Do you see that over there?" the huntress said, pointing to the handhold for rappelling. "We'll attach a rope and descend using it, but don't worry, you'll be tied to me in case you slip. You won't fall to the ground. Don't worry, you won't fall, but if, for any reason, the rope slips, I'll be there holding you."

"Okay." he sighed, not entirely convinced. "We have to go down, so the sooner we do it, the better." Then, Aloy tied the rope to the Tallneck's yellow projection and invited Avad to go down first.

If something went wrong, it was easier to hold him if he was below rather than above his head. Since the previous night, they had already tied their waists with a rope, so she just had to untie it from where she had fastened it at night. Avad began to descend, scared but with a bit more conviction than when he had climbed the day before. She descended holding on tightly, not because she was afraid, but because she needed to be prepared in case the monarch fell. He breathed a sigh of relief when he touched the ground. He turned happily to the huntress just to see how, when she was a few meters above the ground, she jumped off the rope and landed doing a somersault in the air.

"You did it!" she congratulated him enthusiastically, hugging him.

"Well, looks like I'll have to do this more often." he laughed, hugging her back. She smiled at him and called the mount while they untangled themselves. The galloping machine that had brought them the previous evening to that peaceful place appeared swiftly.

"Uh, be careful" Aloy warned, pulling the monarch into some bushes.

"A... longleg." he pointed out, watching as the machine looked around with yellow lights and approached where they had hidden. Avad rubbed his hand that was still healing. When he dismounted the machine, he had strained the injured fingers a bit.