Disclaimer: Guerilla Games owns the game. I just wrote the story.
A/N - Inspired by the song "I Found" by Amber Run. The perfect song for this not-so-perfect couple.
Patience. It was not an inherent trait within him, nor would anyone accuse him of having it in abundance. Nonetheless, it had become an oft-used weapon in the mental armory he had stocked since agreeing to work with the former Carja-prince-turned-Sun-King. He had always known that he wasn't the smartest of men—he lacked the zeal for knowledge that most Oseram tinkerers had from birth. So, what he lacked in brains, he had made up for in brawn, and he knew how to fight, how to kill, both alone and legion. Avad had needed him because of his abilities on the battlefield, and in turn, he had gained some tact and manners. Though, he was still admittedly learning those lessons.
His fingers drummed anxiously along the railing, and the tapping joined with the heavy-clad footsteps of guards, the crackling of burning torches, and merchants hawking their wares…all blending into the distinct heartbeat of Meridian. He could honestly say that he had missed the bubbling city that had become a second home to him. He'd left it ten days ago to return to the Claim, to bring his sister home to her final resting place. He would always mourn the loss of his sibling, but with his duty to her and the rest of his clan complete, he had eagerly returned to the capital. Ersa would want him to continue working with the Carja while protecting the city as, with her last breath, she had ordered him to save Meridian and grow up.
He had done just that, and would continue to do so, alongside Avad and with the help of a certain surprising Nora. Mother's Heart had been rustic and forbidding, but mostly unimpressive, until Aloy had walked through the gate and into his life. Some deep instinct had warned him that she was more than what she appeared, and it had spurred him to speak with her and offer to show her around Meridian. He knew then without a doubt that she would make it to the city during her journey.
With his eyes closed, he could envision her as she had stood in the twilight, her fiery copper hair heavy with braids and beads, and a smirk of youthful defiance. Thoughts of his favorite Nora often set his mind adrift, and since he apparently had the time, he let it go. Aloy was a survivor, and an ally, but somewhere along the way, she had become so much more. She'd been the sole reason they had found Elsa, and the quiet comfort she offered while he'd knelt over his sister's body had been a balm to his soul, even when he hadn't quite realized it at the time. He would forever be in her debt, but he was willing to be more, and the depth of that emotion was more frightening than any enemy he had ever faced.
Such foolishness only led to heartbreak, and he was neither worthy of her nor her affections. His sister's death had made him realize that he was coasting through life as only a drunken fuck-up could, and he had vowed to change and had. But, even the improved version still had nothing to offer the beautiful huntress, as she was beyond him in many ways. So, at every opportunity he had, he drove her away with consistently awkward flirting. He could tell by her reactions that she was mostly annoyed and generally unimpressed. And yet, after defeating Dervahl, they had stood together on this very balcony, and she had turned the game around by teasing him in return. It was new sport to her, and now, he was being hunted. He still wasn't exactly sure how to deal with that mind-boggling change, but she had most certainly done it out of pity.
"Erend Vanguardsman returns to Meridian. Welcome back my friend."
Avad's voice broke his daydream, and he crossed the stone floor and bowed slightly out of respect, not fealty, to the Sun-King.
"Thank you. I am glad to be off the road and back home."
The king gestured behind him, back up stairs that led to his sitting room. "And home you are. Come, there is ale and food prepared for us."
He followed, and while they supped caught up on Meridian's current affairs. In private settings, Avad became the prince again, and they slipped into an easy, informal banter. They spoke of the Claim, and the burial rights, as sadness seeped into his friend's face. "I know it seems all too soon Erend, but I'd like you to take Ersa's command. You've been doing so in all but name, and I want to make it official."
They knew each other too well. "I'm honored, Avad. But, you're right, I'd like more time. I'm not sure I've earned what you want to give me."
"Ersa thought you ready and you told me that yourself. But, take as long as you need, as long as you understand that I will accept nothing less than a yes. You've been too good a Captain to lose."
He smiled, just a little, "Aloy told me nearly the same thing. If you're both seeing it..."
"Then it must be fact," Avad finished his sentence as he rolled his eyes, "Have you seen our Nora friend since you've returned?"
"No...is she in the city?"
"I don't think so. She's come back to Meridian a few times while you've been gone, but no more than a day or so at a time."
He paused, a wry smile on his royal lips, "It's almost as if she was checking for something...or someone."
He shrugged, as he found Avad's suggestion silly, but wouldn't voice it. "I've never known her to settle anywhere long."
"True...but I asked her to stay here in Meridian anyway. We will always need competent and skilled warriors like her. I also offered her a position at my side, Erend."
Boiling anger and jealousy filled him at the simple statement of fact—he had never felt them so deeply, and it took every bit of control he had not to lash out. He stood, pushing away from the table as he began to pace along the patio's edge, with his hands balled into fists.
Avad continued, always observing, "I told her I needed a strong, shrewd, and capable woman."
He stopped, turning his eyes towards the heavens to search for the calm amongst the storm inside him, "She is all of those things, and more."
"She made me realize that I was looking to use her as a replacement for Ersa..."
His composure snapped like the worn drawstring of an ancient bow. In a flash, he was grabbing Avad's collar and lifting him to his feet, as he growled, "My sister's corpse is barely in the ground."
"Get your hands off me, Captain."
"Going to call the guards, Sun-King?" he snarled, "Hide behind your crown?"
Slowly, calmly, Avad lifted his hands to his head, removing the headpiece and mantle, tossing them onto a nearby table. Then, suddenly, the quick bastard slammed his forearm across the bridge of his nose, and he let go, stars swimming in his vision.
"We've become more than allies over the years, Erend. So, I'll try to give you the ass-beating you seem to be looking for, as maybe that will knock some sense into you. But, before we start, let me finish my damn sentence. Aloy refused me, and she forced me to accept the fact that no one will ever be what Ersa was to me."
He dropped his hands from his face, seeing his own blood smeared on them, and he spit the words in anger, "My sister deserved to live, to live her life with a man who could love her openly."
Fury lined Avad's face and despair weighed each word. "You think I don't know that! I am the Sun-King, but for all my wealth and power, I couldn't give her what she needed. I loved her, Erend—and love her still, with all of my heart."
From anger to sadness he tumbled as he realized he had jumped to conclusions, and then to shocked confusion as even more dawned on him, and he couldn't hold his tongue, "Aloy refused you?"
He laughed, "She saw right through me. My desperate sadness had me blind, but not her, not for one second. I'll admit...Aloy is still a puzzle to me, one that I would like to eventually solve. I asked her to give me time to get to know her."
He almost didn't want to know more, "And?"
"She's avoided spending any real time with me since. As I said, she stops into the city, comes by the palace, but leaves not long after."
"Aloy was outcast born, Avad. She's never lived in a village, let alone a city the size of Meridian. It makes her antsy."
"That may be part of it. But, again, she asks after you every time. Would she run off if I had said you were here?"
He had no answer, but he knew what Avad was driving at, so he tried diversion. "Are we back to Sun-King and Captain? Or are we still Avad and Erend?"
The impatient sigh was unmistakable. "Quit trying to change the subject. We are two men who, I suspect, have growing feelings for the same damn woman."
He shook his head, "Speak for yourself."
The bitter laughter danced about the palace courtyard, chiming through the night like bells from the temple. "In denial, Erend?"
"I know my place in this world, Avad, and my worth."
"Maybe Aloy sees more in you than you do."
He ran his fingers through the strip of hair on his head, "Then I'd have a thousandth reason to admire her. Look…" and he tried to tamp down the frustration he felt growing within him. "I'll just be blatant, because it's all I know to be, as I'm not the politician here. I'm not your competition if you intend to court Aloy…"
"Of course you're not. Aloy would choose you. I would wager that a hundred of a hundred times, she'd choose you."
"Stupid bet. We would both end up shit out of luck."
They laughed, like brothers coming to a necessary truce, and Avad countered, "If you tell me you have zero interest in her, I'll believe you. And maybe, at some point, when my heart and ego are both whole, I'd take a second shot."
He opened his mouth, and tried so hard to deny the feelings that swam through him as sure as the blood through his veins. Instead, he realized defeat and surrendered, "I've never lied to you, Avad, and I won't start now."
"I knew it, you stubborn fool. At least you'll finally admit it."
He shrugged, reclaiming the chair he had left, and his drink. He reached for the pitcher, refilling his mug to the brim, and drank half of it. He smirked, "You'd have to be blind or dead to not take notice of Aloy. It must have been a real blow to your kingly pride that she wasn't interested."
"It definitely stung," he chuckled as he patted Erend on the shoulder, before taking his own seat. "But realizing that she has horrible taste in men eased the pain quite a bit."
He shook his head, the smile fading on his lips, "I still think you're way off base there."
Avad looked him in the eye, "Didn't we agree years ago, that when it comes to war and strategy we rely on your brain, but when it comes to politics and emotions, we go with mine?"
"Aye, we did."
"And, so far, that combination has been right every time."
Avad gestured to the doorway, the candlelight bouncing off the rings of his hand, "You didn't see the hope in her eyes, every time she crossed that threshold. You said yourself that she's uncomfortable in Meridian. Why then would she come back time and time again to ask of you?"
He had no answer, but damn Avad for making him doubt the certainty he had when it came to Aloy. The unknown did not rest easy with him, and he needed some quiet time, to run through all the thoughts swirling in his head. Frustrated, he spoke, "I don't know Avad. She might have come back for supplies, errands for the Hunter's lodge...there are dozens of probable reasons. I'm not one of them. What I do know is that I am road-weary and ready for my own bed. Do you need anything more from me?"
He walked a dismissive line, tricky when your friend could easily pull rank, but Avad seemed to be in a forgiving mood. "Just your decision on the command, which you can give me when you're ready."
He nodded, his tone apologetic, "Good night, Avad."
"Sleep well, Erend. And I'm looking forward to seeing the joy in her eyes when I tell her you're home."
If that happened, it would make two of them.