A.N: Hello readers! First and foremost, I apologize for my lack of updates. I've hit a spell of writer's block, and have basically been forcing myself to write, and while I've been able to work though the worst of it, do not be surprised if parts of the story feel rushed or out of place. It is not intentional at all.
Second, thank you, as always, for being so patient with me as I try to write these chapters. This one is a tad bit shorter than the previous three chapters, and hopefully it doesn't disappoint too badly.
Anyways, since I have nothing more to say, please enjoy!
Aloy awoke before sunrise, unable to sleep through the nightmare that had been plaguing her throughout the night. She shivered before she pulled her leather tighter around her body and made her way out of the front door of the cabin. She didn't even glance in Elizabet's direction, instead wanting to be alone for the few bitter moments before sunrise. She walked through the gate, made her way to Rost's grave, and settled down amongst the snow. Tears began to creep up to the corners of her eyes, but she wiped them away before she cleared her throat.
"It's… It's been a while, huh." She began as she shifted to a more comfortable position. "There's a lot to tell you, but most of it will have to wait for another time. What's most important is that I found my mother… Well, the woman that I was cloned from. It's… A difficult concept to explain, the whole cloning thing, but that is also a story for another time."
She stopped speaking for a moment, and turned her head to watch the sun begin to peek out from behind All-Mother Mountain. She felt the warmth begin to dance on the morning breeze, and she sighed in content. She turned her head back towards the grave.
"I've found the history of our people. Before they were the Nora and the Carja. Before the machines walked the plains. Before the land swallowed up Devil's Thirst. I've begun to learn more about the Old Ones but…" She paused, chewing on her lip for a moment before she continued. "But nightmares have begun to surface with this new knowledge. I don't know what to make of it, and I don't want to stop learning about the Old Ones, but I don't want to risk anything. I don't want to put the tribe in more danger than it is already in, considering that the Nora are already so content in their ways that even the slightest change could cause even more isolation, or I could be cast out further than I was before. And I can't risk that. I can't abandon you or your memory. You are the only reason that I've stayed this close to the rest of the tribe."
Tears were starting to fall down her cheeks, and she allowed them to spill for several minutes. The silence that surrounded her was only broken by her shuddering breath and the small sobs that echoed in her throat.
"I keep thinking that Meridian is safer, that Avad and the Carja are my best bet to be safe, and that the Embrace is the last place that I should be… But in my heart, I can't forget all that you have taught me about the tribe, and all that I have learned on my own… Rost… What am I supposed to do? What can I do?" She asked as she traced her fingers over the carved stone before her.
The wind ruffled through her hair, and gently blew across her cheeks. All she could think of in that moment was Rost standing on the opposite pillar when she was a child, watching over her as she trained to compete in the Proving. And all at once, she then saw Vala, that night in the sleeping hut, telling her that she should be well rested, and encouraging her, the outcast, to do her best in the Proving. She saw the look on Bast's face when Vala came to her side, defending her against his belittlement towards her. Her heart clenched in her chest as she saw Rost once again, on the cliff overlooking Mother's Heart, as the Blaze canisters exploded behind him. Her eyes snapped open, and new tears threatened to spill over her eyelids, but she steadied her breathing as she gazed back at the stone once again.
"You know, that stone isn't going to have the answers that you're looking for." Aloy snapped her head towards the voice, and locked eyes with Elisabet. She steadied herself back onto the ground before the grave.
"He was the only family I had ever known. The only person in this entire tribe to show me any kindness before I competed in the Proving. The only person who knew me as I am, and not as the Anointed that the Matriarchs paint me as. I will always come to him first, even if he is no longer here." Aloy mumbled as she began to trace outlines in the snow before her.
Elisabet sighed as she looked over the young woman whom she had become closer to. Just like her, Aloy had stubbornness, and she didn't abandon anything, even if it meant putting her own emotions and thoughts aside. When the young woman set her mind to something, she did it. Finding the archived APOLLO program information was, coincidentally, one of those times. She moved closer to the younger woman and knelt at her side, as close as body language would allow. To her surprise, Aloy did not move away. Instead, she simply huddled closer in on herself.
"Aloy… I'm not the greatest at comforting others, but if ever you need someone to listen to you… I will be here." Elisabet stated, glancing between Aloy and Rost's grave.
The moment was brought to an end when voices came calling over the hill, and Aloy jumped to her feet, pulling Elisabet up with her.
"Braves, and they're coming this way. Get to the cabin and keep hidden. I'll come for you when it's safe. Something isn't right with their chants." Aloy urged Elisabet towards the cabin, and hopefully safety, as she stood looking off to the cliff edge.
When she heard the cabin door close, she released the breath that she had been holding, and focused on the figure that was now appearing from the cliff. Instead of the group she had anticipated, she was met by Varl alone, and while she was glad to see him, the smile he usually wore was now absent from his face.
"Aloy… The Matriarchs have requested you. You are to meet them in All-Mother Mountain, and are to be prepared to travel." Varl spoke, his eyes darting around the small enclave that Rost had made into a home for himself and Aloy.
"What is this in regards to?" Aloy questioned, trying to bring Varl's attention back to her.
"The Matriarchs have all of the details." Varl said before making his descent back towards the lower valley.
Aloy stood for a few minutes, puzzled by Varl's new attitude. Her mind began to race with questions. Did he tell the Matriarchs about their trip to GAIA Prime? Did he tell them about Elisabet? Did he tell them about the APOLLO program archive that she had brought back with her? Her curiosity turned to animosity as she stalked back up to the cabin. She made her way inside and went straight for her bed, gathering up her Shield Weaver leathers, her bow, and a handful of newly made arrows before turning back towards the door. She stopped when Elisabet's hand came down firmly on her shoulder.
"Aloy, what's gotten into you so suddenly?" She asked, her voice creeping with concern for the younger girl.
"Varl… The Matriarchs are summoning me for whatever reason, and I can't help but think that he's told them something, either about APOLLO or you, but the only way to find out is to meet with them in person. I've brought back a few of the Focus devices from the Lyceum, and I would like you to wear one so that I can communicate with you over distances, and so that you can keep an ear and eye out for me. I will most likely be bringing you to Meridian. It'll be safer there for you, and no one from the tribe would ever think to go there." Aloy spoke as she made her way towards the door.
"What do you think they have to say?" Elisabet questioned, her brow knitting together in confusion.
"Honestly, I don't know. There are tales of new machines making their way towards the Embrace from the Forbidden West, as the Carja are keen to call it, and from the Banuk settlement of Ban-Ur. After bringing down HADES, I'm actually surprised that there are still rogue machines that are hostile, especially since I've overrun all of the HEPHESTUS cauldrons within this part of the Embrace and the Sundom. If it's reconnaissance that they want, then they'll get it."
"How do we get to Meridian?"
"For now, stay here. I'll be back to get you when the Matriarchs have said all they can, then we'll take a couple of Striders out. They are the easiest to override here, and the most abundant. There is a problem with Stormbirds in the Sundom though… That could pose as a problem, especially on the first stretch of the trail."
"I'm not exactly an aspiring warrior. Sure, I've picked up a few things from you in our time together, but I am in no way close to being able to fight as you can." Elisabet stated, looking between Aloy and the door over her shoulder. A mere moment later, her eyes sparked with an idea. "You could teach me more!"
"W-what? I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but I'm not exactly a teacher, nor do I have that much patience in anyone, including myself. As much as it would benefit this trek, I don't know what our timeframe is looking like if the Matriarchs are worried about something that could endanger the Embrace." Aloy replied with a small frown.
"If anything, you're my best chance at learning how to defend myself against the rogue HEPHESTUS machines that are still lingering around. And seeing as how you've dealt with these new machines for the last few years, you're practically the expert in this scenario."
"Elisabet… I'll see what I can teach you. It probably won't be as great as Rost trained me, but it will be something to help you defend yourself. But first, I'll need to being going to Mother's Watch. I'll be back soon."
And with that, Aloy made her way out of the cabin and down towards the path that would lead her to Mother's Watch. She passed by a few small machine sites, a few Watchers here, a pair of Scrappers there, and was mostly lost in her thoughts the entire way to Mother's Watch. Before long, she was greeted by the newly reinforced gates that surrounded the small village. She made her way inside and up the path that lead to All-Mother Mountain, passed through the small cave entrance, and made her way down towards the steel door that blocked the path to the Lyceum. There stood Tersa, Jezza and Lansra, talking amongst themselves in hurried, hushed whispers. Aloy strode towards them, finally catching Tersa's eye with deliberate heavy footfalls.
"Aloy, welcome." Tersa began, but was cut off almost immediately.
"Tersa, we both know this isn't a generous welcome. What do you request of me so that I can leave and begin whatever task you have asked me for."
"Hmph. Stubborn girl." Lansra muttered under her breath, turning from the group and shaking her head as she walked away.
"Takes one to know one Lansra." Aloy replied, though louder.
"Aloy, please, this is urgent." Tersa pulled the younger girl back to the task at hand.
"So it seems, otherwise you would have noticed when I walked in. What is the issue?"
Tersa sighed in defeat. If there was one thing she knew about Aloy, it was her stubborn and headstrong attitude. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration before looking back at Aloy, taking another deep breath to steady herself.
"Aloy, as you know, most of the machines in the Embrace have turned almost tame since you took your last journey as a Seeker. But as we've been informed by other Braves, there are threats of new machines coming from the wilds of the Banuk lands. Strange, horrible machines that look nothing like those in the Embrace. We have sought you out to travel to Ban-Ur, and consort with the Banuk Shamans about these new machines. Any information that you bring back to us will be passed on to the Braves so that they may better defend the Embrace."
"I see. Very well, I'll be off then."
"Aloy, wait. There is more."
"Oh? What else could there be to scouting?"
Tersa moved to stand beside Aloy, and without a word, she took her arm and lead her to another part of the cavern, away from Jezza and Lansra. When she was sure they were out of earshot, she began to speak.
"Aloy, Varl has told me that the two of you came upon something unbelievable when you were last together. And that this discovery could help us to better understand the machines. Is this true?"
"Honestly Tersa, the Nora are so afraid of change, that I've withheld a lot of information from my travels, strictly because I didn't need another reason for the tribe to cast me further out. And if it's all the same to you, I'm going to keep it that way." Aloy ground out as she gently pulled her arm from the elder woman's hold.
"Very well. It is your decision after all. But perhaps you would care to share some of that information another time?"
"Maybe, but not now. Not when there are so many wounds left to be healed."
"Of course, but we've held you up here long enough. Please head for Ban-Ur as soon as you are able. The Shamans will be able to assist you further." Tersa spoke, nudging Aloy over towards the path the lead out of the mountain.
Aloy barely regarded the gesture as she made her way out of the mountain, walked down the slope to the village, and then began her trek back to the cabin. Ban-Ur was several days of walking away, and she didn't quite know if a Strider would be able to function in the extreme temperature difference between the Embrace and the frozen wilds. Before long, she had made her way up the cliffside that lead to the cabin, and once she was in sight, she could clearly make out Elisabet standing near the fire, watching for her.
Elisabet sighed in relief upon seeing Aloy, and noting that the scowl from earlier had now disappeared, she assumed that the meeting with her tribal leaders had gone well. Or at least as well as can be expected. She began to walk towards the younger red head, and once they were near enough, Aloy felt the pull of longing in her heart. All that time searching for her mother, and she had finally found the closest semblance that she would ever be able to find. They shared the same DNA, looked almost identical, and Aloy had already noticed some very similar personality traits. Without even thinking about it, she lunged forwards and wrapped her arms tightly around Elisabet's waist. Shocked at first, Elisabet slowly returned the gesture until they were both holding onto one another as if there was no one else left in the world.
"What brought this on?" Elisabet askes as she pulls herself back just enough to be able to brush some strands of hair from Aloy's face.
"I… I don't know… All that time I spent looking for a mother I didn't know didn't exist, then finding you in stasis… And finding out through the Focus device that you existed at one point in time pushed me onwards to find you. Nothing was going to stop me from tracking you down and asking you every possible question that I could, but most importantly why you abandoned me. And then finding out that I was not your daughter, but a clone that GAIA had created solely for the purpose of destroying the HADES function… And then having you here in the flesh, it's just been so much to take in.." Aloy mumbled as she buried her face back into Elisabet's shoulder.
"Oh Aloy… I had no idea that all of that had led to this…" Elisabet sighed as she rubbed small circles on Aloy's back.
"And now we'll have to part once more, strictly for your safety. I have a friend that owes me a favor anyways."
"And would this friend of yours be in Meridian?"
"Yes. His name is Avad, and he's in my debt for the fact that I stopped HADES from destroying Meridian in the onslaught that would have brought the dormant machines back to life."
"How long?"
"Hmm… Could be a few weeks to a few months, possibly even a year. Who knows. It will be based upon how the Shamans decide to talk to me, being as I am an outsider to their tribe, but I've made a few friends that have sent word of me back, so I should be back sooner rather than later." Aloy replied as she released the embrace.
"Then when you come back, you're going to teach me a few of your bow tricks. I'll probably need them if we're going to be living in the wilderness, and the last time I was even remotely close to camping was when I was ten. I need a bit of a refresher." Elisabet joked as she recalled that night with her parents, sleeping under the stars with nothing but the feeling of nature around them.
"Heh, done and done."
"And one more thing, Aloy."
"Yeah?"
"Be safe." Elisabet whispered as she looked into Aloy's eyes.
"I will, don't worry." Aloy replied with a grin.
With that, Aloy excused herself from the cabin and made her way down to the plains of the Embrace. The journey would be long, she knew, but she held onto the tiny bit of hope that it would be a rather short time away from the cabin. Away from Rost. Away from Elisabet. She wanted to get to know the elder woman, and while she did find that being away from the tribe was refreshing, she would much rather settle in for a while without being called away to be a tribal dignitary. She sighed as the thoughts flew through her mind, and before long, she had acquired the two Striders that she was looking for, and had made her way back to the cabin to gather Elisabet for the ride to Meridian.