Her chest hurt. She woke up trying to gasp for air. It felt like she was suffocating. She tried to push herself up, but was met with a cold hand pressing her gently back down. She reached for the knife she kept at her side, but found nothing there. It was then that she looked around and became alarmed. She was surrounded by walls she didn't recognize, meeting the eyes of a woman she didn't know. The woman was putting steady pressure on her shoulder, trying to push her back down. Aloy wanted to struggle, to fight against the woman, but the ache in her chest and side was getting more intense with each passing second. Finally Aloy relented, sinking back down into the bed she was laying on. The woman smiled gently, and Aloy relaxed a little.
"Where am I?" she asked. The question took more effort than it should've, and she once again found herself gulping down air.
"The Claim, child. And lucky to be here too. Much longer and I don't know how you would have fared. He was smart to bring you here. Seen plenty of men get crushed by a boulder, know what those broken ribs look like. Doubt any of the idiot Carja healers would've known what to do. If its not a burn they are useless. Your injury would've likely sealed your fate. Good thing Erend had the mind enough to bring you to me. Now, would you like to sit up so I can get a good look at you?" Aloy's mind raced. Where was Erend? She pushed herself into a seated position, grimacing as she felt the aching in her chest deepen. She looked down at her body, more bruise than skin. She activated her focus, scanning her torso. Six broken ribs. Bruised lung. Bleeding, stopped now. She was lucky.
She was stupid. How had she allowed herself to be taken by surprise?
She was brought back to the present by the woman prodding her ribs. She inhaled sharply, pulling away from the woman's fingers.
"They're broken," Aloy said. "Six of them. Bruised lung. The bleeding has stopped." The woman looked at her, at mixture of annoyance and awe flashing across her features. Aloy took a breath, smiling. She tapped the device at her temple. The woman nodded.
"I figured as much," she said. "Doesn't help you heal, though. You'll want to listen to me for that. And that means taking it easy. I'm Helne, by the way."
"Al-" her introduction was interrupted.
"Aloy," the woman said. "Couldn't forget it if I tried. Erend's said it more times the past 4 days than he has words in his vocabulary. Wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't leave me the hell alone," she said, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice.
"Where is he?" Aloy asked. Helne smiled.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask. Could see it on your face the moment you woke up. He's at home. Finally kicked him out last night, he hadn't slept since you all got here. He looked terrible. Wasn't making sense, wasn't eating. Told him he would just add to your distress if you woke up and he looked like death." Aloy's heart ached.
"Four days? I've been out for four days?"
"You've been out a week. Three days to get to the Claim, four days in this bed." She began to push herself out of bed, swinging her legs over the side.
"I need to see him," she said softly. She stood, finding her legs weak and her body unbalanced. Helne tried to stop her.
"You need rest, Aloy. You're lucky you didn't die." Aloy looked at her defiantly.
"I need to see Erend. I need him to see me." I need him to be okay. "Where is his home?" Helne shrugged. "Five doors down. Your clothes are in the corner. Be careful." Aloy smiled and nodded at her. Helne turned and walked out of the room. Aloy slowly made her way to the corner, Pulling on her clothing and her boots. Everything hurt. She pulled the door open, grimacing with the pain it caused her ribs. Taking as deep a breath as she could, she stepped out into the cold, and came face to face with one of the Vanguard.
"He wouldn't want you out of bed, you know?" Aloy smirked.
"I've never really been one to do things just because someone else wants me to. Now, you can either take me to him, or I can try and get there myself. I'm less likely to collapse if I'm with you," she cracked a small smile at the man, trying to keep her breathing even, to ignore the burning pain in her side. The Vanguard shrugged.
"Well, we wouldn't want that, would we? He's already made himself sick over you, why twist the knife?" he started to walk off towards a house a short way away from where they stood. Aloy felt a strange sensation creep into her stomach, a mixture of remorse, fear, and something she couldn't quite name. She slowly walked after the Vanguard, willing her legs to not give out. Several feet from the door, the man turned and stopped, waiting for Aloy to catch up. She was embarrassed, both by how long it took for her to do so, and how many people she could feel watching her. She reached to knock on the door, only to find her way impeded by the man who had lead her there.
"He's been through Hell, Aloy. A lesser man would've been broken by now. And even he is walking the edge of the cliff. He doesn't need anything else to worry about." Aloy straightened herself out, trying to make herself more intimidating. She didn't like this conversation.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone," she stated. The man scoffed.
"Ersa wasn't out there to get herself killed," a slap may have hurt Aloy less. "He's our captain. We need him. Hammer to steel, if you hurt him, know that all of the Vanguard will be on his side. And we don't take kindly to threats," he turned and left, not waiting for a response. Aloy took as deep a breath as she could muster, hand reaching shakily for the door in front of her.
She knocked, and heard someone stir inside.