He was standing at the Spire, waiting for her orders. Blameless Marad had come to him, said that Aloy needed he and the Vanguard to defend the landmark. His heart had nearly burst at the news that she had returned, that she hadn't died at the hands of the Eclipse, or trampled by some machine.
He was slightly upset that she hadn't come and asked him to defend the ridge himself. Upset and afraid, if he was being honest with himself. Marad hadn't given him any more information when he had asked, despite all of Erend's attempts. Nevertheless, Erend had gathered his men and they made their way up to the Spire. They had mapped out where they would focus defenses, where they would fall back to if overwhelmed. Erend was confident that they could hold the ridge and protect the Spire from whatever threat had Aloy worried.
The Nora arrived and all of his confidence just… disappeared. She was scared enough to ask the people who had made her an outcast for help. They were scared enough to show up. Fire and spit, he needed to see her.
A flash of red, and his wishes were answered. He wanted to run to her, to scream that he loved her, to sweep her off of her feet and run away.
She would kill him for sure. He smiled at the thought of her theoretical reaction. He waited as she talked to both of the Nora groups, trying not to look desperate as she made her way towards his men. She smiled at him, and oh, his heart.
"So, here we are again, gearing up for a fight. Only this time it sounds like the bad guys have a lot more firepower," he said. "What are we up against, really?" Uncertainty flashed across Aloy's face, and Erend's stomach fell.
"I'm not sure. But there's going to be a lot of them, and they'll have machines. And if they get past us, it's not just Meridian that will fall. The rest of the world will go with it." She swallowed, and her eyes flashed down. Fear? Erend wondered. No, determination.
"That's… big." Erend said. He turned to his men, swallowing to dispel the quiver he felt in his voice, not wanting it to escape his mouth. "Sounds like our kind of fight, right guys!? Where do they put the Vanguard?"
"At the font of the line!"
"And why?"
"Steel before iron!"
"And what are we gonna do?"
"Hit 'em like a hammer, till they can't hit back!" Erend smiled, a twinge in his chest. His sister would be proud.
"Damn right." He turned to Aloy. "You hear that? Nobody's getting past the Vanguard. We're here for Meridian. And I -We're here for you." Alpy gave him a half smile. He wanted to tell her so badly, but it wasn't the right time. He would wait until after the fight, when things had calmed down.
"Thank you, Erend. Ersa would be proud." He shrugged, trying to seem tougher than he felt.
"Only if we win." Aloy shook her head at him.
"I'm going to head back into Meridian, check the defenses again. If you're all settled here, you could… come back for dinner? Unless you're busy, or planning to stay up here until the fight is-" he laughed. She was babbling. The coming battle had her nervous.
Or was it him?
"I'd be happy to come join you for dinner, Aloy." She looked down at the ground.
"I'd better get going. I'll see you in Meridian." She took off, running full speed towards the city. He turned back towards his men, and one of them stepped forward.
"Captain, what exactly are we up against?" Erend clapped his man on the shoulder.
"I'm not sure. I know it will be hard. Maybe the hardest fight we've ever had. But no matter what comes up that hill, no matter how hard they hit us, we hit back harder. And we protect that Spire. We hold it for Meridian, for the whole world. We hold it because Aloy asked us to. And she gave us back Ersa. She defended our city, and it was no benefit to her. So no matter how hard the enemy hits us, what're we going to do!?"
"HIT IT LIKE A HAMMER, TILL IT CAN'T HIT BACK!"
They had been sitting at the table in silence, just listening to the murmurs of the people around them and trying to force themselves to eat. Aloy,because she knew what was at stake and what would happen if she failed. Erend, because he didn't know what to say to her. She was the first to break the silence.
"Erend, if I fail tomorrow-" he held his hand up.
"You won't. We won't. You're not in it alone, Aloy. You never have been."
"But Erend, if I-we do, it's the end. Of everything. Of the Nora and the Carja, the Banuk, Meridian, the Sacred Land, of me, of you… and I can't handle that thought. I can't. Not after everything we've-" Erend slid his hand across the table, laying it over hers gently.
"Aloy, we're all behind you. Every soldier in Meridian. Every brave from the Nora. Even the Banuk. Hell, Aloy, you've done things for all of us that we couldn't do for ourselves. And now, we rally around you, for whatever you need. I'm… I'm here for you, because of you. And we aren't going to fail. Because a world without you… Aloy," he squeezed her hand, his throat thick with emotion. He didn't want to think of a world without her. It was unbearable. "You should get some rest, Aloy. And I should go back to the Vanguard. They need to know things are going to be okay. And they are going to be okay. I promise." He squeezed her hand again. She was focused on breathing and trying not to cry.
"Walk me to Olin's?" she asked quietly. She stood up, Erend following.
"Of course." They walked in silence to the apartment door. Aloy pushed it open, then turned around to bury her face in Erend's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the scent of her, memorizing every detail of this moment. She eventually began to shake with silent tears. He continued to hold her until the shaking stopped and she pulled away. He knew she wouldn't want anything soft in this moment.
"I'll see you at the Spire, tomorrow. If you see me getting my ass kicked-"
"Don't," she said. "Don't say that."
"It's going to be okay, Aloy. No matter how things turn out. Just know, we're all behind you. I'll be right there for you." She nodded, wiping tears from her face.
"I just might give you an extra minute if you can beat my machine count," she said, punching him in the shoulder. He laughed, a deep, hearty sound, and smiled at her. That's my girl.
"You're on, little huntress." She scrunched her nose up and it took every fiber of his being not to kiss her right there on the spot.
"Get back to your men, Captain. They'll be needing you." He turned and headed towards the Spire, waving behind his back. She entered the apartment, closing the door behind her. She removed her armor, placing it strategically beside the bed. As she closed her eyes, she was calm, thinking of Erend, instead of the battle that loomed in the distance.
"Just come home safe, okay?"