Aloy couldn't believe her eyes or her ears. She had seen the city, Mother's Heart, many times but only from a distance. As an Outcast, she had never been allowed to breach the gates. She had spent her entire life within the Embrace, sticking to the outlying villages for trade and supplies, when she found those actually willing to speak to her. Those were very few and far between. Speaking to an Outcast could land one with the status themselves, and no one wanted that. So it was no surprise when she heard all of the commotion in the city and thought something huge was taking place.
She wasn't wrong.
The Proving was on the Horizon and an envoy from the Sun-King himself had entered the gates that morning. It was all a little overwhelming.
To get a better sense of her surroundings, Aloy touched the device she wore on her ear, her Focus. It didn't help her much, other than to tell her where people had gathered for one reason or another. She only assumed one of these places was where she was meant to be. Mother Teersa's directions weren't quite clear. She had informed her that an old friend awaited her presence up the path to her right, but that only served to confuse her even more. She had no friends among the Nora. Even Rost was more a father figure than a friend and the old trader, Karst, was only a friend when no one was looking.
She decided to find out who this friend might be and was surprised to hear her name coming from the lips of a young merchant. He waved her over and Aloy was tempted to look over her shoulder for someone else, but he had called her name. She was further surprised to find this young man, Teb, was the boy she had saved from a group of Watchers over ten years ago. This was the only person in her nineteen years to have kind words to say to her. She remembered him trying to thank her as a group of older men pulled him away, telling him that she wasn't worthy of speaking to. The words, "Seal your lips", had echoed in her mind for days, weeks afterward. Apparently, he had waited all this time to thank her properly, assuming she would run in the Proving.
Teb presented her with beautiful, hand-stitched Nora armor. His kindness stirred something deep inside her and she couldn't help but smile. She thanked Teb in turn and asked if she could use his stall to change. He allowed it and when she emerged, he told her the new garb suited her.
She looked down at the new leathers and couldn't help but think this may be her first step in belonging somewhere. She looked like a Nora Brave. She wasn't completely sure if that made her happy or sad, or just as lost as she'd always been.
After she left Teb, she made her way to the first group of people clustered around a fire and listened as they spoke about the coming competition. She was content to stand around listening to all of the new voices, hearing strange nuances in each one. It surprised her to know that voices varied to such an extent. She only had a few to compare them to.
She had her hands to the fire when one man turned and sneered at her.
"The Motherless girl," he growled under his breath.
She had heard this so many times that she rolled her eyes and walked away. Maybe things weren't going to change just because she got new clothes. She hadn't really thought that they would. She began fingering the smooth bone necklace Rost had given her before she had entered the gates. She was already missing his steadfast presence at her side.
Sighing and centering her thoughts, she flipped the Focus back on and headed to the next group of people, hoping this time it would lead her to where she needed to be. She was about to take a trail leading off to the left when a ruckus began up the hill to her right. The crowd there was nearly as big as the one off to her left, so she headed there instead.
A man in red robes stood on a large porch, using it as a stage. He read from a scroll and Aloy pushed herself to the front of the crowd to hear him above their raised voices. He mentioned something about the new Sun-King. She knew of the Carja, but nothing about their politics. That didn't seem to be the case with the Nora surrounding her. They began throwing fruit at the man on stage, screaming about killers and slavers. None of it made much sense to her, but she tried to piece it all together.
A man in metal armor stepped in front of the robed man. He was unlike any man Aloy had seen before. His hair was cut into a thick Mohawk and his facial hair was in the oddest beard, running the length of his face but bare on his chin. He was also massive. Most Nora men were lean, their bodies corded with tight muscle, partially from habit and diet, but mostly because the Nora were hunters, gatherers. From a young age, all Nora are taught how to run the Brave trails, and they lived for it, training day in and day out to be able to scale mountains, balance on tight wires, and leap long distances. His bulk would surely slow him down on all of those fronts. His muscles stretched the fabric of his tunic every time his arms moved. His skin and eyes were paler than any she'd seen, as well. She was mesmerized by his presence, his commanding demeanor.
She would have stayed, watching and listening to him for as long as he was addressing the crowd, but her Focus pinged detecting a signal. It was the first time it had done so since she was six and found the Focus in the ruins of the Old World and her curiosity over the signal won out over the man in front of her.
She pushed her way through the crowd until she discovered the source of the signal. Another Focus. Aloy couldn't believe it. She had never seen another person wearing one. Her excitement was short-lived as she interrogated the man about his device. He wasn't willing to talk to her, acting like he wished she would just leave. This struck a deep chord within her. She was used to being shunned, but this man had no reason to do so. She had expected better, or at least different from these strangers. She hadn't expected to be pushed away by them as well. She wanted to tell the man that he was being unnaturally rude, but a heavy body landing next to her broke her attention.
The heavily armored man, that had just been addressing the crowd, had jumped down from the makeshift stage and landed between her and the man with the device. Up close, the armored man seemed even bigger. His shoulders were almost twice the span of hers and she noticed a massive hammer strapped to them.
She felt her heartbeat pick up as he made no move to step away from her, allowing his body to loom over hers. Aloy knew enough about what was happening with her body, and there was no denying the man in front of her was attractive, but she didn't know this man. Yet, when he inched slightly closer she felt her throat tighten and her belly do somersaults. No one had ever stood so close and it felt like an invasion of some sort. He shouldn't stand so close to her if he didn't know her. Right?
"Olin," his voice, no longer booming from the stage, was a slow steady drawl, "making friends with the locals are we?" It purred with good humor. The sound was rich, thick, deep, and Aloy found herself leaning in slightly wanting to hear it again.
"I'll… come back," Olin stated before turning and skittering away from the two of them.
She couldn't believe it. The man was simply going to run away from her? She moved to go after him, but the armored man stepped into her way before she had a chance to get anywhere.
"Erend, by the way." He smiled and extended a hand.
"Aloy." She placed her palm in his gloved one and his fingers around hers made them look tiny in comparison. She quickly pulled away, not wanting his touch to linger, but he didn't seem to take offense.
Erend pointed out her Focus, making Aloy a bit nervous. The Nora weren't supposed to delve into the ruins of the Old Ones. But she couldn't help her curiosity.
"His name is Olin? Who is he? And where did he get one of these?" She gestured to the device just above her ear.
"Eh, he's just a scrounger with friends in high places. He spends half his time digging for artifacts, the other half drinking or dicing. As for the trinket, I guess he dug it up somewhere. Just a weird old jewel he sticks on his face." Erend started to laugh, but then stopped, realizing too late he might be offending her. "No offense. Looks great on you."
Aloy wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she changed the subject. "I thought your friend was going to go down in a hail of fruit, but you really calmed the crowd."
She was surprised to see he grew a little uneasy at the compliment, stating that he didn't think he'd be able to do it. She didn't know why, but she couldn't seem to walk away from him. He was so easy to talk to. He continued to answer her questions as she fired one after another just to keep him talking. He surprised her, by extending an invitation to Meridian amongst his responses.
Aloy knew it wouldn't be possible for her to leave the Embrace once she participated in the Proving. She would no longer be an Outcast, but a Nora Brave. However, she found her heart racing at the prospect. This rather handsome man apparently wanted her around. It was a nice feeling.
She tried to dismiss it, instead, asking about his people and she listened as he told her about the Oseram and his family. He told her about his sister being taken captive and her escape. And he extended another invitation to Meridian, on the basis of meeting his sister. He thought that they would get along. This second invitation came with the offer of drinks as if he were trying to sweeten the deal.
He told her about the city. Aloy had to admit that it sounded like a sight to behold. She did hope to see it one day, just by his description alone. She wished to see the Spire he spoke of. It all sounded fantastical. It was then that a third invitation, along with a challenge slipped from his lips. She didn't know if he was aware that he was using every opportunity to try and persuade her to leave here and go with him, but it made her stomach flutter again. This man knew nothing about her, other than her obvious curiosity, but he wanted her company, her attention.
She inquired about Olin a second time.
"Is he really that interesting? I'm starting to get a little jealous." He continued to speak but Aloy found herself distracted by his previous words. Did Erend want her to find him interesting? Maybe he did. She'd never had someone show so much interest in what she thought. Her opinion had never mattered before.
To show that she did indeed find him interesting, she inquired about his armor.
"You've never seen Vanguard steel? Well, let me introduce you," he stated with pride, making his voice deeper and slightly harder. "Ring locked. Impact protected. Sturdy enough to choke a Sawtooth. Has to be. The Vanguard are the Sun-King's best. Life-takers and Machine-breakers to a one." His voice took on a lower pitch and his eyes bore into hers, making Aloy squirm slightly. "Might even give a Nora Warmaid like you more trouble than she can handle."
A nervous laugh bubbled up from her throat. "With all that metal to slow you down? I doubt it."
His voice hitched even lower. "Yeah, hard to say. From where I'm standing, looks like a pretty even match."
Aloy felt her breath catch in her throat. She was stunned. She knew he was flirting with her, but she couldn't imagine why. His lips pursed for a moment and Aloy found herself drawn to them, wondering if they were as soft as they looked.
Mother's Blessing, Aloy, pull yourself together.
"I… uh… I should get to the blessing." She knew she was taking the coward's way out, but she also knew that flirting with Erend wouldn't go anywhere. She was likely to never see him again. The knowledge of that brought a pang to her chest. It was an uncomfortable feeling. She didn't understand what it meant. She turned to go, but Erend's voice had her turning back to him.
"Yeah. Look, maybe I shouldn't say this, but it's obvious you don't belong here in this… backwater." He seemed to be getting nervous but recovered quickly enough. "I mean, you're smart, you're obviously capable," his eyes skimmed over her body, "and well, I mean, look at you…"
Aloy looked down at the clothes she was wearing. She was certain she looked like a Nora. She knew she even looked clean in her new garb. An outsider shouldn't be able to take one look at her and know the difference between her and the other young hopefuls about to take on the Proving. His statement made no sense. "What are you talking about?"
He smiled then. "You know what," he stated as if it should be obvious. "If you ever visit Meridian, look me up. I'll show you around, make introductions. It'd be a whole new life, if you want it."
Erend had just extended his fourth invitation to Aloy. It was obvious that he was willing to say anything to get her to say yes, but did he mean to make her feel as if she would never fit in here? Was that the motivation behind his words?
They said their goodbyes and as Erend walked away, she realized, she did hope to see him again. She just didn't know how that would even be possible.
After the blessing was over, and she had dedicated her offering to Rost, she made her way back down the hill. She had been informed that she would be staying in the bunkhouse with many of the other hopefuls running in the contest tomorrow. Aloy certainly wished that wasn't the case. While she had every right to be here, there would certainly be people who didn't approve. She had heard many say so on her walk through the city earlier that day. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her hut in the hills and wait for morning.
However, that changed slightly as she caught sight of Erend standing with his Vanguard. She decided to approach him.
"Well, aren't you a pretty one?" One of the men closest to Erend leered at her from under his helmet.
Erend turned with a smile on his face, but when he saw the "pretty one" was Aloy, he jabbed the offending Vanguard in the ribs. "Be respectful."
He turned back to her. "Aloy, I saw the blessing thing. Pretty, but the Oseram would have put on a better fireworks show." He cringed slightly. "Sorry, I meant no offense to your ritual."
"No worries. I didn't really understand it myself. It is supposed to honor our mother's, but if you haven't noticed, everyone calls me the motherless child." The last she whispered as if sharing a secret.
Erend winced, thinking he had offended more than he knew, but when he saw Aloy's smile he tried to return it. He turned to his men, excusing himself and walked with Aloy down the hill.
"If it's not a sore subject, how did you lose your mother?" Erend's voice was gentle, as if not wanting to pry, but truly wanting to understand why the people would use it as a way to shun her.
"Mother Teersa tells the story much better than I do but if you want to know, I was found in the belly of the mountain. I never had a mother."
"Your mother left you inside the mountain?" Erend's shocked expression made Aloy laugh.
"I honestly don't know. That was all I could ever get Rost to tell me. He said I would learn the rest of the story in time."
"Wow, that's… Wow." Erend gazed at her in bewilderment. He ran his fingers through his Mohawk, and Aloy traced the movement with her eyes. His hair seemed to be very soft and she found herself wanting to repeat the action with her fingers.
She shook that thought from her mind. "It's not important. I mean, I would like to know, but it hasn't been anything that's weighed on my mind, other than not understanding why I was labeled an Outcast for it." Aloy shrugged and kicked a rock down the path ahead of them. "Will you be staying in the Embrace?"
Erend nodded. "We will be here until after the Proving. Many of my men are eager to see what the Nora Braves are capable of, myself included. We've heard you have some of the best fighters, the fastest runners, and that your skills with a bow are unmatched."
"And we train our whole lives for this one competition," Aloy stated with a small sense of pride. "I started when I was six." Erend seemed impressed by this fact, so she continued. "This jewel, as you call it, has helped me hone my skills even more than the best Nora." Aloy tapped her finger on the Focus. "There is a crow in that tree about one hundred paces off. A few boars are just to the other side of that gate. There are twenty-three people in the city center and that small fire in the distance has three Braves sitting around it." She tapped the Focus again, shutting it off and turned to face him.
"That's amazing, but how are you so sure they are Braves?"
Again, Aloy gestured to her Focus. "Every person I come into contact with gets cataloged. The Focus is capable of remembering many things. It can show me the weak points in a person's armor, or on a machine. It can show me paths to follow, so long as I know my query and what to look for."
"I'm sure the Vanguard could use someone like you." Erend smiled.
"Five," Aloy stated, but at his confused look she elaborated. "That is the fifth invitation you have given me since we met only a few hours ago."
To her surprise, Erend blushed. "Is it so hard to see why someone would be interested in you, Aloy? I'd just like the chance to get to know you better, that's all."
That was new, but it made her smile. "Well, I'm glad you'll be here after I win the Proving tomorrow then."
"Oh, so cocky. Are you always so sure of yourself?" Erend crossed his arms over his chest and cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Yes. I've had to be. I know my limits, but I also know my strengths. The other contestants may not speak to me, but I've watched them. I know how each one fights. I know their weaknesses. I'm a better hunter than most, a faster runner and I climb better than all of them. Being raised on the side of a mountain had its benefits in that regard."
Aloy stopped in front of the cabin that she was to share for the night. Erend said goodnight and that he would see her tomorrow, that she should rest. She wasn't ready to be rid of his company, but she knew he was right. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the small cabin and made her way up the stairs.