Chapter 5

Aloy slept fitfully that night. Her stomach, unused to all of the alcohol, rebelled but thankfully she wasn't sick all over Olin's beautifully furnished bedroom. Her thoughts tormented her, caused her heart to race and her brow to bead with sweat that wasn't all from the night's heat. So, that's why he'd been so upset. What she thought was a typical Oseram way of things was more than just casual flirting. She wondered if he'd known beforehand about Avad's plan to announce an engagement, one she hadn't even agreed to yet. Surely he wouldn't have spoken to her first about it…

The honking of a small troop of geese outside her window told her it was dawn, but she was already awake. Her face still tingled where Erend's beard had pressed against it. She tried to wash the feeling off with a splash of water, now warm from resting too long in the basin. She donned her clothes, picking up her Focus from where she'd abandoned it the day before. No, it hadn't been so bad. She had a feeling tracking wouldn't be needed of her for a while. Carefully, she set it in one of the ornate boxes Olin had stored nearby, housing some trinkets from an old ruin delve he'd gone on before she'd helped him rejoin his family. It fit right in with the other pieces there and she was confident it'd be safe. Shutting the lid, she left Olin's house… only to practically trip over Blameless Marad.

"Good morning, little savior," the advisor greeted her jovially, though his face always remained even. "How are you feeling this morning? The Sun King wishes to break fast with you in the parapets."

"Of course he does," Aloy didn't try to hide the tone of anger in her voice, falling in with the older man as they began to wind through the streets towards the palace. She began to arrange her hair as they walked, and Marad handed her a wisp of silk to tie the end of her long braid.

"Avad told me what happened," admitted the advisor. "He is aware of your discomfort in the matter. Let me assure you that coming to an agreement with the King is in the best interest of yourself, your tribe, and the people." That almost sounded like a threat, and she glared at him, a little shocked. "Avad's a reasonable man," he continued, not returning her stare. "The union would be… political, at worst. You may learn to love him as I do. Until then, Carja will see the Nora as Savages, and the Nora will remain secluded from our light."

"Political?" She snorted. "A Nora with a crown and Carja clothes… like a boar in a skirt! I'll certainly be a sight to travel to Miridian to see! Will Avad charge a shard or two for them to see me ride a Strider about the city as well?" She realized how harsh her tone was when Avad's walking slowed. He twined his fingers together behind his back.

"You have intrigued us all, Huntress. But I can assure you, you're far more than just an oddity. Please, join us in the palace for breakfast, and hear the Sun King out. Now is the time for discussion, not war." Aloy only huffed in response, and the remainder of the journey to the palace was traveled in silence. Repairs and restorations were already underway, and they passed through the market already set up with its temporary displays and shouting shopkeepers. She looked around, but saw none of the Nora. They must have all left, she noted with sadness. Just like Erend.

The sun was just starting to shimmer off of the angles and metal beams surrounding the parapet looking out into the city. Large, overstuffed pillows surrounded a low table filled with food, all resting on a rug that was larger than the lodge in which she'd grown. Avad reclined on a sofa, resting an arm on his bent knee as he gazed out over the people bustling like bees in the city. Aloy was shocked that he looked almost… normal. His headdress rested on the table next to him, and his black, curly hair was cut short. His silks were expensive-looking, but certainly not 'Kingly". The lines she'd learned to be traditionally Carja were drawn about his eyes, but otherwise, he seemed more an upstart prince than a King.

"Aloy," came his greeting as he unfolded himself to stand, taking her hand in his. "I'm so glad Marad was able to convince you to join me. I hope you got enough sleep last night… the Vanguard is known to throw parties in celebration of parties… I am surprised to see the streets are not once more burning." His smile was soft, disarming.

She allowed him a smile. It was small, but genuine. "It was…" Her fingertips tingled a little, remembering the hammered steel of Erend's armor against her. "Fine. It was fine. It's always easy to sleep on a full stomach." The smells from breakfast were intriguing her… she knew there'd be things there she'd never eaten before.

"Come and sit. Marad, please bring me Aloy's gift." She allowed him to lead her to one of the large pillows, settling down upon it cross-legged as he regained his seat once more.

"Another gift?" Aloy asked warily, giving an experimental poke to a pile of something slushy and orange on her plate.

Avad nodded. The sun gleamed in his oiled hair as if glancing off of the polished lens of a Watcher. He was fairly handsome, after all. Fit and olive-skinned, his close-shorn goatee and mustache kept immaculate. A girl could do worse. "I had commissioned this for you when I found that you had sacrificed your weapon at the Spire." The King gestured as Blameless Marad knelt next to her, offering up a long, thin item draped in silk spanning both his arms. She knew what it was before she revealed it, but nonetheless was shocked at what she saw.

Hardened steel, folded so many times it rippled with patterns seen only in swirled machine oil, housed a spearpoint made out of a black stone, chipped to be almost translucent at the edges. She could tell it was sharper than anything she'd ever owned, just by looking at it. Nora patters were inlayed along the elegant half, gold gleaming among the rippling steel. "It's beautiful," she breathed despite herself, reaching out to trace her fingers along the smooth metal as it rested in the blue silk. Solid, but light, she determined. Not just a trinket. This would kill. She lifted it in her fingers, tilting it back and forth in her hands.

Avad's expression was one of pure pleasure. Even Marad seemed satisfied as he folded the silk across his arm and made his way hastily from the parapet. The two were almost sickeningly alone, but for some reason the comfort of a spear in her hand, however cold, eased her anxiety. She set it by her side. "I would say I didn't deserve it," she told him, taking a sip of some exotic juice in a cup near her plate. "But I'm sure we'd just end up arguing."

Avad tilted his head, pursing his lips together as he shrugged. "I suppose we may have several arguments before the morning is finished," he admitted, tone soft. "But a Nora needs a spear, Queen or not." She flinched. She was beginning to hate that word, Queen.

"You had no right to take me for granted last night," she told him flatly, poking around her plate. "It would be a great embarrassment for you if I denied your proposal." She ate a large bite of fruit, her eyes on him to show him that it could have very well have been a threat. The King sighed.

"This is true, my beautiful bird," he rolled his forged chalice between his hands. "Which is why I'd hoped you would have stayed in the palace last night. We had much to speak of."

"Well, I'm hungry," she announced. "So speak now." She began to eat, stuffing her mouth with a variety of the fresh foods. All were delicious, and her sapped body welcomed the sustenance with exuberance.

Avad, however, didn't seem interested in the food. "When I first asked you to stay with me, you saw right through me. You knew Ersa was my ticket to win the Oseram over and now that she's gone..." He cleared his throat. So… that still hurt him, she noted. But never as much as it hurt Erend. "I'm afraid that idea is no longer available. Not only did I lose Ersa, but now my best Vanguard, Erend, has gone."

She feigned surprise. "Did something happen to him?" She attempted to play it cool, barely slowing in her pace. Her chest ached. So he really did leave…

"He has returned to his people. He left early this morning." A pained sigh, and the Sun King rubbed his temples with his fingertips. "He is free to come and go as he wills, of course. The city owes him a debt beyond what can be paid. But I needed him. And now with the Vanguard… my militia… without a leader." He looks at her pointedly. "There's never before been a Sun Queen. My need for you here has increased tenfold. Not only would you build the bridge to contact with the Nora, but my men look up to you in battle. As Queen, you would oversee the army."

She didn't realize she'd stopped chewing. Thoughts flickered through her mind faster than the sparks of a downed machine. She pointedly set down her cup. "You don't love me," she stated flatly. "And I certainly do not love you."

If the Sun King was pained by the statement, he didn't show it. He blinked slowly, his eyes flickering over her hair. "That… is a small matter," he admits. "Many unions have been made for the good of the people. Love… is less important than you think." He picked up his chalice, turning to look out over the valley. Aloy's expression softened. He had that look on his face, the one he had whenever he spoke of Ersa. The one Erend always had when he looked at her.

"Rost didn't talk about it much," she chimed in, after several moments of soft birdsong accompanied her breakfast. At his confused glance, she continued. "The man who raised me. The nuances of growing up a woman were always a tough subject for him. I know he loved me, but he also told me stories of the … other kind. Why people did take mates, get married. I've begun to see what he was talking about." She instantly thought of Teb. The young boy always looked to be swallowing his heart when she was around. She smiled a little wistfully. If she'd grown up part of the tribe, perhaps that would have gone differently.

Avad nodded. "I have seen it," he said, to her surprise. Her eyes dropped instantly to her plate. "The way the men in the streets look at you. Even poor Erend," his laughter was deep, teasing. "The big fool falls in love every week! I was never able to keep up with their names."

She could feel her cheeks turning a bright red. So she was the love of the week. Avad leaned in, peering at her face. "Believe me when I say that I would consider myself blessed to my dying day to have you as my Queen," he says, a soft expression on his face as he reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I would never hurt you, never make you do anything you didn't want to do. You would be Miridian's Queen, but my Queen as well. You would have the power to save entire tribes."

She couldn't meet his dark eyes. Fidgeting, she had begun to rub her hands together in her lap. "I must… do some things first," she tells him. "I told myself when this was all over… I… need to visit a grave."

Avad's face showed sorrow, but a shrewd flash of victory was in his eyes. "Of course, my love," he tells her. Dry, cold fingers brushed her cheek as he smiled, gaining his feet. "Take the time you need. We have much work to do here, and with a royal wedding to look forward to, I'm sure it will bolster the hearts of many."

He left her there at the table, but she could see him pass Marad just inside the doorway to the palace. The advisor came out and assured her that a room still remained, as well as clothes and anything else she needed for her journey, but she ignored him. Lifting her new spear in one hand, she made her way down to the city to prepare her armor.