I could feel someone gently dabbing my skin. Every dab created a stinging sensation, which made me wince with every touch. Once the pain became too much to bear, I jolted awake, to see Rea jump back, and Talanah looking back at me with a surprised look on her face.

"Aloy!" Rea exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

I let out a deep breath, and looked down to see my waist covered in a moist substance of some sorts.

"I'm feeling a lot better than I was before." I replied, followed by a smile. "What is this on my stomach?"

"It is a residue created from mashing Wild Ember together." Rea stated happily. "Common among our farmers to aid in closing wounds in the fields. As you can see, I used it on your wounds."

I looked over to Talanah, who had a smile on her face, and was wearing her armor. I looked around to find mine, only to see scraps of it left behind.

"How did you get your armor back, Talanah, and where is mine?" I asked, sounding very confused.

"Rea told me that after she found where you were ambushed, she personally wrote a letter to Sun-King Avad, telling him about what happened." Talanah replied, looking down at her armor. "According to Rea's guard, they found scraps of your armor, alongside the wreckage of a Strider. Our King ordered the best Oseram smiths to craft us two brand new sets of the finest Carja armor, and they came here last night. Yours is behind the couch here."

How long was I unconscious for, I thought, as I watched Talanah grabbed my suit of armor from behind the couch, and hand it to me. I smiled as I grabbed the armor.

"Here you are, Aloy, your new armor." Talanah said. "Go get changed, I want to see how good it looks on you!"

"Thank you." I said, giving Talanah an awkward hug. After I hugged Talanah, I walked behind a changing screen, and began to get undressed. I pulled down my torn beige pants, and put on a pair of skin-tight red pants, with holes and golden trim exposing the sides of my thighs and my calves. I grabbed the leather strips and blue sash, and wrapped them around my waist. I peeled off my tattered and torn shirt, and looked under my breasts to see a claw mark left by a Scorcher. The wound was starting to scab.

Good to see that's feeling better, I thought, as I slid a baggy golden-silver shirt on, and attached the armor onto my left forearm and shoulder. I slid the longer arm armor onto my right arm, and fastened the clips together. I found a smaller piece of what looked like forearm armor, and slid it onto my left wrist.

Fits like a glove, I thought, with a smile coming over my face. I leaned down to pick up the armor sash that laid at the bottom of the armor, and slid it across my right shoulder, and fastened it on top. I looked down at my new armor and smiled. Beside it laid a small container of blue face paint. I picked up the container, and dipped my finger into the paint. I placed paint under my eyes, formed three crooked lines on my right cheek, and did the same above my left eyebrow. I let out a deep breath, and walked out from behind the changing screen. Talanah held her hands to her mouth, and hugged me.

"Aloy! You look beautiful!" Talanah exclaimed, as I hugged her back.

"Thank you, Talanah!" I replied, as we ended the hug. "Do you know where Rea is? I must speak with her."

"Rea is outside, sitting by her fire." Talanah said, pointing towards the back exit of the house. "She does it every evening."

I nodded my head to Talanah as a sign of thanks, and made my way to the back of Rea's residence. Upon exiting her residence, I saw Rea looking up into the starry nighttime sky. She turned her head to face me.

"Ah, Aloy. Come have a seat." She said, as she patted to a tree stump beside her. I smiled, and sat to her right. She handed me some Fire Kiln Root tea.

"It's a beautiful sight isn't it?" Rea asked, as she looked up to the sky, and then back to me.

"It truly is." I replied, as I blew on my tea.

"You look as if you have something on your mind, Aloy." Rea stated, as she placed her hand on my back. "You can tell me, it's all right."

"How long was I unconscious for?" I asked.

Rea paused in thought before responding.

"Talanah arrived in Brightgrain three evenings ago, with you still unconscious on the back of a Strider." Rea replied. "You looked rough, so I brought you to my residence to tend to your wounds immediately."

I let out a deep breath, and looked over to her.

"I want to thank you for everything you did for me. From informing me about Saskwani to tending my wounds, you've done a lot for me." I replied. "So again I will say it. Thank you for everything, Rea."

Rea smiled, and gently hugged me. After hugging me, she poured herself some more tea, while I continued to sip some out of my bowl. Rea and I watched as we saw two young children kicking around a ball.

"I wish my childhood would have been like that." I said, in a hushed tone. "An outcast like me growing up would have never gotten to play with the other Nora children."

"How old are you, Aloy, if you don't mind my asking?" Rea asked.

"I am twenty-one." I replied, followed by a sip of tea.

"Do you plan to have children when you grow older?" Rea asked curiously.

I sighed, set my tea into my lap, and turned to face Rea.

"I do plan on having children, yes." I replied in the same hush tone. "My dream is to have two children, a son and a daughter, and teach them in the ways of the tribes that accept me for who I am, the Carja and the Nora. I will be there for them, much like how my adoptive father Rost was there for me when I was younger."

Rea took a sip of tea from her bowl, and looked back at me.

"I think that you will be a great mother, Aloy." Rea replied, as she placed her hand on my left shoulder. "You've got a great heart."

"Thank you very much." I replied as I finished off my tea.

Rea looked at my face paint, and smiled.

"Beautiful face paint design." Rea said, as she continued to examine it. "Does it have any meaning?"

I smiled.

"Not yet, it doesn't." I replied. "In time it will, though."

I watched as Rea finished her tea. I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see Talanah standing behind me.

"Hey Aloy." Talanah greeted me. "It's time to get some rest for our journey to Meridian tomorrow."

I let out a deep breath.

"Let's go." I replied, as I handed my bowl to Rea, and stood beside Talanah. "Thank you for the tea."

Rea smiled, as we then began to walk towards the entrance. As soon as we arrived at the living area of Rea's residence, Talanah quickly sat on the loveseat. I followed suit by laying down on the couch. I turned over to see Talanah fast asleep, and turned back, fixing my gaze on the ceiling.

I've done it, I thought as my eyes began to close. Talanah will be coming back home. Avad will be most pleased when we return to Meridian. I closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

I awoke early in the morning, and looked over to the love seat, to see that Talanah wasn't there. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, stretched, and walked over to the exit of Rea's residence, to see Rea and Talanah talking with each other.

"Thank you for nursing us back to health, Grain Queen Rea." Talanah said, hugging Rea. Rea turned to face me.

"Ah, Aloy. About time you woke up." Rea said, with a smile. "Follow me, the both of you."

Rea proceeded to walk towards the city entrance. Talanah and I followed Rea to the gates of Brightgrain, and were taken aback by what was before us. Before us were two overridden Striders, with Utaru soldiers standing beside them in a triangular formation.

"I have arranged a convoy for you two to ensure you safe passage to Meridian." Rea stated, with a smile.

"But will Av..." I began, before Rea cut me off.

"Avad knows that the convoy will return you to Meridian." Rea replied. "I included it in my letter to him about what my guard discovered at your ambush site."

"...Thank you, Grain Queen Rea." I said, with a bow of my head. Talanah bowed her head, as I climbed onto the Strider in front of me. Talanah hopped on to the Strider to my left. Rea walked up to the soldier leading the convoy.

"Guide them to Meridian, soldier!" Rea shouted, as she threw out her right arm southeast.

"Men! March!" The soldier yelled, as the soldiers began to march in their triangular formation. I gently snapped on the reins of my Strider to keep up with the soldiers. After noticing she was falling behind, Talanah lightly snapped on the reins of her Strider, and caught up to me. I looked over to her.

"Meridian awaits!" I exclaimed. Talanah smiled back at me.

"Thank you, Aloy, for saving my life." Talanah replied, before turning her head forward. "Time to go home."

I smiled with approval, and turned my head forward to face the road leading onward to Meridian.

Four Days Later*

Passing through the Cut-Cliffs, the Utaru convoy stopped, just to marvel at city of Meridian. Talanah and stopped our Striders, and let soldiers take in the city. The City of the Sun, and the capital of the Carja tribe.

Beautiful, isn't it? I thought, as I watched the soldiers continue along to the gate of Meridian. Upon our arrival, the two Carja guards denied entry initially, but then looked up to see us atop our Striders.

"You...you brought her and our Sunhawk back to us!" the first Carja guard exclaimed.

"Please pass!" The second guard said happily, as he extended his arm towards the city. Talanah and I got off of our Striders, and accompanied the Utaru convoy into the city. Upon arrival, I spied a familiar face off to the left. I tried to recognize his face, but upon a closer look, I realized who it was. It was Nil.

"Greetings, Aloy. It has been far too long!" Nil greeted. "How have you been?"

I let out a deep breath.

"I've been through a lot, Nil." I replied, with a sarcastic smile. "I've brought the Sunhawk of the Hunter's Lodge back to Meridian, and to get her back, I had fight a bloody war, and kill the leader of a group of Rogue Utaru. Speaking of which, what are you doing here in Meridian?"

Nil smirked at me.

"A bloody war, hey? Did you feel the blood coarse through your veins as you shot the arrows into his heart? " Nil asked eagerly. "Speaking of what I'm doing here, I'm the Sun-King's official bandit hunter. Avad personally..."

I cut him off, and held up my hand.

"No you aren't, Nil. Don't lie." I replied. "What are you doing in Meridian?"

Nil shrugged.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Nil said, with a look of concern on his face. "They let me pass at the gates. I live here now, I guess. An outlander no more."

I patted him on the shoulder.

"Welcome to Meridian, Nil." I said with a smile. I turned around to see Talanah waving at me to join her and the convoy. I flashed another quick smile towards Nil, and walked over to Talanah, where we resumed walking towards the Palace of the Sun. The Carja guards guarding the bridge let us pass without hesitation. As we were crossing, I smiled as the Utaru soldiers still took in the sights of Meridian. At the end of the bridge stood Blameless Marad, with a look of shock on his face.

"Aloy!" Marad exclaimed. "You have brought our Sunhawk back to Meridian!"

I smiled with confidence.

"I did indeed." I replied, as Marad hugged Talanah. After hugging her, he shook hands with the Utaru convoy.

"Thank you for escorting Aloy and Talanah back to Meridian." Marad stated, as he handed an Utaru soldier a large box he acquired from a guardsman. The soldier smiled upon receiving the box. Marad returned his focus to Talanah and myself.

"Come, you two. Radiant Avad eagerly awaits your arrival."

Marad extended his arm, and beckoned us to follow him up to Avad's palace. As we walked up the stairs, I watched as Itamen rushed up to Talanah, and gave her a big hug.

"Our Sunhawk is back! Our Sunhawk is back!" He exclaimed, as Talanah placed him back on the ground. "Thank you very much Aloy!"

Myself and Marad smiled.

"Not a problem, little man!" I said, as I gave him a little fist bump. He smiled, and stood beside Marad as we made our way up to Avad's throne. Avad looked up at us, with a shocked look on his face.

"Talanah! You're alive!" Avad exclaimed. "Aloy, where did you find her?"

I let out a deep breath.

"I journeyed to the Utaru village of Brightgrain, and discovered that the convoy escorting Talanah passed by the village." I stated. "The soldiers were rogue Utaru, led by Saskwani, who aided your father during the Red Raids. He intended to sacrifice Talanah for killing Redmaw."

Avad gasped.

"They captured me as I made my way towards their capital, called Queen's Ruin." I continued. "Saskwani said that in order to ensure Talanah's freedom, I had to fight four of his fiercest machines. I fought through unbearable pain, and succeeded."

Avad let out a deep breath.

"What of this man they call Saskwani?" Avad asked, out of curiosity.

"Aloy killed him, with three arrows to the chest." Talanah replied.

Avad smiled, and nodded his head to the two of us. He turned to Marad and Itamen.

"Marad, would you please escort Talanah to the Hunter's Lodge?" Avad asked politely. "I have some business to discuss with Aloy. Thank you."

Marad nodded his head, and walked away with Talanah. Avad returned his focus to me.

"It seems your armor got to you in time." Avad remarked. I returned a smile to him.

"That it did." I replied, looking down at my armor. "It is quite ravishing, if you ask me."

Avad placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Tell me, Aloy, everything that happened after Brightgrain."

I looked up at him, and let out a deep breath.

"On my way to Queen's Ruin, my camp was ambushed by three rogue Utaru soldiers. I fought valiantly, but fell when an archer shot an arrow into my stomach." I began, as I peeled back the leather flaps to reveal my wound. Avad winced upon seeing it. "They took me to Queen's Ruin, where Saskwani interrogated me, and stated his true intentions on sacrificing Talanah. He also agreed to releasing her if I could beat his four fiercest machines, all while he watched from his balcony above."

"What were these four machines?" Avad asked, sounding concerned.

"A Sawtooth, a Ravager, a Scorcher, and a Thunderjaw." I replied, as I showed him my Scorcher scratch. Avad turned away upon seeing it. "They left several marks on me, which caused me tremendous amounts of pain."

Another wince came across Avad's face.

"How did you get up to Saskwani, to plunge those three arrows into his heart?" Avad asked sternly.

"I managed to override a Thunderjaw with my lance." I replied, patting the lance on my back. "I ran up its back, loaded up three arrows into my bow, and aimed for him. The arrows found their mark, and the rest is history, as the Old Ones would say."

"Fascinating, Aloy." Avad said, with a smile. "The sun was surely by your side. Is there anything I can do to repay you for what you have done?"

I looked back down at my new armor, and looked back up at Avad.

"No need, your Raidiance..." I began to reply, with a bow of my head, before Avad cut me off.

"From this moment onward, you are a member of both the Carja and Nora tribes, albeit with approval from Mother Teersa." Avad said, returning a bow of his head towards me. I put my hand on my chest and gasped. "I'm sure the people of Meridian and Mother's Watch will want to hear your story."

"I am honored, your Raidiance" I said, bowing my head once again. "I will tell it in a few days time, down at the Hunter's Lodge. But for now, I must return to Olin's apartment to rest."

"You mean your apartment." Avad said, with a half smirk. I quickly smiled, bowed my head, and took my leave to Olin's apartment. Walking through the city, people were smiling and showing generosity towards me. Some people even wanted to hug me and shake my hand. I politely returned handshakes and hugs to the people who wanted them.

"Thank you for returning our Sunhawk to us, outlander!" Shouted several people in the streets as I walked by them.

I'm not an outlander to you no more, I thought, as a smile crawled across my face. After navigating my way through the city, I eventually made it back to the former apartment of Olin Delverson. Upon entering, I made my way upstairs, and quietly made my bed. After making my bed, I laid down, and shut my eyes, knowing that Meridian's Sunhawk had returned.

Aloy smiled after finishing her rendition of her story. A boy walked away from his mother, and approached Aloy.

"Thank you for bringing our Sunhawk home!" He exclaimed, as he gave Aloy a big hug. Aloy returned the hug back to the little boy. Aloy and Talanah smiled. The boy let go of Aloy and walked back to his mother, frequently turning back to get glimpses of Aloy. His mother looked up at Aloy, and nodded her head towards her.

"The Sun will never forget the good that you have done." The boy's mother said. "May the Sun light your path!"

The boy and his mother were beginning to leave, along with the people who were there to hear her story. Aloy and Talanah smiled and watched as the crowd began to disperse. Talanah turned to Aloy, and gave her a big hug, and squeezed tight.

"Let go to your apartment, Aloy." Talanah stated. Aloy was hesitant for a moment.

"Don't you have to watch over the Lodge?" Aloy asked, sounding confused.

"I'm still recovering from my wounds, and I'll need a place to rest." Talanah replied.

Aloy got up from her chair, and grabbed Talanah's hand gently, helping her up.

"Come. Let us go to my apartment." Aloy said, with a smile. "It's getting late."

Talanah smiled, as Aloy and Talanah walked out of the Hunter's Lodge hand in hand, and made their way to Aloy's apartment for the first time since Aloy went on her epic journey.