Aloy woke up suddenly, as if from a horrible nightmare, opening her eyes wide and instinctively gasping for air, as if she had been submerged in water for a long time and needed to breathe. As she did this, she felt a discomfort in her ribs. Her head hurt, her vision was blurry, and when she tried to sit up, she felt pain all over her body. She groaned just before realizing there was no weight on her body, which meant she wasn't wearing her armor. She was exhausted and disoriented. Despite not wearing her armor, her body felt heavy and numb. Numerous flashbacks of the battles she had fought in the last few months jumbled in her mind: fire, explosions, the sophisticated facilities of the Zenith, ferocious machines, the GEMINI cauldron, death... One thought crossed her mind. She remembered the battle and its end, happy even though the most complicated part was yet to come, but in her mind, there came a moment when all memories became confusing. The Zenith! They must have captured her, and now she would be on her way to who knows where! She let out another grunt and fearfully brought her hand to her ear. She let out a muffled scream when she saw there was nothing there. "Aloy!" a male voice startled her. She tried to look around, but she couldn't focus on anything. She complained, feeling dizzy, and threw her head back, closing her eyes. The person was against the light, and the brightness dazzled her. She heard footsteps approaching her. Anxious, she tried to see who it was, expecting to defend herself from an attack. Her vision was starting to recover its quality. She looked around, confirming that someone was approaching her. "You've awakened!" But all she could see was a blurry figure.
"Give me back my things, you damn thief!" she said in a tough and relentless tone. She couldn't show any trace of fear; it would be turned against her. "Were you working for Tilda? Are you trying to follow her wishes?" As the blur with a human silhouette got closer, she tried to sit up, raising her arms in a defensive position. A warm and gentle hand grasped her shoulder and gently laid her back down. She instantly recognized who it was.
"Aloy, I-I'm… Avad, no… I don't know who you're talking about." said the Sun-King, trying to infuse calmness, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. Even without her armor and weapons, she looked threatening "Calm down, everything is okay. I'm not going to hurt you." he said, sounding a bit scared by her reaction.
"A-Avad? Where am I? And my Focus? My weapons? Where are my things?" she asked, confused, trying to locate all her belongings.
"Everything you had is here, including... that artifact you always carry." he said, referring to the Focus — You're safe, and all your things are secure. — he added, reassuringly. She sighed, feeling a bit relieved, but still confused.
"What happened? Are we in... Meridian?" she asked, not understanding how she ended up there, her vision now fully restored.
"Yes, we're in Meridian, in my palace." Avad began to explain. "One night, I was here, working in the palace, when suddenly my guards startled me, saying they found you unconscious near the south gate of the city. They said there was nothing around, just your bow a couple of meters away from you, as if you had fallen. Besides, it was raining quite heavily, so they brought you in, and we removed your armor and treated your wounds. Then I changed your clothes to something more comfortable. Since there was nothing available for you, I looked for something among my things, so you're wearing one of the outfits I usually wear to sleep." he said, indicating his white tunic with short sleeves and side openings, embroidered with gold on the hems, and loose trousers of the same color. He wasn't wearing his crown, and his dark hair was exposed, which she saw for the first time. Then she glanced around. Now she could see where she was. She was lying on a huge bed, much larger than any she had ever seen, covered up to her chest with white sheets adorned with golden and red embroidery, and an orange blanket at her feet. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how comfortable she felt. On either side, next to the wall, were several light-colored wooden cabinets with golden details, just like the headboard of the bed.
"No... I don't remember things very well..." she said, looking around, fully regaining her vision. She analyzed Avad, noticing that he wasn't wearing his usual attire as the Sun-King, but instead, he had on a short-sleeved white tunic with slits on both sides of his legs, adorned with gold embroidery on the hems, and loose-fitting pants of the same color underneath. Additionally, he wasn't wearing his crown, so his dark hair was exposed. It was the first time she had seen his head without anything covering it. Then, she glanced around and finally realized where she was. She was lying on a huge bed, much larger than any she had ever seen, covered up to her chest with white sheets adorned with gold and red embroidery, and an orange blanket at the foot of the bed. It was only then that she noticed how comfortable she was. On both sides of the bed, near the wall, there were large light-colored wooden wardrobes with gold accents, just like the bed's headboard. A red velvet armchair with several orange and bright gold cushions rested near the wall, next to a large desk with a handful of papers, a quill, and an extinguished candle. A large window in front of the bed opened to a balcony, framed by silky-looking curtains. To the left, there was a closed door. Both the sheets and the room had a subtle scent of lavender, noticeable enough to be detected, but not overpowering. As she examined all the details, the pieces began to fit together. It was a place too luxurious and grand to be a guest's quarters, but she wanted to make sure. "Exactly... where are we?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well… you see, due to the destruction that occurred, many of the peasants lost their homes, and although we have made a lot of progress, and many people have returned to their homes, some still don't have a roof over their heads. So, I have taken them in here, to the palace. All the rooms were occupied when you arrived, so... you're in mine." Avad replied, blushing. "But don't get me wrong." he added, raising his hands and spreading his palms toward her. "I wanted you to have a nice place to rest, not just stay anywhere. It's... the least I could do after... everything you've done for everyone."
"No, no, don't worry. I appreciate the gesture…" Aloy replied, still confused by the flood of details she was receiving. She rubbed her face with her right hand, as she had noticed her left arm was firmly bandaged.
"Is everything okay?" Avad asked, concerned when he saw her frowning.
"I… yes… oh… I'm just a bit confused." she replied, looking at her arm "Suddenly, I'm in Meridian with half my body injured, and I don't know why."
"You don't remember anything?"
"No… I'm blank." she replied, frustratedly, looking at the sheets.
"Just… rain… I suppose… oh, I don't know...
"If it helps, I can tell you everything I know." Avad suggested. She nodded, interested. "It was about an hour after sunset. I was in the palace when my guards startled me, saying they found you near the south gate of the city. They said there was nothing around, just your bow a couple of meters away from you, as if you had fallen. Besides, it was raining quite heavily, so they brought you in, and we removed your armor and treated your wounds. Then I changed your clothes to something more comfortable. Since there was nothing available for you, I looked for something among my things, so you're wearing one of the outfits I usually wear to sleep…" she looked at herself and saw that she was wearing a loose white shirt with gold embroidery on the hems and neckline, somewhat closed.
"Thank you for everything." Aloy finally responded with a smile. "And... I apologize for speaking to you that way when I woke up. I was... scared and... confused."
"It's alright, I understand that waking up suddenly in a place without knowing where you are is not the most pleasant feeling in the world. And... welcoming you was the least I could do, after you prevented my city from being destroyed twice, saved my life and Itamen's, brought allies to defend Meridian... And all that, in addition to the feats you've experienced in the Forbidden West…" his caramel-colored cheeks began to turn pink "I don't know what I would do now without you, Aloy." he replied, causing both of them to blush "Well, all of us." he added "Now it's my turn to help you. You have no idea how happy I am to have you here." he said, giving her a warm and welcoming smile. "By the way, are you hungry?" he asked, placing a hand on the mattress. "You've been lying there for almost two days; you should have something to eat."
"Two days…" she murmured, thinking of Némesis "The truth is, I'm hungry. Thank you. What time is it?"
"It's mid-afternoon." Avad replied, getting up from the bed. "I'll bring you something to eat. Don't even think about leaving, okay?" he ordered. "You need to rest... Oh, and the bathroom is right there." he said, pointing to the closed door.
"Rest…" she replied with a slight tone of reproach. Then, Avad left the room.