Marad was very restless. He hadn't slept since the Sun King had been kidnapped, and deep dark circles surrounded his eyes. He worried about his friend, he worried about the city and its inhabitants, and he worried about the days that would follow if everything went wrong. Meridian couldn't handle another war. Everyone was tired of so much violence. First, the Red Raids and Jiran's madness, then the battle against that army led by the metallic demon, followed by the attack from the Regalla rebels with Fashav's death, and now this. He sighed, covering his face with his hands, enduring a pounding headache. In one of the rooms, his trusted soldiers, including Erend, the captain of the Vanguard, were gathered, trying to figure out what to do.

"Sir, we must do something," one of them said. "We've been waiting for his return for two days now."

"I don't like sitting idle either, but believe me, if I could do something, I would have done it by now. We don't know where they are... we don't even know if they're still alive."

"People are starting to suspect. It's been two days since their attentive king met with his people without any explanation. The nobles are getting restless, they haven't stopped complaining."

"As soon as I find out who's responsible, I'll make sure they pay for what they've done!" Erend exclaimed angrily, slamming his fist on the table and spilling some drops of beer he had next to him. Marad rubbed his temples. He had a headache from all the stress and wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. Suddenly, a Carja soldier burst into the room.

"Marad, two Striders are approaching with riders," he said. The royal advisor's eyes lit up. While he had heard rumors about rebels who knew how to sabotage machines in the Forbidden West, his hopes rested on the only person he knew who could tame those beasts: Aloy. The other rider was likely Talanah.

"Where are they coming from?" he asked, sitting up straight.

"They're heading toward the north gate of the city," the soldier replied. Without saying another word, the Blameless Marad rose and rushed to the location he had been told. When he arrived, he looked ahead and confirmed that indeed two machines were approaching, ridden by people whose front lights illuminated the darkness of the night. Still, he couldn't relax until he was able to speak with them.

"You've returned!" he exclaimed joyfully, approaching the huntresses with open arms. However, his smile quickly faded when he saw Avad lying in Aloy's arms with an arrow lodged in him, and all his clothes soaked in blood. "He... he's d-dea…" he tried to say, his voice trembling, unable to finish the sentence, feeling his legs give way and his face growing pale with each passing second.

"No, no, you can relax, as far as it goes, he's... safe and sound." she hurriedly replied, holding him up so he wouldn't fall, still holding onto the king. "Let's just say it's been a tough few days…"

"Ah…" he sighed in relief, leaning against a wall "I nearly died of fright. Please bring a sheet; it's not appropriate for anyone to see him like this." then, turning to the Sunhawk, he added "Thank you very much for your assistance and for your sudden departure without even knowing what it was about and without asking for explanations. As you know, it was a complicated matter. Thank you for everything and for understanding."

"My responsibility, apart from leading the lodge, is to defend Meridian and its members. I believe I should be there when I'm needed." he responded with a small smile.

"Thanks to all of you, Meridian is safe again. Talanah, if you don't mind, we'll return to the palace to tend to his injuries more thoroughly. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Let Aloy's mount in to carry the Sun King more safely, but if it's not too much trouble, it's better if yours stays outside."

"No problem." she replied "I just want to ask you to keep me informed about how the king is recovering, and don't hesitate to ask for my help on other occasions, although I hope there won't be any, at least of such seriousness."

After saying their goodbyes, the Blameless and the Nora headed to the Sun Palace. Fortunately, it was so late that there were no citizens on the streets, ensuring that no one would notice the state their king was in. Thanks to the precautions they had taken, no one would know even if they crossed paths with them. Marad helped Aloy lower Avad from the mount. They carefully covered him with a sheet just in case anyone who shouldn't see him did, and they carried him to the royal chambers. There, they laid him in the center of the bed. Soldiers took the mount outside the city walls.

"But what have they done to him?" he asked, horrified as he analyzed his friend, seeing his terrible condition.

"I admit that the fact that he's missing a piece of his shirt is courtesy of me; I ran out of bandages and needed something urgently," she replied, pointing to her arm "but I barely saw anything, and he... didn't want to talk about it, nor could he... he lost consciousness before leaving the Sun Ring. Helis has a successor... a successor with very good aim. From the other end of the Sun Ring, he shot an arrow that I haven't removed yet.

"The Sun Ring?" he asked, incredulous "Helis's successor?"

"They wanted to kill the... traitor in a real spectacle. He must have suffered a lot; they tortured him to see if he would yield and return to his father's regime, and then... the arrow. It's better to treat it as soon as possible. I'm... very worried about him."

"Things are getting worse and worse. Poor guy…" he replied, sympathizing with his friend "I suppose you'll tell the whole story later. Now, the most important thing is to heal all these wounds."

"If you don't mind, even though I'll take care of Avad's healing... I could use some help. Besides, I've run out of many of my supplies, so I'll need some new bandages, a bit of warm water, and... something to eat too. I'm exhausted, and I'm sure if he wakes up, he'll be the same."

"Don't worry; I'll help you with whatever you need." he replied, nodding "I brought some bandages, but I don't think they'll be enough, so I'll bring you more later." after thanking him, Aloy approached the king and carefully cradled him in her arms, tucking him in with the sheets.

"Let's remove the arrow and immobilize his broken fingers, and then go get more bandages while I control the bleeding, if that's okay with you. I think it's better to do this while he's unconscious so he feels less pain." the hunter proposed.

"Okay, yes, the sooner we remove the arrow, the better." he replied, approaching his friend.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, I've had to remove a few arrows on several occasions, so I know quite a bit about it... Can you hold him while I extract it?" Aloy asked while carefully removing the makeshift bandage.

"Of course." he replied, placing his hands on either side of the wound. With the skill of a master, Aloy removed the arrow from the King's body.

"By the Sun…" he murmured, revolted, turning his gaze away.

When they finished, because she had removed the arrow that was acting as a plug for the wound, blood began to flow intensively, soaking the monarch's clothing, the pillowcase, and both the councilor's and the hunter's hands. So, Aloy hurriedly soaked the injury with Medicinal Grayling juice and tried to stop the bleeding by bandaging the wound again and applying pressure.

"Come on, come on…" she murmured, working as quickly as she could "Since he's already lost a lot of blood, please apply pressure to prevent him from bleeding out while I immobilize his hand." she said, concerned, turning to him. With a serious expression, the Blameless followed her orders. Then, the Nora took out a thin but sturdy piece of machine metal that would serve as a splint. After rinsing the knuckle area with medicinal herbs, she gently took the first fractured finger and carefully aligned it with its natural position. A shiver ran through the councilor's body, who, sighing, looked away. He could hear her continuing to place the other fingers and then, once they were all in place, proceeding to firmly immobilize them. In addition to the fingers, Aloy also immobilized his wrist, completely immobilizing his hand to prevent him from using it during the healing process. She took care not to tighten the bindings too much to avoid any circulation problems. Only when she finished did she turn to Marad, noticing his pale expression.

"You're... pale…" she pointed out.

"I'm not used to helping in these... situations... I'll be right back." he said, rushing to get what Aloy would need to continue healing her friend, closing the door behind him and taking a breath of fresh air. Meanwhile, she remained still, applying pressure to the bandages to try to ensure that Avad lost as little blood as possible.

"Come on, Avad... hang in there…" she whispered, looking at the battered face of the king while she gently caressed him, noticing that he still had a fever despite how cold his hands were. Her arm hurt. She didn't feel it was bleeding, but she was convinced that under the makeshift bandage she had put on, which was already quite stained with a deep red color, there would be a wound surrounded by purples and blues from the blow. She sighed. Even though it was urgent to treat it, the most important thing was to control Avad's hemorrhage, so she would have to wait. She sighed again as she gently slid her thumb over the king's cheek. She was really worried that he had bled too much and wouldn't make it through the night. Just at that moment, she felt the chest of the Sun King swelling irregularly, as if in jerks, while she listened to him struggling to take a breath. The Nora quickly withdrew the hand that was caressing his face and paid close attention to each of his movements.

"Ah... Aloy..." the monarch murmured with a faint voice. She turned to him while still applying pressure to the wound, meeting his exhausted gaze. The gap between his eyelids was minuscule, and his condition looked truly pitiable. Without releasing the pressure on the arrowhead, she took his hand as a reassuring gesture while offering him a warm smile, relieved to see him regaining consciousness.

"Shhh... Rest, you're safe. Look, you're in the palace, in your room, everything went well." she whispered gently. He breathed with difficulty and gathered strength to continue speaking.

"Aloy... t-thank you for… rescuing m-me from that… torment." he spoke very softly, tears glistening in his eyes as he slightly opened his arms as a sign that he needed a hug. The young woman embraced him delicately to avoid causing him pain.

"Take it easy, Avad, there's no one here who can hurt you, especially not with me around." she murmured, stroking the back of his neck while still hugging him. "By the way... thank you for your help in the Ring... You were very brave; it almost cost you your life to save mine."

"The same... I say of... you... Thank you," he closed his eyes, feeling a tear run down his cheek, and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with Aloy's pleasant scent as he clenched his teeth in pain. She sensed his sadness and pulled away slightly to look into his eyes, but he averted his gaze, directing it toward the bedsheets.

"Those people are not right in the head... It's not your fault." she affirmed, gently wiping away the tears that were welling up in his eyes with her thumb.

"Maybe... it is... Y-you don't know what I… I did to... get to where I am now." he said, and she held his face carefully, using her thumb to dry the tears that were once again streaming from his eyes.

"Yes, I do know. You made a very difficult decision, I won't deny that. But with it, you saved many lives. You didn't ascend to the throne to be a tyrant, but to help others, to end the slavery and injustices your father committed every day... It's in no way a reason for you to be tortured like this, or to blame yourself, and you certainly don't deserve to die for it."

"W-well... thank you, I really needed t-to hear that…" he replied, taking her hand. "Since then, I've felt... guilty."

"Stop tormenting yourself, please." she said, squeezing his hand firmly. "You already have enough worries without adding more. What you need to do now is rest and not move so your wounds can heal." He then brought his splinted hand to his head and let out a soft groan.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Yes, and... I'm feeling dizzy... I guess it's because of... well, everything." There were soft knocks on the door. Aloy got up from the bed and, carefully releasing his hand, went to open it.

"Hold the bandage; it's important that you maintain pressure even if it hurts." she said as she let Marad in.

"Hello, how are you?" he asked while handing Aloy a cloth bag with what she had requested and a large bowl of water. She grabbed everything and quickly returned to the king to continue applying pressure to the arrow wound.

"Well, Avad has awakened, but he's feeling dizzy."

"He's lost a lot of blood; he had many wounds, including one bandage that looked pretty bad... After what you must have gone through, it would be strange if he didn't feel dizzy." Marad replied seriously. "Can I come in to see him for a moment? It will be brief."

"Of course, don't worry. Take this opportunity to apply pressure on the bleeding, please, and I'll get everything ready." she replied, making a gesture with her hand. The Sun-King entered quickly and stood by her side as she took out the bandages and prepared some potions.

"Avad! My friend!" he exclaimed, rushing to sit beside the king and do what the young woman had asked. "You've awakened! You have no idea how happy I am that you're back!" he said enthusiastically, hugging his friend carefully. "I'm so glad you're safe!" The Sun King smiled weakly, stifling a groan from the pressure on the arrow wound.

"Thank you, Marad... I-I think... well, I could be worse." he chuckled weakly. His counselor turned to Aloy.

"Thank you for bringing him back. Our list of debts to you keeps growing; you're going to bankrupt us." he joked. The three of them laughed "How are you feeling?" Marad asked with concern.

"Well... I feel weak." The king expressed, his gaze dropping.

"You'll need to rest and regain your strength after everything that's happened."

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "D-don't apply so much p-pressure, please..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" he apologized, easing up. Marad stayed with the Sun-King for several minutes, trying to cheer him up. "You'll see, you'll be back on your feet much sooner than you expect." he said. "Now I have to go." he said after a while. "If they ask me, I'll say the Sun-King fell down the stairs and broke a leg, which is why he's not attending to his subjects these days... Well, and his hand too... Anyway, anyone can have a bad fall, right? Does that sound like a good excuse to you?"

"Yes?" she responded doubtfully, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you know how slippery these stairs are?" he replied with a laugh "I've fallen down them more than a few times. Changing the subject... I'll bring you something to eat in a little while. For now, I'll leave you alone, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know; that's what I'm here for." he said, bidding them farewell. Then, Aloy opened the bag and took out the bandages, laying them on the bed.

"We need to replace the makeshift fix I did when we escaped; the wounds must be clean. Otherwise... things could get ugly, especially the arrow wound and the cut they made." she said, approaching him and sitting by his side. Avad sighed.

"Well... ah... I'm afraid we're in for a long haul." he responded somewhat nervously. Aloy placed a damp towel on his forehead to help with the fever and headache.

"As long as everything turns out well." she replied, unwrapping his arm to reveal a deep cut that was still bleeding. He winced slightly in pain and turned his face away from her to hide his tense expression. "I'll be as gentle as possible; I'll try not to hurt you too much." she said, noticing how stiff he was becoming.

"It just looks... horrible... and besides hurting, it looks..." he hesitated as a shiver ran through him. "It's going to leave a mark for life."

"Not if it heals properly." she replied, pouring a significant portion of a jar containing a kind of medicinal Valley Blush smoothie "You see? Not too painful, right?"

"I-it's a tingling sensation." he admitted, still nervous. She began stitching up the wound and then rebandaged it, allowing the wound to absorb the healing liquid. The fabric covering the cut also became slightly moist, which would help the healing lotion last longer. "Ah...!" he involuntarily exclaimed in pain.

—I'm sorry... It's just that to bandage it, I had to tighten it a bit... so there won't be a mark." He smiled.

—Don't apologize, thank you for... being so patient with me... —she said, looking into his eyes. She responded with a smile and continued with her healing work. With a cloth soaked in the liquid, she moistened the scrapes on his body. With water, she lovingly cleaned his face, removing all traces of sand, fruit, and blood, significantly improving his appearance and restoring the color of his skin, although his face was still marked by fatigue: large dark circles darkened his eyes, and he blinked slowly as if his eyelids weighed a ton. Additionally, he had a split lip from a blow. She gently wiped it with a cloth soaked in the healing juice while rearranging his hair. Their eyes met, and they both felt their cheeks flush the same shade as the plant.

"See? You look much better now." she pointed out, sitting a little closer to him.

"Ah!" he exclaimed in pain, unable to prevent it when he felt her knee against his side. Aloy was startled, and like lightning, she got up from the bed, apologizing repeatedly. He put his hand to his injured side and, when he could bear the pain, smiled.

"Ah… I… Don't worry…"

"I'm really sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you." she repeated.

"You don't have to apologize, it wasn't you who... hurt me." he lowered his gaze.

"May I see the wound?" she asked seconds later.

"Y-yes…" he stammered. Then, the Nora slowly lifted what was left of the monarch's damaged shirt, letting out a stifled scream. Under the garment was a bruise of an intense purple color surrounded by a shade that ranged from yellow to green to blue.

"What have they done to you? They could have broken a rib!" she exclaimed, gently placing her hand on the wound. He felt pain at the slightest touch. He involuntarily closed his eyes.

"Well... ah... let's say... their negotiations weren't too friendly…" he replied, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Does it hurt when you breathe?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"If I don't apply pressure not… not too much…" he replied, lowering his shirt but keeping her hand on the bruise.

"I'm going to... apply some Wild Ember on you." Avad pressed his lips together as she lifted his shirt again and cleared his throat, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Carefully, she spread the ointment all over the area and then put his shirt back in place.

"Well, now comes the most complicated part, the wound that you have... well, here…" she said when she finished, pointing to the entire area of the shoulder and collarbone. Avad sighed. Every time he tried to move that arm, he felt intense pain, which made him prefer to stay still.

"Aloy, I... it's just that every time I move, it hurts a lot…"

"I understand that the idea scares you, but I've been doing this for a long time. I know how to heal an arrow wound with minimal damage, and still, I want you to know that I'll be as gentle as possible. If you let me treat you, the wound will heal much faster, and you'll be back to normal in no time. After I treated the corruption-infected cut, I understand if you have bad memories," she replied with a slight touch of humor "but this is different, there's no poison to neutralize, we just need to clean the wound so it doesn't get infected... But I'll leave it up to you." he remained silent for a moment, but eventually agreed.

"It's... it's fine." he said, still not entirely convinced. She smiled kindly to reassure him.

"Thank you for trusting me." she replied, grabbing some fresh bandages "If you want, you can tell me something to distract yourself. Should I help you take off your shirt? It's hindering my access to the wound." Avad's eyes opened momentarily.

"It's just... no... I'd prefer not to move the shoulder."

"In that case, let's see... Unless you have a special attachment to that shirt... Look, even if you give it to the best tailor... It's impossible to fix, it's in tatters. What I mean is that a good option would be to cut that part of the garment to treat you properly."

"Well…" he replied, looking at himself "You're right, it's even worse than I am." he chuckled. Then, Marad knocked on the door. The hunter turned and, thanks to her focus, she knew it was him.

"It's Marad. I'll open it." she announced.

"Greetings, I've brought you some dinner." he said when he entered the room, placing the tray at the foot of the bed, filling the room with an appetizing smell "I'll come back to pick up the plates later. And by the way, Erend asked about you. He'll probably stop by tomorrow to say hello and see how you're doing; he was really worried about this whole thing."

"Thank you very much." she replied politely "I think we're both hungry."

"You can say that again." he confirmed, nodding towards the food. She turned around to find Avad desperately trying to reach the tray of food, holding the towel on his forehead with his splinted hand "He hasn't taken his eyes off it since I came into the room."

"Well, I'll go give him a hand. Thank you very much for your help."

"We're the ones who should be thanking you." he replied, bowing his head as a farewell and closing the door behind him.

"Don't get nervous, I'll be right there, Avad." she said, approaching the bed again. Carefully, she helped the king sit up, propping his back against several pillows so he could eat comfortably. On the tray were four plates: two shallow ones filled with roasted turkey, and two deep ones brimming with steaming soup. Next to them, a pair of bread loaves and a few utensils, along with two glasses of water, covered the rest of the tray. As soon as it was within his reach, Avad grabbed one of the bread loaves with both hands and took a big bite, leaving a deep imprint of his teeth on the bread "I guess you're hungry…" he chewed anxiously, then swallowed with some difficulty "Hey, hey, Avad, slow down." she gently scolded him, placing her hand on the bread.

"It's been over t-two days since… I've eaten anything… The day they kidnapped me, I hadn't even had time for breakfast, and they didn't bother giving me anything to drink... —he replied, moving his mouth towards the loaf "You were the only one who gave me water."

"Oh…" she sighed "I'm sorry, I had no idea, just… go slower, you're going to choke... Here, have some water." she said, handing him a glass.

"The last thing you should do is apologize after everything you've done." he replied, swallowing another bite. He reached for the glass, but his movements lacked confidence and fluidity. Plus, his right hand was immobilized, so he almost spilled the water all over himself.

"Wait! Let me help you." he wrapped his hands around the glass, but she was the one actually holding it, so not a drop spilled. Avad drank it all without even taking a breath, then exhaled deeply. Then, he fixed his gaze on the roasted turkey at the other side of the bed "So, you want some, huh?" she pointed out, seeing where he was looking.

"Yes, please…" he requested. She raised an eyebrow "I'll go slower, really."

"Please, I don't want you to choke. I don't think your ribs can handle a choking maneuver." she said as she cut the meat into small pieces so he wouldn't have to.

"Thank you." he expressed happily for the consideration. It would have been a challenge for him to fight with the roast to cut it.

"You're welcome." she replied, picking up the bandages and the healing potion again "In the meantime, I'll tend to your wound while you're distracted by eating." he sighed as he picked up the plate ready to eat the turkey. Then, Aloy began to cut the shirt down the middle to where the ribs end. This way, she could remove the garment, leaving the shoulder completely exposed, and operate without obstacles. She glanced sideways at Avad, who was eating with relish but was clearly paying attention to what she was doing. She cleaned the entire area with a cloth soaked in water, and without further ado, she cautiously emptied the contents of the vial onto the wound, letting it absorb some, and then cleaned it again. Then, she started to bandage his shoulder, passing the fabric under his armpit and then under his shoulder, then looping it around the other armpit to secure the wrapping to his body and prevent it from moving. The wound had not closed yet, so she repeated this process several times and then tied it so it wouldn't loosen. He had been tense the whole time "Does it... hurt a lot?" she asked, looking at him. Avad touched his shoulder.

"I think... I'm feeling better already." he replied with a subtle smile as she examined his left hand, seeing that it only had some scratches, nothing to worry about. Then, Aloy turned her gaze to the empty plate.

"Have you finished already?" she asked surprised.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I'm starving…" he apologized. He found it incredible that he had finished so quickly, especially because he had to eat with his left hand.

"There's still the fish soup, although considering how hard it was for you to drink the water…" she pointed out, offering him the plate. He tried to grab it, but his pulse faltered momentarily, causing him to make a sudden movement that almost made him drop the plate with its contents onto the sheets. He yelled in pain when he tried to move the fingers of his right hand. She quickly held the container so the food wouldn't fall on the floor or the bed.

"By the Sun... I can't even eat a soup…" he complained in frustration, gritting his teeth due to the pain he was feeling.

"Take it easy, Avad." Aloy said, placing a hand on his uninjured shoulder and holding the bowl with the other "I'm sure if you rest, you'll feel better tomorrow. In the meantime, I can help you if... if you're okay with it." he sighed.

"Alright... thank you for your patience with me…" she gave him a kind smile and brought the first spoonful closer. The Sun King eagerly swallowed it, but this time he didn't reply. He had enough to endure already.

"I'm sorry you had to go through this. From what little I've seen... it seemed horrible." she lamented after a while to break the silence surrounding them.

"They have been… very cruel to me…"

"It's easy to mock someone who is not in their right mind. Cowards... Let's see what they think the next time I cross paths with any of them." she said angrily, frowning at her weapons from the corner of her eye.

"Even though it's all over now, I'd rather… not talk about it…" he requested with a downcast gaze. "Not now…" She placed her hand on the king's cheek and gently caressed it with her thumb as a comforting gesture.

"If you ever need anything... or want to talk... I want you to know that I'm here…" she said softly "But I won't force you to tell me anything."

"Thank you... Now the most important thing is that... we're okay. Thanks to you." his compliment surprised her, and she accidentally let a bit of soup from the last spoonful slip, which slid from her mouth. Aloy turned to the tray, but Marad hadn't provided any napkins, so she decided to clean it herself to prevent further drops from falling and staining the sheets. Carefully, she slid her thumb from his chin and followed the path of the drop until it reached his lower lip. She traced it slowly, avoiding the wound that marked it. Avad felt himself blushing as he lowered his gaze to the huntress' lips. A tingling sensation flooded his stomach as his heart began to beat strongly. With both hands, he surrounded the fingers of the young woman that were caressing his face and took a deep breath.

"Aloy, there's... there's something I need to tell you." she moved slightly closer to his face, not quite sure why. Her cheeks turned red too "I…" he tried to continue, his voice trembling, but the words wouldn't come out. Driven by a force from deep within him, Avad leaned towards her mouth.