The next day, Avad woke up still feeling the weight of Aloy's body on his. She slept peacefully, with the palm of one of her hands resting on the king's chest. Carefully, the monarch laid her back on the bed and tucked her in gently. He didn't know what time it was, and he didn't care, but he felt restless. She had shared all her pain with him, and he, though he wanted to, had been unable to do the same. So, quietly, he dressed and left the house. The cold air outside enveloped him as soon as he stepped out. A shiver from the temperature change ran through his body, so he pulled up the hood of his outfit to feel more sheltered from the cold. It wasn't yet dawn, although the base of some clouds had a glimmer that suggested it would soon. He breathed, feeling his lungs cool, and walked slowly around the house, not venturing too far in fear of encountering something hostile. During his walk, he gathered several flowers that looked beautiful with their vibrant colors, and then he approached Rost's grave. The king looked around to see if anyone was nearby, and finding no one, he returned his gaze to the small monument. Hesitating for a moment, he then knelt, sitting back on his ankles. With his hand, he carefully removed the snow covering the small statue that Aloy had made the previous evening and placed the flowers beside it. He remained silent, looking down. Then, Avad took a deep breath and let out a long, profound sigh.

"H-hello…" he began, intertwining his fingers, resting them on his thighs, and keeping his gaze fixed on his hands "Ah... I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. I woke up because I dreamed about my father, I didn't feel well, and... I wouldn't know how to explain why, but I felt the need to come here…" he fell silent again for several seconds "I-I'm... Avad, I came from Meridian with Aloy because... well, I've fallen deeply in love with her, and I wanted to see where she grew up and spend a few more days with her before she leaves again for an indefinite time…" he said, feeling himself blush "The truth is, this trip is crazy, but I'm really enjoying it, I love this place." he chuckled softly. Then, he changed the subject "Aloy has talked a lot about you... She really loves you and misses you. I would have loved to meet you and talk to you more directly, and one day say, 'Hey, I'd like to marry your daughter.'" he said, deepening his voice as if replaying a dialogue "Maybe you could have even taught me how to hunt. But well, I'll have to settle for what she tells me about you, which is not little…" the king paused again, unable to shake off the strange feeling "I... I wish I had had a father like you... From what Aloy told me, you're exactly how I would have liked mine to be. Aloy told me that you watched every step of hers, protected her, and were there without her knowing, but... unfortunately, my case wasn't like that... It's been two years since... my father d-died, and... I'm still not okay, and... I guess I'll stay this way, but I'm the king, I have to be strong, I've always had to be…" Avad fell silent for a moment and took a breath to continue speaking "Days after ascending the throne, it was his funeral. It wasn't a very luxurious ceremony, because in the end, he was a... criminal. I wasn't there; in fact, I've never even been to see his grave... After "celebrating" the victory, I locked myself in my room for weeks... Marad even got worried about me... But nothing healed my pain... I wasn't just upset because I participated in his death, which also ate away at me, but... m-more for everything else. All my life, I tried to please him, thinking that I didn't deserve his love and had to work to earn it, and every day I tried to improve in combat, which was what Jiran cared about most, but I never got a kind word from him... I... just wanted him to…" he said, his voice breaking " like something about me…" he expressed, holding onto his arms as if seeking refuge and support "even if it was just one miserable thing... But he hated me... H-he never told me he was proud of me or... that I had done something right. I had my older brother, who was very tall, strong, with an enviable physique and great skill in handling weapons, and... he was also the one who was going to succeed him. I was just option 'B', in case 'A' failed, the... leftovers... Why would he want someone who couldn't fight? Even though I've trained very hard to reach the level I am now, what I was good at was art, painting, music, poetry... Those skills were an important part of me that he made me ashamed of. The first time I painted something and showed it to him... Ah… Delusional of me…" he sighed with moist eyes 'What is this thing?!' He yelled, throwing it to the ground. 'Stop wasting time! Couldn't you at least for a moment stop embarrassing me and be a little more like your brother?' And then…" Avad paused, biting his lower lip, suppressing his pain "he destroyed everything I had. Like a hurricane, he entered my rooms and looted them for anything related to painting, music, everything, and... piled everything in the courtyard, burning almost everything I had made, with me as a spectator. Only one painting and... an instrument that I still have survived… After that, he dragged me to my room, and there, where no one could see us, he... uh... he... he hit me. He didn't hit me very often, but when he did... uh... by the Sun…" Avad lamented, covering himself with his arms, as if trying to protect himself while reliving that moment. "A punishment that became routine was isolation. Many times he left me locked in my room." The king paused for about twenty seconds before continuing "I've never been able to tell anyone how I've felt my whole life, not even Aloy, whom I've tried to tell several times, but... my pain prevented me from continuing to tell her…" he narrated, sobbing. "I even came to hate myself because I couldn't please my... own... f-father. After dedicating all my efforts, giving my best, and even more... Everything I did, he hated... And he would lock me in my room, saying it was for the greater good, so I wouldn't embarrass him more than I already did. Fortunately, Marad and Kadaman were always there, trying to console me when they saw me upset... I told my brother many things, and he tried to make me feel better, and Marad helped me train and also lent a hand when he saw me down... But he never knew everything I went through; he saw me suffering, but he didn't fully understand the reason. He knew my father hated me, but not to what extent. My brother and I came to the conclusion that my father needed to stop all that violence because, apart from making others unhappy, it was going to end up causing a war... Kadaman was the one who spoke to him because, besides the fact that he barely spoke to me, he was his favorite and more likely to listen... and... What happened? The next day, he killed him for treason in the Sun Ring, forcing me to witness it... He made me see how... how my brother fell murdered by a sawtooth. It was... ho-horrible... so much blood…" Avad narrated, devastated, smashing his clenched fist into the snow with bitterness "I couldn't even say goodbye to him, practically the only person who had taken care of me along with Marad…" the king sobbed several times before managing to continue "Machines have always filled me with respect, but since then, I fear them with all my being... That night I fled the palace to end all that, and... after a period of hard work, we went into battle to overthrow him. I managed to infiltrate the castle, but I... I couldn't bring myself to kill him, and he knew it. I begged him to please surrender because if he didn't, I would have to kill him, but when he saw me with the sword in my hand, he laughed at me! He knew I wouldn't be able to do it... In the end, it was Ersa who took over. She tore the sword from my hands and stabbed him with it. He fell to the ground cursing me with words that... will always haunt me, just like my actions... ah... Aloy told me that the last thing you did before... dying was begging her to go on, to survive... unlike my... father, who... died wishing me death... I wish he had had a moment of clarity and realized the harm he was causing to everyone and... the harm he had done to m-me... I... I just wanted to make him happy…" Avad broke down in inconsolable tears, not knowing what else to do, with a painful wound deep within him that ate away at him. He felt large drops originating from his eyes, tracing down his face until they broke free and fell onto his hands. He couldn't bear that sensation any longer. All that pain that made his body tremble as he relived those memories he tried so hard to avoid had come to light again. Those feelings left him breathless. He covered his face with his hands, unable to find comfort.

He startled when he suddenly felt the pressure of a hand on his shoulder. His body shivered. Could it be Rost? No, impossible. Quickly, he wiped away his tears, unsuccessfully tried to compose himself and suppress his pain, and turned to see who it was.

"Oh... Avad..." Aloy said, her eyes shining with moisture, bending down while covering her mouth with both hands. She then knelt beside him. "I'm so sorry... You don't have to bear the weight of this alone."

"A-Aloy...?" he asked, surprised and confused, his voice choked with tears. He hadn't even heard her approach.

"Shhh..." she hushed him gently, placing her index finger on the king's lips. Then, surrounding his damp face with both hands, she gently wiped away his tears and whispered, looking into his deeply sad brown eyes, "You're not alone in this; I'm here... with you." She slowly approached Avad and hugged him. She nudged his head forward slightly so he could lean on her shoulder and let it out peacefully. The king initially resisted, but the truth was he couldn't take it anymore... He couldn't stand hating himself because of his father... Broken, he poured himself into her arms and held her tightly. She never scolded him, nor said anything, she was just there, accompanying him, embracing him, providing all her support. She held him firmly, making him feel more secure, sheltered, safe, sharing his pain. Occasionally, he heard her cry with him too. Avad cried for a long time, he couldn't say how much, but with every tear, a bit of bitterness left him, making him feel better with each passing second, and above all, more relieved. The monarch felt understood and supported like never before, with a very strong and unbreakable connection. Both shared that feeling, causing Avad to feel much relieved. No one had ever hugged him in that way. He pulled away from Aloy's shoulder without letting go of the embrace, meeting the green eyes of the girl filled with tears too. "Surely Rost and you would have gotten along great..." she whispered with a sad smile, pressing her forehead against his.

"Oh... t-thank you." he responded, wiping his cheeks. They looked at each other with complicity.

"You must have... gone through something horrible." she whispered, hugging him tightly "I'm so sorry…"

"I suppose that's one of the reasons why I hate violence so much…" he commented, closing his eyes tightly while still hugging her, feeling the tears escaping again "Although... at least I know it won't happen again…" he added, smiling sadly. After a pause, he said "I'm sorry for... I should have told you when we were at the Cut-Cliffs... I'm sorry, I really am."

"So much pain is hard to express, the last thing you have to do is apologize." she replied, holding his face, wiping his tears again with her thumbs.

Both of them looked at the grave, embraced.

"Do you feel better now?" she asked, holding his hands.

"Much better... I would have liked to tell you earlier, but-" she placed her finger on his lips, cutting off his sentence.

"It's okay, everything comes in its time, the important thing is that you've let it out, and now that I know... I can help you." he gave her a smile, which although still sad, expressed a bit more peace.

"Thank you…" he sighed, feeling truly relieved. He had finally let it all out.

"Come on, let's have some hot breakfast to give us strength for the day. It will help you warm up and cheer you up a bit." she said, getting ready to stand up, offering him her hand to help him up "There's a lot to do, I heard someone say he would like to learn to hunt... "Avad smiled shyly, this time a bit happier. They started walking towards the house. Aloy wrapped her arm around him, continuing to offer her support. At one point, she looked back at the grave. For a tenth of a second, she thought she saw a silhouette that then disappeared "Thank you." she whispered to Rost.

"Hey... Since when have you been listening?" Avad asked, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"From the beginning…" she replied timidly "I woke up, and... I was curious about where you were going so early... I didn't want to let you go alone in case something happened, and I was very surprised when you knelt where Rost was, but I didn't want to interrupt you, so... I stayed and listened... I'm sorry if you didn't like it."

"It's better this way; I'm glad you know. I don't know how long it would have taken me to feel capable of telling you. Besides, now that you've caught me... I really would like to learn to hunt, but it scares me." he admitted.

"Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the action in the face of it…" she replied, looking him in the eyes "You are being very brave; look at yourself. You came to a land where you didn't know if you'd be welcomed, and yet you didn't hesitate to accompany me. Not to mention you rode a machine all the way here, slept in ruins after clearing out a bandit camp, and we almost had to fight a stormbird. If there's one thing you don't lack, it's courage." the Sun-King hugged her tightly, grateful for her words. They climbed the stairs leading to the door of the house "Also," she added "someone without fears is called unconscious, you know?" they both laughed "I'm glad to see how you're evolving, for the better. It makes me proud of you."

"You make me want to be a better person…" he replied, blushing, taking her hand shyly.

They entered the house and sat down to have breakfast by the fire. Aloy had prepared a meat broth and served it in two bowls, one for each. The Carja was absorbed, watching the dance of the flames as they crackled, holding the warm bowl with both hands to warm up. That conversation had brought his wounds back to light, wounds he tried so hard to hide, and at that moment, he felt truly defeated.

"Shall… shall I ask you a question?" Aloy said, looking at him cautiously.

"Yes, of course…" he replied without taking his eyes off the flames.

"The night we returned from the Sun-Ring… I... um... If you don't want to, you don't have to answer…" she began, knowing it was a very delicate subject "I'm not just talking about today; I mean on other days... Do you often dream about your father?" she asked suddenly. He, surprised, opened his eyes wide, and his pulse faltered, almost dropping the breakfast to the ground "Or rather... do you have nightmares…" Avad placed the bowl on the floor as a precaution and rubbed his face with both hands while sighing.

"Uh... y-yes... How do you know?" he asked, surprised, turning to her.

"I noticed the day we rescued you from the Ring... You woke me up that night... You seemed so distressed. You even screamed. I heard you begging your father for mercy... I'm... I'm so sorry, Avad." she expressed, placing her hand on his.

"It's... very unpleasant." he explained with pity "Sometimes I see my memories: how Kadaman falls to the ground when... well... you know. And then, each dream is different, but although they all have something in common... sometimes my father comes and mistreats me... other times he throws me into the Ring... the point is, no matter how it goes, it always ends in disaster. It feels so real that... I wake up exhausted and terrified, bathed in sweat…" he paused briefly without looking up from his feet "Since I was kidnapped, the dreams have intensified... I didn't used to have them so often... Although the night you rescued me from the Sun Ring was... different. Kadaman had just been killed. Then, my father would come and come after me with a terrifying and hateful look on his face. He would hit me and then grab me to drag me and throw me into the Sun Ring, but this time you appeared... You came suddenly and stood between Jiran and me, and... for a moment, I felt safe." she took his hand.

"While you were sleeping, you said my name... because... I saw you so overwhelmed that... I couldn't help but hug you to see if that made you feel better." she replied while gently stroking his face.

"Really?" he asked, looking up into the Nora's eyes "Well... it worked." he answered with a half-smile "That night, I kept dreaming very... stressful things, but it certainly wasn't as overwhelming as before... Because you were there." she gave him a warm smile "And when I fell asleep with Itamen…"

"You dreamt that they took him, didn't you?"

"Yes... and when I woke up, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay, and that he was there with me."

The couple remained silent for several minutes until the huntress spoke again.

"Can... can I ask you another question? If you think it's too much for today... we can leave it for another day." she said, trying not to make him feel pressured.

"Come on, tell me…" he replied shyly.

"What instrument did you play?" she asked, unsuccessfully seeking eye contact.

"Well…" he began to say, looking at his hands while moving his fingers "The lute, and the tiorva, and... a little bit of the violin... but very little... In fact, I never managed to get a good sound out of the violin, as playing it louder was too risky to practice…"

"Wow, that's impressive, I'm sure you're very talented." she encouraged him, putting her arm over the Sun-King's shoulders, drawing him closer to her. Avad rested his head on her shoulder.

"I doubt it…" he sighed bitterly "Besides, I haven't played since... well, since then, you know... If I ever had a glimpse of talent, I've probably lost it."

"There's nothing that can't be recovered with a little practice." she responded with a sweet tone in her voice "And I guess... you haven't painted again either…"

"No." he answered, wrapping his arms around his knees as if to protect himself. She gently embraced him "Well... actually, yes... once."

"Oh really?" she asked, containing her excitement "And can I know what it is?"

"Y-you almost always carry it with you…" he stammered shyly.

"Really?" a look of admiration appeared on the Nora's face as she glanced at the spear she had given him.

"When you came to warn me about HADES' attack, I couldn't help but notice your beautiful spear, which emitted blue flashes, and... since it got stuck after the battle... I thought you'd like to have a similar one... although I wanted to give it a touch of the Sundom so that you'd remember all... of us. And the tiara too... It's true that I didn't forge it myself... I don't fully understand metalworking, and I suppose it would have been disastrous…" he chuckled softly "Although I did fit the pieces together and painted the details... Besides, I chose the color of the blue silk to match the scarf you usually wear around your neck."

"Well…" she said softly as she played with one of her braids "I love how it turned out. In fact, now that you mention it, I don't know how I couldn't realize that it was you who designed it... Although... every time I saw either of the two gifts, I remembered all the people from the Sundom who earned my affection... although there was one in particular that came to mind more often than the others... I don't know if you know him... he has dark hair, tanned skin, the most beautiful brown eyes, she's an amazing person…" Avad smiled as he blushed.

"I must confess I was terrified that you wouldn't like it." he said, returning his gaze to the young woman's eyes "Or that it wouldn't look good on you."

"The truth is... it was a bit weird because... I've hardly ever received gifts, and I didn't really know how to react. Let's say that public relations are not my strong suit, and there were a lot of people watching. Luckily, Varl was there to break the awkward moment." she admitted "But it's the most beautiful gift I've ever received, especially... after I know the effort behind it." the king smiled again, excited by the compliment.

"Thank you." he replied, hugging the huntress.

"Surely you'll... paint again someday." she encouraged him. The Carja just stared into the fire. They continued in silence accompanied by the enveloping sound of the bonfire. Aloy analyzed Avad's expression. She knew that beneath that impassive face hid a whole ocean of experiences and emotions that he was slowly bringing to light "Are you... okay?" she asked, caressing his face.

"Yes... ah... I just need to recover... it's... complicated." he responded, returning his gaze to her eyes "Bringing all that out is tough, but I needed it. Despite everything, I feel much better, and even more so now, knowing that you finally know." Aloy gave him a sweet smile.

"I'll be here for whatever you need." she replied, resting her head on him.

After breakfast, they left the house and stopped outside. The monarch felt more encouraged now that he had eaten something, and the fact that she was going to teach him made him feel even better.

"Alright, let's get started." she said, handing him one of the many bows she had "There are many types of bows, but we'll start with the one that's easiest for me, the hunting bow." Avad grabbed the weapon and observed it "This one is fast, and it's more suitable for not very long distances, as it can lose power and precision for enemies further away. —she explained under the watchful eye of the Sun-King. Then, she set up the practice dummies shaped like grazers, as they were lying down, and positioned herself at a medium distance from the first one "Stand up straight, stretch your bow arm (in my case, it's the left one), and after placing the arrow (which I'll explain to you now), tense it while maintaining a firm posture, aim, and…" with a slight movement, she stretched the fingers holding the projectile, and the arrow flew out, embedding itself in the very center of the target— ...shoot.

"Wow." he expressed in admiration.

"Now it's your turn." Avad took the bow and prepared to position himself. Aloy helped him place the arrow in the exact spot "This notch you see is where the string hooks, so it doesn't move while you tense the bow." he did so. Frowning, he pulled the string back "Steady." she ordered. Then, she approached him and corrected his posture "Always stand upright so you can tension the bow better and give more power to the arrow." she gently positioned his body in the correct stance "And then, be careful, so the string doesn't hit your arm, it hurts." after all the instructions, the monarch aimed at the first dummy, and focusing all his concentration, he fired.

"Good power!" she said, giving him a friendly tap on the shoulder.

"It would have been nice to hit it, at least to graze it a bit." he commented, lowering his gaze, as if expecting some kind of humiliation, just like when he tried to learn as a young man.

"What are you saying?" she countered "Do you think I was born with accuracy? It took me days to hit the dummy, not the target, I mean the grazer." she explained, pointing to the replica of the machine with outstretched hands.

"By the Sun…" he murmured "It seems unbelievable, seeing how you fight now."

"It's hours and hours of practice, but if you manage to hit the grazer at some point, it's fine by me." she said, smiling. The Carja continued trying several times, shooting at the dummy using all of his concentration until, at one point, one of his arrows pierced the head of the dummy. Pleased, he turned to Aloy, who watched him from the ground. At that moment, he quickly got up and applauded his achievement.

"Great, you've hit one! The first of many, you'll see…" then she added "Were you aiming there?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course…" he answered "…not." he admitted, laughing.

"But it's a good start." she said, encouraging him. The king kept practicing until the image of the bandit camp they had been to the day before suddenly came to his mind.

"One question, do you have a Carja bow? I just remembered that the day we fought those bandits, you used a bow that I think I've seen somewhere."

"Oh, I know which one you mean. You're referring to this one, right?" she asked, handing him a precise bow she had obtained in the Forbidden West. He grabbed it. Clearly, it was Carja craftsmanship.

"Wow, it's my grandfather's bow, it looks much more imposing in person." he said, sliding his fingertips over the hard material of the weapon "I've only seen it in some old journals."

"I won it in the Forbidden West, they call it the Iriv's downfall."

"Do they really call it that?" he asked, slightly furrowing his brow. For a moment, he seemed somewhat upset. Suddenly, Aloy realized. If he had said it was his grandfather's, the legend of the bow was probably true, so the Tenakth would have taken the weapon from Sun-King Iriv's hands when he was dying.

"Oh, I... ah... didn't know it was really from your family, I'm sorry, I thought it was just a legend the Tenakth made up to give more importance to the weapon. Here, I'll give it back to you then. I'm sorry if I offended you, I had no idea they really took it from your grandfather." she apologized, lowering her gaze.

"No, no, there's no better hands for a weapon like this than yours. We all know what Iriv went to do there, the Tenakth simply responded." he replied, handing the bow back to the huntress "Please, keep it, in my hands, this would be nothing but a waste." Aloy took the weapon.

"Sorry if I offended you... I think... I've been a bit insensitive." she apologized again. Having grown up isolated sometimes made her not act appropriately with others.

"Really, it's okay, I just... I just hope I haven't inherited anything from that." he replied, lowering his gaze, hugging his forearms. She approached Avad, placed her hands on the king's shoulders, seeking eye contact.

"Of course, you haven't inherited anything from that." she encouraged him. He locked eyes with the huntress's emerald eyes to give her a warm, thankful smile.

Author's note:

Well, this has been a considerably longer chapter, so it compensates for others that have been shorter :D

I hope you enjoyed it; I wanted to focus on Avad's past to understand the character more (as I see him).

Little by little, we are getting closer to the end of my story It makes me happy and sad at the same time because I've enjoyed writing it a lot, but well, not everything can be extended indefinitely if you want to give it a good ending. However, there are still a few chapters left, so let's leave that for now ✨

Thanks for reading; I remind you that you can follow me on my Instagram if you want 😊