Chapter Text
The sun was hanging high in the sky, but a few clouds decided to join it, casting the occasional shadow in the heat. Erend was pacing by the elevators in the Meridian Villages. He told himself he was “Keeping patrol,” but there was only one thing he was keeping his eye out for. Aloy had agreed to have lunch with him and he knew the perfect spot in the Village to take her. Sweat was tickling his neck at the noonday heat and Erend was starting to worry she wouldn’t show up. His pacing was making time crawl. He assumed she would be coming from the upper part of the city, but this was Aloy, so he made sure to scan everywhere. Eventually, he caught the sight of red hair coming through the western ridge.
The ridge had been rebuilt since the battle, where it fell on top of Aloy. There were now two guard towers rising up on either side of the arch. Their domes were glittering in the afternoon sun. If they had chosen to make the towers out of Oseram steel instead of the gaudy Carja lattice, maybe they wouldn’t fall on her again. Erend shook his head at the thought. He had a feeling she was causing some sort of trouble as she trotted up to him, dirt smudged on her left cheek. He noticed her gait was missing the usual lightness. He also took note of the bags under her eyes. He wondered if the woman ever took time to rest.
“I thought you had a meeting with Avad this morning.” Erend stated as she approached him.
“I told him I would meet up with him later. I was busy this morning.” Aloy responded with a shrug. “Come on. Aren’t you supposed to be taking me to lunch?”
Erend noticed the way she avoided giving him any real explanation as to what she was up to this morning that was more important than the king. She was the only person he knew of that could just move around a meeting with Avad on a whim. He decided not to pursue the conversation since he really didn’t want to sit and talk about the king. Erend wondered when she would leave Meridian again. She had been there for almost a week and he didn’t think she was capable of staying in one place for so long. He didn’t really want to talk about that though, either. He seemed to only be able to think of topics he didn’t want to talk about. He guided her to the tavern out on the docks. It was close enough that he didn’t attempt a conversation, for fear of saying something stupid.
He chose the table with the best view of the lake and made a point to pull out her chair for her. Aloy missed the gesture and walked around to the other side of the table and seated herself. Erend cleared his throat awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck before sitting in the chair he still held out.
“The roasted boar sandwich is the best here.” Erend suggested.
Aloy nodded and said “I guess I’ll just have that then.” She looked out over the lake with the gaze of being a thousand miles away.
Erend attempted small talk. “The weather is great for the docks today, we even get a few clouds.”
Aloy gave a small nod and continued to look out at the lake without replying. Erend was saved from the silence as the waitress came over to take their orders. Erend made a few more attempts at small talk before their food came. All ended in her looking out at the water or studying the wood grain on the table. This side of Aloy seemed to come out more these days. The one that seemed to distance herself from everyone around her. If he wanted to see her whole body cringe, all he had to do was call her the Anointed One or really mention the Nora at all. Erend was trying his best to be her friend, but he didn’t know what else to do. From what he understood, she was surrounded by more people than ever before, and yet, seemed lonelier than ever.
About halfway through their lunch, Aloy finally decided to reveal the real reason for this lunch. “I’ll be heading out for the Claim soon. I found a lead and I need to look through the ruins there.”
Erend was no longer interested in the sandwich he was eating. Even though he knew she wouldn’t stay in Meridian forever, he still wasn’t prepared. “That’s not a good idea. The Claim isn’t like other places and the Oseram can be very protective of their delves. Are you sure you have to go there?”
Aloy had recently uncovered more files and found a vital bit of information that suggested a backup of Gaia lay in the ruins in the Claim. “Erend, if I can find what I’m after, I could put an end to the derangement. The machines will settle down. People will stop dying.”
Erend shook his head. “I know, I know. But Aloy,” he pleaded. “The Claim isn’t like other places. You won’t be welcomed there. Look at who you are.”
Aloy reached back offended. “I’m pretty sure I can talk to the Oseram. If I can get Nora to come into the Sundom, I think I can handle a few burly boys.” She crossed her arms in front of her.
“That’s not what I meant,” Erend ran a hand through his mohawk and tried to find a better way to explain it. “Do you really think a delver will let you go and rummage around his site? He would think you are stealing from him!” Erend noticed her arms were still crossed in front of her. He was not making any headway in this argument. “You’re a woman, Aloy. They won’t be kind. Even our warriors have to shave their heads.” Still no response. “Maybe if you had a husband who could petition on your behalf you could get permission from the Eldormen to dig around sites, he would have to be Oseram, of course, in order to get an audience with the Eldormen.” He knew he was rambling but he needed her to think this through. “You can’t just go barging around the claim! The women in the claim are barely more than slaves.”
Erend noticed her demeanor shift. She was plotting something and he had a bad feeling about whatever crazy plan was brewing in her head. He was about to plead some more when a gloved hand came down on his shoulder. He scowled upward to find two of his Vanguardsmen at his back.
“Hey Cap, great lunch spot. ” Ulfred said. Ulfred was a burly man like most Oseram. He had bushy brown sideburns that were groomed to make sure the long, mangled scar that ran from his ear to his nose was visible. He had acquired it at the battle of the spire and frequently boasted about it as though it was a trophy he had won. He gave a wink and said, “The view is especially good from here.” Erend could tell the man was meaning the woman sitting in front of him.
Erend growled, “Don’t you have rounds to finish? Get back to work.” He was still trying to find a way to talk Aloy out of going to the Claim.
“It’s ok, I should get going anyway.” Aloy interjected. She scooted off of where she was sitting and turned away, “Thanks for lunch Erend!” She called over her shoulder as she headed off. Her step was lighter than when she first arrived.
Erend was momentarily entranced by the sway of her hips as she hopped off. He was brought back to reality by the laughter of the two Oseram behind him. His face went beet red. “That’s it!” He hollered. “Extra laps for both of you tonight.” Erend grabbed his helmet off the table and threw down a few shards to pay for the meal before storming away. He could only hear the laughter of the men grow as he left.
The rest of the afternoon Erend spent trying to figure out how to convince Aloy her trip was a bad idea. There was a reason he never went back after the war. The Oseram of the north didn’t hold the same values to the ones in the Sundom. If she wasn't careful, she would have the whole Claim out for her head. He knew it was a hopeless fight. When Aloy set her mind to something, there was no stopping her, but he had to try. It was about time for him to meet with Avad for the day, and Erend wondered if he would have some idea of how to stop Aloy. It wasn’t likely, though. Aloy was even more stubborn than Ersa, and that was saying something.
As Erend entered the rear balcony to meet with Avad, he was caught by the sight that lay in front of him. Aloy and Avad were huddled around various maps and texts. He noticed they were all about the Oseram and the Claim. The pair were studying one map intently and Erend had the feeling he was interrupting something private. There was a pang of jealousy in his stomach. Of course Aloy had gone to Avad for this. He was a far better man, a King! Erend tried to remind himself that he was Aloy’s friend and she had every right to sit cuddled up next to whatever man she wanted to.
Erend cleared his throat to make his presence known and Avad picked up his head, “Ah, wonderful. We were just discussing the details of your plan. I must say, it was quite ingenious.” Erend had no idea what Avad was talking about. His plan was to keep Aloy as far away from the Claim as possible, and by the looks of it, they were planning something much different. The confused look on his face must have given that fact away and Avad turned to Aloy. “I thought you said he came up with this idea.”
“He did,” Aloy responded and stood up from the map they had been studying. “Remember at lunch? You said I should take an Oseram husband with me to the Claim. That way he could petition the Eldorment on my behalf and we wouldn’t have to start a conflict. I asked Avad if you could accompany me as my husband, and he agreed. We are just working up the details.”
Erend pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to process what was happening. “That’s not what I meant.” She wanted him to be her husband? That idea played horrible tricks with his mind. And going to the Claim was the last thing he wanted. He had assumed laying Ersa to rest would be the last time he had to go back to his wretched homeland. “I told you earlier, this is all a bad idea.”
Aloy crossed her arms over her chest again in a defensive stance. “Erend, I don’t have much of a choice here. I need to go to the Claim.”
“I know, but…” Erend tried to think of some way to stop this foolish plan.
“But, what? Do you have a better idea?” She continued to press him.
Yes! Stay here! Stop risking your life! Is what Erend wanted to say, but it was useless. Her mission was too important and she was a fighter. She wouldn’t stand back while others continued to be in danger. Erend let his head fall in defeat. “No.”
“Then it’s settled.” Erend noticed how her chin rose up at the victory. “Now come on. There is a lot of planning to be done and I want to leave as soon as possible.”
Avad shot a look of sympathy to his friend and decided to go over what he and Aloy had already planned. “The Eldormen will all be in Mainspring in two weeks for the Festival of the Forge. If you make it there, you will be able to petition them all at once instead of meeting with each clan separately. They could grant you permission to access all delve sights in the Claim to locate the information Aloy needs. I will send along a letter of recommendation from me assuring you do not wish to take anything other than the items required for Aloy to fix the machines. I will also send along additional gifts for each Eldorman as a sign of good fortune.”
Aloy continued. “If the Eldormen deny us, we can still go about petitioning individual leaders for access to sites within their clan’s territory. I’ve seen you talk to a crowd. I hope we can use that charisma to our advantage.” Erend fidgeted with his hands at the compliment. “I have a good idea which sites to start at.” She pointed to three locations on the map. One to the east and two to the west of Mainspring. “I figure if we can get permission, we would head west first and hope I can find it at one of these two sites.”
“What exactly are we looking for?” Erend asked. He wasn’t sure if he would get a straight answer. He had tried to ask her in the past and she always avoided the question, just like at lunch.
Aloy considered it for a moment and decided she should let him know since he would be coming with. “It’s a type of program. Like a machine, somewhat like Hades, but instead of trying to destroy the world it will help fix it. I don’t know what it will look like or how big it is, but the ruins should give us the answers.” The ruins would also leave her with a million more questions if she had the past to look back on. She didn’t explain that the program was Gaia. The same program that created her. The only person who knew the truth about that was Sylens.
Erend was surprised she had given up any information. “When do we leave?” he asked.
Avad answered, “I’ll need a day to write the letters and gather everything. Hopefully you can leave the day after tomorrow.”
Erend nodded. “I’ll let Ulfred know he will be taking over in my absence. Anything else, your highness?” He sneered the last word slightly to make a point that he was not happy with this arrangement.
Avad sighed. He hadn’t meant to bombard Erend like this. He truly thought Aloy had talked to him more about this plan. “If you need any additional supplies before you leave, please let the staff know. I will be happy to provide whatever assistance I can.” Avad bowed his head. “That will be all.”
Erend bowed back and left the two to their plans. He couldn’t decide whether this mission would be a blessing or a curse. It would be easy to pretend to be Aloy’s husband. He had dreams of being her real husband countless times, but what would happen when they got back? Would he be able to put aside his feelings and go back to being friends. Only time would tell.