Whoever was shouting my name sounded rather distressed. I had no idea why they were so worried. I could still feel my arms and legs. I felt cold and damp, which did surprise me, as I didn't remember going for a swim. Feeling someone shake me, I heard them shout my name again. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a beautiful young woman looking down at me, vibrant red hair, the most gorgeous green eyes I'd ever seen, the cutest grouping of freckles over her nose and across her cheeks… the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.

Reaching up to touch her cheek, she almost caught the choked out sob, watching her eyes close as she moved her head into my palm. "Don't you do that to me again," she whispered before leaning down to kiss me. I pulled her close to me, hearing her sigh with relief as I held her tight. "You're wet," she added softly.

"Guess I landed in the water?"

"And you didn't surface… so I had to swim and find you."

"Well, at least I'm not dead. I am rather sore though."

"All I remember is… seeing you almost fly… I think you were already unconscious…"

"Guess that's why I'm not hurting as much as I should. I didn't tense up when hitting the water."

Taking her offered hand, she helped me into a sitting position, relieved I hadn't lost anything, but I'd have to take most things apart due to having been under water. "We'll head to Meridian first, get information on Sunfall, what we can expected. These Eclipse were Shadow Carja, but I'm not sure if the two are linked or not. These could be some sort of faction. We need information before heading there."

"Fine with me. Do we even know where Sunfall is?"

"Sylens sent me details to put on your map." She sighed. "He admitted this was all part of his plan. He knew Hades was there."

"What?" I growled.

"He clearly has his own interests in all this, but taking down the Focus network has helped us. But I don't trust the man."

"Nor do I. But he has knowledge we can use to our advantage in return. Going forward, we just keep our cards close to our chest." That confused her, so I added, "We keep secrets of our own."

Helping me to my feet, that's when the pain did hit. It had been a long day and night. But when she hugged me as tightly as ever, that's when I knew she'd been scared herself. A hug was followed by one hell of a kiss. Caressing her cheek again, it made her smile, but the fear in her eyes remained. Not fear of the Eclipse or the machines. Fear that she could lose me. "This is the problem with getting close," I said softly, "You have something to lose." I took both of hands in mine, placing them at my chest. "But I promise you, I'm not going anywhere."

"Better not, otherwise I will kick your arse."

I couldn't help laugh. "She would have liked you," I said. She knew who I meant.

"Like Rost would have liked you, Old One. Even if you are maybe a little faithless."

I was amazed that we seemed to have spent time traversing through jungle. As far as I could remember, Colorado and its surroundings did not have jungle environments. We were also a little lost to start with, relying on my map, which didn't have as much information I would have liked. We were both exhausted by the time we found ourselves on a recognisable trail, stopping at the first campsite we arrived at, barely having the energy to put up the tent before we crawled in and passed out.

I woke up in agony, just about able to lift myself up and hobble out to the campfire, glancing around to see it was bright sunshine and rather warm. Aloy sat by herself on a log, and she looked at her wrist. "It's nearly midday," she informed me.

"Why didn't you…"

"You needed rest, Shepard. Even I know that the human body can only take so much, and you've been through quite a lot lately. So have I."

"Been awake long?"

"Half an hour at most. I've been thinking about our options." I took a seat next to her, taking the offered meals, sipping my canteen of water at the same time. "We head to Meridian, speak with Avad, Erend and anyone else who can give us any information about Sunfall and the Shadow Carja. If they think we can get in without a problem, we'll head there straight away. If not, we might have to think about getting in incognito."

"Solid plan."

"Sylens said he'll contact us when we arrive, so I guess he can monitor our position somehow."

"Well, if he is, I'm wondering if he'll bitch at us if he notices we've gone to Meridian first."

"If he does, we tell him we've gone to resupply and gather information, which will be partially true."

After finding a pair of mounts, I had us head to Meridian as the crow flies to cut down on journey time. We ended up heading across the beaten earth more than once, but more often not, managed to find at least some sort of trail to find, and it was comforting when we did pass by other campsites, suggesting that traders, merchants, hunters and others passed by often enough.

It was a journey of three nights before we both felt that sense of relief of seeing the bridge leading into the city itself. We dismounted closet to the bridge before shooing away the machines. I was left amused that we must have been recognised, as every guard we walked by came to attention, though I wasn't sure if it was for her, me or both of us.

We headed straight to the inn we had stayed at previously. The innkeeper recognised us straight away, offering us the same room first before Aloy asked if there was a room available with only one bed and if there was bathing facilities. The inn didn't have baths but there were some close by that we could visit.

Dumping our things upstairs first, Aloy had a look on her face as she looked at the double bed, then towards me. "Looks comfortable," she said, "But we could do with a proper wash first."

Best idea she'd had since that morning so, after instructions on where to go, we found ourselves in a bathhouse. There was no running water, but I'd read up about plumbing and the flow of water as designed by the Romans, and I have to say, the Carja seemed to have it figured out too. And considering the city was built on top of a mountain, it was seriously impressive. Maybe the Oseram had helped with some machinery to get it pumping, but when I discovered they also had hot water, I'll admit, I nearly wept.

We were given a towel to dry ourselves with, asking what service we'd like. I said nothing but a hot bath to soak in. That seemed to amuse the attendant, but we found ourselves taken to a small room, where there was a hole in the floor large enough for a couple of people to sit in, the stonework having been sanded smooth, and it was obvious the water was hot considering the steam rising.

I stripped off straight away and dipped a foot. The sound of joy I made had Aloy giggling away as I lowered myself completely, limbs, torso and head under the water, before I sat back against the ledge and felt all the aches and pains slowly disappear. Aloy joined me after undressing, and it was the first time I could remember that I properly saw her in daylight.

She was absolutely stunning. A great pair of legs. Flat stomach. A perfect pair of perky breasts. She had plenty of hair between her legs, which I already knew, but it proved she was a natural redhead, at least. I thought she may have turned a little shy, but I think she appreciated my gaze as she dipped a foot into the water. "Wow, that's really warm!"

She lowered herself down into the water, eventually lowering her head underneath. When she reappeared, her thick red hair now wet, I… definitely had a reaction. When she turned to relax back against me, she would have definitely felt it against her, but she didn't mention it, running my fingers up and down her chest as we both sighed, I would assume feeling rather content.

"Think we might have to move here, just for the hot baths on offer," I suggested.

"Living among the Carja? That would take some getting used to. Might find life a little too comfortable here with everything readily available."

"Oh, we'd still have to go adventuring, maybe go hunting too. Could even go looking for new people and tribes."

She loved the sound of that. Falling silent, I felt myself drifting off soon enough, so relaxed I was feeling. She eventually started to wash herself down as I did the same thing, and it was all rather invigorating. By the time we got out and dried ourselves down, both of us were looking rather pink, but also glad we'd brought along some clean clothes to wear considering neither of us had felt this clean in quite a while.

Thanking and paying the attendant, we returned to the inn to enjoy an evening meal before heading upstairs. As soon as the door was shut and locked in position, Aloy strode towards me and her intentions were clear. So I made mine just as clear, feeling her smile as I kissed her, trying not to tear her clothes off, while she was doing the same to me.

We were both naked rather quickly, her body moulding into mine, mouths rarely apart. She made these delightful little noises which turned me on even more, turning to slowly lead her back towards the bed. Gently lying her down, I wasted no time joining her, feeling her fingers run up and down my back as I didn't want to stop kissing her.

Breaking apart, as we both needed to take a deep breath, I ran a hand down her body to between her legs, smiling as I felt she was as turned on as I felt. "Would you mind if I tried something else with you?" I wondered.

"What would you like to do?"

"This is going to be weird but did Rost ever… go into detail…"

"No. He explained what he called intercourse, because he knew it would happen eventually and wanted me to at least know what to expect, but… no, nothing else…"

I left a soft kiss on her lips. "What I'm going to do is kiss down your body then use my mouth instead of my fingers."

She giggled. I didn't blame her. If you didn't know, I guess the idea would be amusing. "You'd do that?"

"Of course. It's called oral sex."

"Did you do it for Amy?"

"All the time."

That earned a smile. "I'd like you to do it with me too." She then gave it a moment of thought. "Oh… would you like me to…"

I left another soft kiss on her lips. "We'll worry about that later," I said quietly, "What I really want to do is do it for you."

The smile that lit up her face… I wish I had a camera, so instead I knew I'd just have to keep it locked away in my memory somewhere. Kissing down her body as I enjoyed the feeling of her soft skin, I tried to focus on her entire body and not just what I wanted to do. When I spread her legs even wide, she giggled again. "It feels such a provocative position," she murmured.

"It's supposed to be," I said, sitting back on my knees for a second to look at her. She met my eyes, that same smile. "You are beautiful, Aloy. I'm the luckiest man alive right now."

She sat up and pulled me down to kiss her again. The feeling in that kiss was something else entirely. The only reason I didn't end up sliding inside her accidently is that I made sure I positioned myself away from her. She seemed to notice that. "What did you call it that one time?"

"Ah, horny?"

"I'm feeling very horny, Shepard." We both chuckled, as it sounded a little weird coming from her. Very cute, but a little weird. "I think you should use your mouth on me. I want to know what it feels like."

I think teasing time was over. Resuming my position between her legs, I ran my noise through the fur above her sex. Her scent was something else. I'd always enjoyed doing this for Amy. Her scent alone drove me wild. Aloy was just the same. When I finally used my tongue, the noise Aloy made was one that suggested she was going to enjoy the next few minutes.

So did I. I'd always loved doing it with Amy, and I knew with three seconds that I was going to enjoy doing it with Aloy for the rest of our time together. As I focused on making her feel good, I could watch how her body reacted, though she couldn't help lifting her head to look down her body, watching her chest rise and fall faster and faster as she grew ever more excited.

"Shepard," she breathed. I loved the way she'd say my name when I was making her feel so good, this breathy way that made me smile, knowing I was doing something she was thoroughly enjoying.

When she enjoyed an orgasm, I had to give myself a little fist pump, as I did feel a little vindicated that I could make someone I care about feel so good. She cried out rather loudly, watching her back arch as she tried to squeeze her legs together, using my hands to keep them apart. When I kept going, she lifted her head again. "More?" she breathed. I kept going but managed to nod my head. I noticed her raise a hand to wipe her cheeks, a crooked smile appearing. "Please don't stop yet." I shook my head, which made her giggle, as I hadn't stopped.

She enjoyed a second one quite quickly, and she was now making so much noise, I did wonder if someone would knock on the door, asking what was going on. I didn't relent the entire time, and after a third one, which arrived within only a couple of minutes, she was starting to sound a little incoherent. I slowed down what I was doing, giving her a chance to relax, the rise and fall of her chest slowing, before I finally stopped altogether, leaving soft kisses back up her body before I relaxed on my side next to her. She shuddered every few seconds for the next couple of minutes, but her eyes never left mine the entire time.

"How… how did you do that?"

"When Amy and I were together, we did a lot of reading. And it was a lot of experimenting. She… didn't always react like you because it was trial and error." I rested a hand on her stomach. "But, the honest truth, Aloy, is that I just really wanted to make you orgasm. I mean the sort of orgasm I think you had, where…" I paused, trying to find the right words. "How do you feel?"

"Euphoric. A little tired." She paused and smiled. "And loved."

First time either of us had used that word. I leaned down and left a soft kiss on her lips. "And that's exactly how I wanted you to feel after doing that."

"What about you?" she asked, glancing down.

"I'll be fine."

The smile remained as she shook her head. "Shepard, I love what you've just done, but I need to help you feel good too. But I'm not sure… I mean, using my mouth seems…"

"Don't do anything you don't feel comfortable doing, Aloy. That is something you must always remember."

She hugged me tightly for that. But Amy and I agreed that from the start. We experimented. We researched. There were so many things we could have done together, and in the end, we did quite a few things, including one or two we tried, didn't like, so didn't do again. "How long did you wait to have sex?" she whispered.

"Not too long, to be honest, because we wanted to make love."

She met my eyes, and I saw the same determination that was in them when we faced down machines and the Eclipse. "We should make love then."

"Ah, you see…"

"I know how it works, Shepard. You inset your…"

I chuckled, I couldn't help it. "Aloy, I know that. It's… When I was with Amy, we had things we could use to prevent pregnancy. She had something called a chip in her arm. I had one too. The one in my arm will likely no longer work. And I doubt you know what a condom is, nor are there any available."

"So just ejaculate inside me," she said matter of factly. It was a turn on, to know she wanted me to do that, but I was left thinking she didn't comprehend… "I won't fall pregnant." I met her eyes and then I understood what she meant. I couldn't help smile. "I figured it out while we were making our way back here. That's why I wanted to return here before Meridian, in addition to gaining information. Something about a warm, comfortable bed…"

"I… won't last long, Aloy. I'm not embarrassed by that fact, just so…"

She pulled me by the arm so I rested on top of her, leaning on my forearms as she leaned up to kiss my cheek. "I don't care, Shepard. I want to experience this with you, and only you."

"Did Rost explain… about your first time…"

"He did. I know what to expect."

"Okay. I'll be gentle."

"I know, Shepard," she said softly, "But I've thought about this since the first time you touched me intimately."

"So have I," I admitted, probably not to her great surprise.

Getting comfortable was easy, but my heart was racing. Aloy looked… nervous, biting her lower lip, but her eyes spoke volumes. She wanted nothing else at that moment except for us to be joined in the most intimate way possible. But the situation was what we wanted. A warm room. A comfortable bed. Just Aloy and I. No distractions. No interruptions.

When I positioned myself against her, I met her eyes and waited until she gave me a nod. I barely slid inside her when I needed to stop, yet hearing her chuckle actually made me feel better, feeling her kiss my cheek, fingers running up and down my back. "I'm glad I excite you so much," she whispered.

Breaking her barrier was… something else. I kissed her while doing it, and tried to be as gentle as possible, but she still cried out when I did, but the smile that formed almost immediately afterwards… plus the glistening eyes. I had to stop again, stroking her cheek with the back of my fingers, as I gently pushed forward until I felt entirely inside her.

"I love you," she whispered, the smile on her face broadening.

"I love you," I whispered back, "I have for… a long time already."

I think I lasted five minutes. She didn't care if it had lasted thirty seconds or thirty minutes. I made sure she pulled her legs back, bending her knees, resting them against my torso. It was something Amy had found a real liking for, and Aloy loved it. For those five minutes, I just focused on her, while enjoying the feeling of being with her in the most intimate way possible. She figured out what to with her hands rather quickly, running her fingers up and down my back or through my hair.

Letting her know I was close, she assured me one last time it was okay. Thirty seconds later, I released the loudest groan in my life as I felt the greatest release of my life. When I was empty, I felt her legs wrap around my hips, arms wrap around my back, resting my head next to hers. "Now you're mine," she whispered, "No chance you're leaving me now."

"Perish the thought," I murmured.

Lifting my head to look at her, the next kiss we shared was maybe the best we'd ever shared. We'd admitted our love and made love. I couldn't stop grinning, while her smile just lit up the room. She didn't let me move for a good for minutes before her legs started to go numb. There were cloths nearby that I needed to grab, but she wasn't worried, knowing what was going to happen. Once everything was sorted, we lay on our sides facing each other.

"How long do you need?" she asked.

I burst into laughter at how eager she sounded. "Give me fifteen minutes or so. I'll hopefully last longer next time."

"Shepard, I loved it no matter how long it lasted." She grabbed my hand. "I never thought… I mean, I assumed it would happen one day, but I never thought my first lover would be an Old One. Certainly not someone like you."

Resting on my back, she snuggled into my side, holding her close with my right arm, her fingers trailing up and down my chest as we relaxed. She must have timed it, as her fingers continued to move up and down my chest until they slowly started to move lower. When I felt them at my groin, I glanced at her, seeing a rather cheeky grin on her face. "I really liked it," she admitted.

Music to my ears, as far as I was concerned. Ten minutes later, we were making love again. I had been quiet the first time, not wanting to distract her too much, simply watching her face and reactions to what I was doing. This next time, I let her know how good she felt, how much I loved her, how much I wanted to do other things with her… Worked a charm, as she found her voice too. She was a little shy, and sometimes said one or two things that she might have found embarrassing, but she got into it as much as I did. She was a quick leaner.

Lasted longer that second time, and when I suggested she do something to help her at the same time, when she enjoyed another orgasm while being intimate, that made her almost burst into tears as no doubt she was flooded by plenty of new feelings and emotions. That's when I needed to stop as I felt my body wrapped in her limbs.

I lost track of how long we made love for, but by the time we finished, we were both totally worn out. And deeply in love.

Waking together the next morning, we couldn't stop grinning like fools as we lay facing each other, my hands simply caressing her body, sharing soft kisses at most. I think we were both thinking that we'd waited long enough and that any sort of tension, good tension but tension nonetheless, had now evaporated. We'd taken that final step towards intimacy. Now it was out of the way, we could focus on what was important. Continuing to find the secrets of Zero Dawn, assured our feelings wouldn't get in the way. In fact, it would make us more determined to finish what we were doing then live the rest of our lives as peacefully as possible. Something worth fighting for, at the very least.

We couldn't laze about all day, so after dressing, we headed downstairs for breakfast. The innkeeper delivered plates to our table, and the look on his face suggested he may have heard us last night. I think half of Meridian heard Aloy at times. After that first time, when she had been a little shy, she certainly released the valve after that. I'm fairly sure most people would know my name by now…

Walking hand in hand through the city towards the royal palace, we must have looked like young lovers, which we were, as we earned plenty of grins from those we walked past. Our entrance into palace grounds wasn't stopped, and Aloy suggested we speak to Marad if anyone about the Shadow Carja. I thought that was a good idea, and we were eventually pointed in his direction.

Once he'd heard what we needed, he offered us a seat and refreshments, as he went into great detail about the War of Liberation, who the Shadow Carja actually were, and what we might expect to find in Sunfall. He also shared something in confidence, admitting that he had an agent in Sunfall, though he would not tell us who, as he simply didn't want anyone knowing as the knowledge was far too dangerous. "Even Avad is unaware, but he also trusts me to work in the best interests of the Sundom."

"So our reception there would be…?"

"If Helis has returned, then you would be in trouble. However, if he had yet to return to Sunfall, then you may have an opportunity to achieve what you desire and escape before he is aware. This Eclipse you speak about, from reports that I have received, it appears it is only the most fanatical of the Shadow Carja who seemed to believe in the cause."

"Any others we need to be careful of?" Aloy asked.

"Bahavas. He was High Priest of the Sun before the Liberation. He chose to escape with Jiran's wife and child, Itamen, who they claim is the real Sun-King. But he is a child and nothing more than a figurehead. He and Helis are the two who wield real power in the Shadow Carja."

"I think trying to enter in disguise might be best," I suggested.

He looked us both up and down. "You would be immediately recognised as Nora, Aloy. And few Nora venture outside of their lands, and I doubt any would end up at Sunfall, so a disguise might be best for yourself. As for you, Shepard, no-one wears the clothing you do, so I think it's best you both find a disguise."

"Where can we find one? Preferably away from Sunfall?" Aloy asked.

"They have a few outposts that you could possibly try and assault to obtain what you need. There is one almost directly north of here called Unflinching Watch. I have agents watching it constantly for troop movements. Small garrison. Assaulting will prove difficult as it is situated on a rise, but if you can catch them by surprise…"

"Night time raid," I muttered.

"If you have no luck there, they have a base across the water from Brightmarket. Settlement is called Blazon Arch, with two forts called Sheaf's Light and Kestral's Perch. But obviously an assault there would prove difficult. It is heavily enforced as we know they watch the southern shore for any movement from our side."

"North would be best and easiest," I stated, "Leave at dawn tomorrow. Day's walk, or shorter ride on a mount. Take the fort, grab what we need, then another day to Sunfall. Then it's just a case of finding what we need. That's when our contact better deliver."

"I can only wish you both the best of luck, first in making it into Sunfall, and then in regards to whatever it is you intend to do while you are there."

"Thank you," Aloy replied.

Our last question was about Erend, hearing he had returned to the Claim for the time begin, but he would return to his position within a couple of weeks at most. We thanked Marad again before we headed off, deciding to wander around Meridian, including a visit to the village on the valley floor below, where we again saw signs of agriculture and irrigation. "Definitely corn," I stated, "And a few other things I recognise. Not quite the farms I remember seeing, but close enough."

"Is this why they call us savages?" Aloy wondered.

The tone was all wrong, so I turned and hugged her immediately. "You are no savage, Aloy," I assured her. I felt her squeeze me hard in return, showing her appreciation for my words. When she leaned back, her eyes searching my face, I grinned. "I don't know why everything is different. I think we have ideas as to why, but whatever happened, it's obvious your tribe developed differently to the Carja, Oseram and whoever else exists. That doesn't make you savages, it just makes you different. But we're all still human, even this Old One."

In addition to the farms, there was commerce and light industry. I couldn't put my finger on what period it reminded me of, but it was certainly before the industrial revolution. While the Oseram did have elements of industry, even that was perhaps the middle-ages at best. There was none of the technology I would have associated with a modern civilisation. What I would have called 'simple' things. If they had things like electricity, I would have been rather impressed.

Heading back to the inn after wandering about, enjoying the feel of the city, we had a filling dinner before heading upstairs. Aware we had an early start in the morning, and the next few days could prove difficult, Aloy wanted one thing only. While she admitted that making love would be a great way to end what had been a relaxing day, she admitted all she wanted was to be naked in bed next to me, holding her in my arms.

She is such a sweetheart at times. How could I possibly deny that?