All righty folks, this is the start of the Frozen Wilds DLC!

It was a beautiful October morning in the Sacred Lands. The leaves of the trees were beginning to turn red and orange, giving a beautiful orange color to the land.

A certain red-haired huntress was approaching a wooden cabin. She was wearing a traditional Nora outfit, she had her retractable bow on her waist and her spear on her back, that was none other than the Nora Seeker and All Mother's Anointed, Aloy.

Behind her came a Watcher, who had a boar tied to his back. The young woman arrived at the front patio of the cabin, and she was hearing a melody coming from said cabin, knowing who would be playing and singing that type of music.

She opened the door and the smell of home cooking reached her nostrils, causing her to smile. The lookout followed her closely as if she were a guard dog.

The male voice sang calmly and lovingly, reveling in the lyrics of the ancient song. The redhead went into the kitchen and there she saw her partner, Allam Blake, the former soldier, making preparations for that afternoon's event.

Allam: I was born in a crossfire hurricane...and howled at my ma in the drivin' rain...But it's all right now, in fact is a gas...But it's all right, I'm jumpin' Jack Flash, it's gas, gas, gas!~ -sang the ancient man without a care in the world.

The radio he had created by his sister-in-law, made out of a Longlegs, was in the living room. This fret connects to the Focus and can play music and audiovisual materials.

The cabin room hadn't changed much since the red-haired girl's childhood, but since they officially moved in, there have been minor aesthetic changes. Allam had built, with Teb's help, a sofa and chairs made of wild boar skin and stuffed with cotton, to give them some extra comfort.

On the left side of the house, there was a weapon modification table and an armor rack, where the remains of Allam's ancient armor hang. Which has seen better days.

The kitchen was on the right side of the house, which had counters to cut meat and vegetables, a fireplace in which there was a large pot, full of condiments and roast meat.

Aloy approached his boyfriend and hugged him from behind, he tensed for mere seconds, but then relaxed when he knew who he was.

Aloy: Whatever you're cooking, it smells delicious, love -said the huntress with a smile as she hugged the man.

The soldier stopped what he was doing and turned to wrap his arms around his girlfriend. Trying not to dirty it with animal blood, which he had on his hands.

Allam: Thanks -said the man as he moved energetically to the rhythm of the music.

Aloy saw his partner and took in his facial features. Allam had a small stubble that had not yet been shaved off, his black hair was somewhat long, tied in a bun. Right now he was wearing an apron made from tanned leather, which had several dried blood stains around it.

Aloy: What are you cooking good looking? -asked the redhead, separating from the hug and walking towards the big pot.

Allam: Do you remember the stew that I made when you got sick? It's the same, but with more meat -the man replied as he grabbed the set of knives and went towards the Watcher.

Allam: Come on Charlie, I need you to bring the boar here -the man said as he walked out, and the Watcher now known as "Charlie" followed the man out.

Aloy looked to see if her boyfriend had left and seeing that there was no sign of her coming back in, she grabbed some gloves and was going to open the lid of the pot to taste some of the stew.

Allam: And Aloy, don't try to eat the stew, it's not ready yet -the ancient man said to his girlfriend from outside, which forced her to put up with it, knowing that if Allam said not to eat it, it was because it wasn't consumable yet.

The huntress walked out into the courtyard outside and saw her boyfriend's small butcher station. She watched as he quickly skinned the boar like a pro. She was glad to see her boyfriend calmer and living a peaceful life.

In the months after the battle, the two returned to the Embrace to live a normal life, which consisted of hunting machines and exploring ruins.

The change to a slightly quieter life, by the standards of today's world, greatly affected Allam as he felt useless and purposeless, not having to fight anything or anyone and his combat skills would not be of much use. use in household chores.

But, with the help of Teb, Aloy and his sisters, Allam acquired new skills that he can use on a daily basis and, as he claimed, feel useful.

For example, he learned how to skin animals from his girlfriend, while he continues to learn carpentry and tailoring from Teb.

Allam was not the only one who jumped on the learning train, Aloy also decided to learn new things. She learned a lot about tailoring with Teb and about cooking with Allam, although she preferred to let her boyfriend cook for her, since according to her, he was a better cook.

Aloy knew she wouldn't be much help to Allam for the next few hours. She is an expert hunter and tracker, but gourmet cooking was not her strong suit, so she decided to kill time hunting some machines.

Aloy: Allam, I'm going to hunt down some machines. If you need anything let me know, okay? -she told him.

Allam poked his head out of the station and gave a thumbs up.

Allam: Okay, if you need help contact me or use your Focus and call Charlie -answered the old soldier to go back to work on the boar's corpse.

With the exchange of words, the huntress began her descent from the mountain, in search of machines to hunt.

A few hours later...

Allam left his room with clean clothes and without the stench of blood. He left the wild boar roasting in the fireplace and the stew was ready. The guests would be here in a couple of hours and Aloy wouldn't be back for an hour, so he had to make it quick.

Allam was wearing blue jeans, his tan combat boots, a worn white T-shirt, and a trench coat, purchased from an Oseram merchant a month ago. Beneath all of that, was his exoskeleton. The young soldier grabbed his retractable bow and donned his new and improved bracers.

The right one of him has his new retractable blade, redone and reinforced after the old one was shattered by Helis, while the left one is his grapple, reinforced to support more weight and to better stick to different surfaces.

Allam left the cabin that was now his home in the new world and headed towards the settlement of Motherheart to get what he needed.

After a while...

Allam entered through the gates of the Nora settlement. He was walking through the streets, being greeted by some passers-by and merchants of the area.

Allam was glad that the Noras had opened up to him more, they were no longer afraid of him, now they respected and accepted him. Although it is true that there are some, like Resh, who wants to expel Allam from the Embrace, he does not pay attention to him.

He finally reached the place he wanted to go, which was the stall of a Nora craftsman named Kal.

Allam: Kal, are you here? -asked the ancient soldier, but he was shocked when another man came out of nowhere behind the post.

Kal: Ah General Blake, I'm glad to see you. How's everything going? -greeted the man friendly.

Kal was a man in his mid-50s. Light-skinned, with grayish hair, somewhat bald, brown eyes and what stood out most about his was his well-pronounced mustache.

Allam: Kal, I've already told you over 100 thousand times that you can call me Allam, you don't have to call me General Blake. I'm here for that thing I asked you for -said the soldier to the man and he nodded.

The older man took out a small bag, Allam opened it and there was a necklace.

The necklace was made of leather cords, with various pieces of turquoise adorning the necklace. That was Aloy's gift. Allam went to great lengths to find the pieces of Turquoise that he needed for the necklace.

Allam: Kal...it's beautiful. Aloy will love it -said the young man with a smile as he looked at the necklace.

Allam: Well man, how much do I owe you? -He said as he reached for his bag of shards, but the man raised his hand, surprising the man.

Kal: Nah, it's free. You just gave me the parts and I put it together. Also, how you talk about that girl all the time, that shows me how much you love her, boy -said the man and the soldier nodded gratefully.

They both said their goodbyes and the man went back to look for whatever it was he was looking for, but he heard how something heavy was put on his stand. He got up and saw a bag full of metal shards. The man saw the former soldier walk away quickly and he only managed a smile.

Allam left the settlement and returned home, hiding the gift in one of the pockets of his trench coat. When he climbed back up the mountain, he found a curly black-haired girl talking to a black-haired boy.

Allam: Janet! -The former called his younger sister, and she went to greet him with a hug.

They both broke away from the hug and Allam looked at the boy, who was walking behind his sister.

Allam: And this is? -Asked the soldier with curiosity to his sister while he saw the young man.

Janet: Oh right, Allam, I present to you my friend, Mahur -she presented his companion.

Mahur was young, about 18, with black hair and eyes of a reddish hue, with somewhat tanned skin. He was wearing a regular Nora outfit, with a few pieces of armor on his body, but he had some warpaint on his cheeks, the same ones Janet had at the Battle of Merdian.

Mahur: N-Nice to meet you, General Blake. Janet has told me a lot about you...it's amazing to meet a Brave Old One in person -the young man greeted somewhat nervously, but Allam only gave him a smile.

Allam: The pleasure is all mine Mahur. Tell me, how did you and my sister met? -asked the ancient soldier to the young Nora.

Mahur: Well...I-I was -was going to tell the young man but Janet interrupted him.

Janet: Hesaved my life! -The girl said energetically as she put her arm around young Nora's neck, which made him blush slightly.

Allam: He saved your life? -asked the soldier with curiosity, she nodded energetically.

Allam: Well, you can tell me the story when dinner's ready, I have to finish working on the food -the soldier told them, and they nodded.

Janet: Is there something you need help with? -The young woman asked her older brother.

He began to think for a bit, but nothing came to his mind.

Allam: Nah, I'm fine for now. Let's go inside the house and after that we'll see what you guys can help me with -said the soldier and both youngsters nodded.

The two followed the Old One into the house and helped with the preparations for the event.

Now you may be wondering, what event are we talking about? Nothing more and nothing less than a family dinner!

Allam wanted to have dinner with the most important women in his life, Sarah, Janet and Aloy...but he wasn't expecting Janet's surprise guest, he didn't mind, but he wished he had known before.

When Allam entered the house, he put on his apron and went over to check on the stew and the wild boar. Allam asked Aloy for the wild boar to go with the stew, while the rest of it would be saved to eat later.

There was still time, so he would put his finishing touches on his creation.

Somewhere else...

Aloy pov

I've always loved autumn, seeing the leaves fall gracefully to the ground was quite relaxing, plus they looked like my hair, I love seeing the forest all orange. I was lying on the ground, watching as the sky begins to turn orange, like the season.

I was lost in thought, since the war against the Eclipse ended, Allam and I haven't had such an extravagant adventure as last time. It's true that we've explored different ruins and new places in the past few months, we hunted down machines with Talanah, and explored the far reaches of Solminium and the Sacred Lands...but nothing felt quite the same as the first time.

I miss seeing the stars in the desert night sky, I miss searching for answers and investigating new places, I miss...living adventures...being free. Being back here in the Sacred Lands...I feel trapped like when I was a child...I want to go back out and waste my time exploring everything this world has to offer...at least, that's what a part of me does wish.

The other part of me wants to be with Allam...I love him and...I don't want to leave him alone while he adjusts to a more peaceful and stable life. I understand that he is a man who has suffered and struggled too much...a man who saw too much...he was someone who was looking for a simple life...away from war and carnage, as he told me so much. He wants children... I don't know when, but he will want them, I admit that in some future I want them too, I mean, I was the one who asked him if he wants to have them back in Meridian, all those months ago... but having them would mean tying myself to one place and...I don't want that right now.

I hate feeling like this...I hate being so conflicted with myself. I'm having an internal war, where I didn't know whether to follow my wishes or sacrifice them for him...it was being selfish or supportive.

I sighed and got up from the floor, gathered my things and started to go home. Today was a special day for Allam, he had been preparing this dinner for a month with "the most important women in his life", as he always kept saying.

He has made me feel so special, like nobody has made me feel in my whole life, he has made me feel things that I never thought I would feel, and we have done things that I would have never imagined that he would do ... which makes it more problematic for my inner dilemma

If only there was an easy solution to everything...

Back with Allam...

The table was ready for dinner. Bowls and utensils in place. Allam cut the slices of the boar's leg, mixed with rice and various nuts inside it.

Janet and Mahur were talking on the sofa, about random things. Sarah had already arrived a while ago and was playing some music in the room, one of them being bachata. Aloy opened the cabin door and was greeted with the savory smell of Allam's cooking and the lyrics and musical tones of the song Sarah was playing on the speaker.

Sarah: Aloy! -the old young woman greeted with a hug to the redhead.

Aloy: Hey Sarah, how are you? -the redhead greeted the brunette with affection.

Sarah: I'm fine Aloy, tell me, when will you make me an aunt? -asked the old girl mischievously, making Aloy blush.

Allam listened to what his sister said and blushed a little. He called her with his "Dad voice".

Allam: Sarah Marie Blake, control yourself -said the ancient soldier with a blush on his face.

Janet was dying of laughter to see her brother being embarrassed by her sister. Mahur only cracked a smile at the family's interaction.

Aloy noticed her dark-haired man and she looked at him curiously.

Aloy: Will someone introduce me to the new guest? -asked the hunter Nora to try to divert attention from her.

Sarah: Oh, that's Mahur, he's Janet's friend. He is another healer like her -explained the chestnut as she showed the young man.

Mahur: It's an honor to be in your presence, Anointed-said the young man, but before he could bow, Aloy stopped him.

Aloy: Please don't bow down, call me Aloy, Mahur. So, are you Janet's boyfriend? -Said the huntress with a mischievous smile on her face, making the aforementioned blush, while the boy just looked confused.

Janet: E-Eh, n-n-n-no, he's just a friend, n-n-n-He's not my boyfriend, Aloy -said the teen blushing, nervous and embarrassed.

Mahur just looked at the situation with confusion. Behind everyone came the characteristic sound of Allam's blade unfurling, cutting off part of the boar's leg and glaring at the young healer.

Mahur felt a small chill run down his spine when he saw the former soldier, he turned to the redhead, and she was laughing at Janet.

Mahur: Anno-I mean, Aloy, what is a boyfriend? -asked the young Nora to the huntress and she smiled.

Aloy: Boyfriends is the same as a couple. It's what you are before you get married, for example, Allam and I are dating -the redhead explained and when the young man understood what he was saying, he also blushed.

Sarah was laughing out loud at the situation that was unfolding in front of her eyes, Allam joined in the laughter with everyone else. After a while, Allam brought the boar chops to the table along with the large bowl of rice. The old soldier called those present to eat and each one took his respective place at the table.

Allam in the lead, Aloy and Sarah on his left side, while Janet and Mahur on the right side.

Allam: If you allow me, I want to thank you all for coming. Girls, you are everything to me, nothing in this world is more important than you. Without you I would be blind and heartless -said the old soldier while he saw his sisters and his girlfriend.

Allam: Mom always said that Sarah and Janet were her eyes and that I was her heart, well the same applies to you, Janet and Sarah are my eyes, and Aloy is my heart -said the soldier and his sister just said "Aw " and they hugged their older brother, while Aloy gave her boyfriend a short kiss on the cheek.

Sarah: Well, it's time to eat! -said the chestnut as she prepared her utensils.

Everyone began to serve their own plate; everyone chatted happily and savored the food prepared by the ancient soldier. After dinner, everyone sat down to talk in the room about their lives, projects and day to day.

Seeing that it was getting late, everyone went their own way. Janet lived inMother's Hearth, she decided to stay there to continue learning about the Nora culture, but at the same time to give her brother and Aloy privacy. Sarah still lived with Allam and Aloy, but she spent most of her time inside the Sigma Cauldron, working on new weaponry and slowly repairing GAIA.

When everyone had left, the couple went back into the house and seeing how the night was getting cold, Allam added fuel to the fire. The ancient soldier looked at his girlfriend and she looked lost in his thoughts.

Allam: Aloy, are you okay? I've noticed you're very distracted tonight -the soldier said to the redhead, making her come back to reality.

Aloy: E-Eh? Y-Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking -she said shaking her head from side to side.

Allam Pov

Aloy's been really weird for a while now. Is she that she feels uncomfortable being in her old house? Or could it be that she is uncomfortable with the changes we made?... She has me worried about her.

Me: What is it babe? You know you can tell me anything, right? -I told her as I put a hand on her shoulder.

She looked me in the eyes somewhat hesitantly, she inhaled and sighed.

Aloy: Well...Allam, you know I love you, right? But there is something that I adore very much and is...adventure. Being here again in the Sacred Lands...it makes me feel like I'm trapped, like when I was an Outcast, not that I mean I'm stuck with you, but I want to have adventures with you again...I don't want to leave you alone ...again...I want to be with you all the time, but I know you want to have a quiet life after everything you've lived...after that...hell...and I feel like I'm being selfish when I tell you this -said the redhead but, I  just kissed her, I felt how her body tensed at the touch of our lips, but then she joined the kiss.

We both separated from the lack of oxygen, and I gave her a hug.

Me: Aloy, don't say you're selfish for wanting your own happiness. You know? My life of peace and tranquility cannot exist if you are not in it, and you have to be happy so that I can enjoy that life...my life is you, Aloy. I also miss having extravagant adventures...it was fun to sleep next to you in the desert, love -I said to her while I caressed her cheek with my thumb.

Me: You know what? Fuck it, let's prepare a trip, just you and me, without distractions or anything. Just explore and hunt machines -I told her with a smile, she smiled and gave me a tight hug.

Apparently that dilemma about not leaving me alone was something that had been bothering her for a long time and letting it out of her...it was good, for her...it was good that she told me and let it out of her.

We both broke away from the hug and I gave him a kiss on the forehead. She giggled a little, she loved seeing her nose wrinkle and her cheeks redden.

Me: Have I told you how much I love your freckles? -I told her and she blushed and gave me a small kiss on the lips.

Aloy: Like 3000 times -she said with a smile.

Aloy put her arms around my neck and laid me down on the couch. I put my arms on her lower back, before reaching her butt.

Me: Well, there's still a long way to go for the million times I'm going to say it -I replied with a smile at the redhead.

We rubbed our noses together in a tender rabbit kiss; I plugged my Focus into the speaker and put on one of the movies I had on the device.

The next morning...

General pov

Aloy started to wake up and turned to hug her boyfriend, but she didn't find him next to her. Puzzled, she got out of bed and went out into the living room, where she saw Allam putting on his armored exoskeleton, now looking more like a Nora Brave's outfit.

Allam: Good morning sleeping beauty -the ancient soldier greeted as he grabbed the quiver of arrows.

Aloy: Allam, what are you doing love? -asked the huntress when she saw the ancient soldier's backpack of supplies.

Me: Well, after last night's talk, I couldn't wait so I got up early and started to get ready -explained the old soldier with a smile.

The huntress smiled and gave the man a hug, who repeated the gesture with his girlfriend.

Allam: Go change so I can give you your other surprise -he told her with a smile, and she looked at him surprised.

Aloy: Another surprise? What is it? -asked the hunter Nora curiously.

Allam: When you come out changed, I'll show it to you -said the ancient soldier with a smile.

Aloy returned to the room and donned her Shieldweaver armor. When she came out, she saw Allam making arrows for her bow.

Allam: Ah, I see you're ready. Ok, I need you to close your eyes. Don't cheat -said the ancient soldier with a smile.

Aloy: Do I have to? -she asked, to which the man nodded.

Aloy covered her eyes and Allam grabbed the necklace from her bag and put it around her neck.

Allam: You can see now -he said with a nervous smile and the Nora saw the necklace that her boyfriend had given her. She was amazed at how beautiful her necklace was, so much so that her eyes watered, and she rushed to give her boyfriend a hug, who returned the hug.

The huntress gave the soldier a deep kiss on the lips, and he simply sank into hers.

Aloy: What did I do to deserve you? -she said all emotional.

Allam: You got me out of the ice, Aloy -said the ancient soldier with a smile to kiss the redhead again.