Bewitching Backstabbers - THE WITCHER Fanfiction Chapter Two
[THE WITCHER FANFICTION-MASTERLIST]
Previous Chapter / Next Chapter
Summary: Revynah was on her brother’s tracks, determined to find the latter but she had her safety to think of too as she was not to forget she was on the run after fleeing the battlefield mid fight. She had been seen by one single knight and she hoped no one else and even though she was clever and ressourceful, one’s never really prepared at what’s coming their way, or who...
Words: 7.7k
Warnings: lots of season 2 the witcher spoilers (specifically the second half), angst, ambiguous fluff, aftermath of the war, slavery, discrimination against elves, angst, betrayal, nightmares, flashbacks, sarcasm, MUD, lots of mud, sarcasm, violence, mention of death
For some reason, the empire had not been alerted of her defection. It seemed, at least, that no one was coming after her. There weren’t probably many Nilfgaardian survivors from the battle of Sodden - and this had taken place a couple weeks ago already. She used it at her advantage, hiding her identity, keeping a low profile, never staying at one place more than a couple of days. It was tiring to constansly be on the run, never being able to relax, but Nilfgaard were known for not making prisonners so she had more chances of survival if she was a few steps ahead of them, counting on the fact that they wouldn't be made aware of her whereabouts until long. It was not an insignificant advantage. The Aguara of Nilfgaard, as she had been named long ago - long before she even came to serve under Emhyr - had become a ghost. She had managed to make some money by brewing potions and making ointments for the villagers she encountered along the way, introducing herself as a nomadic herbalist and healer, with the sole purpose to be helpful to the poor, which was not entirely true but it didn’t matter if this was a lie or not, people believed her every word, and thanked her for her rare kindness in these harsh times. She never scammed them, but she took advantage of their ignorance as to who she really was, and made money. They would never guess the motives behind her actions, and they better not to.
With the money, she could afford new clothes and went to the tailor in a random town of Temeria. She was now dressed like a huntress with a slightly loose-sleeved forest green blouse underneath a comfortable leather corset with a belt at her waist and a few pouches hanging from there, a pair of flexible leather pants and high laced hunting boots and a dark cape with a large hood. She was all set now, with brand new clothes and shoes. She had not forget why she had fled during the Battle of Sodden Hill. She had to find her brother, but things were getting more and more complicated out there with the war between the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Northern kingdoms fighting for their independence. The continent was in turmoil, the citizens in a deep state of fear ant tumult and anyone with elven heritage were paying the price of this conflict. They were the scapegoat of the humans, which was awfully unfortunate. Revynah had never cared much about the prejudices the elves faced, and she had never met any of them, or she didn't know it. Anyway, the situtation was critical, for everyone. Revynah wasn’t safe either because she was still unsure whether or not Nilfgaard was tracking her, but she thought that if they were, she would know it by now. She deeply desired to find her brother, but she wouldn't be any good if she got killed. And Geralt would never know his sister had been alive all this time.
She wandered through the market, her hood lowered over her head down to her forehead, concealing her signature red hair. The Temerians weren’t looking for her. They weren't those she was worried about. No one knew she was a traitor and a desertor, but if she attracted any attention on her, she could be accused of anything, and it might quickly come to light that she was a Nilfgaardian fugitive, and only the Gods knew what Temeria would do with her. She stretched out her gloved hand through the opening in her cape and snatched an apple from a stall as the seller turned his back, and took a bite of the green fruit. The apple was acid, but she liked that. Her footsteps were making splashing noises from the muddy paths of Gors Velen but were covered by the guards yelling around at elven prisonners and random peasants here and there. Once an elven settlement camp, the city had been claimed by Temeria and became a burstling port city under its rule. In other words, it had become a real shithole now. A muddy, dull, grim and depressing shit of a hole.
“People of Gors Velen, the end is nigh !” The town crier shouted, shaking around his annoying bell. “The Wild Hunt walks among us.”
“Get in there, you elven pig.” Revynah bit her apple, watching a soldier from the corner of her eyes as he pushed a shackled elf inside of a wooden trailer covered with a black tarpaulin. He was certainly not the only one in there, they were probably about a dozen of them locked up, ankles and wrists restrained and without a doubt, scared as hell.
“The end is nigh !” The town crier continued. “Nilfgaard are our punishment from the Gods !”
Revynah sighed and carelessly tossed the apple core away, dropping it in the mud as she left from the market. It had gotten quite crowded that day, and she was lucky no guards had noticed her. She couldn't take a risk and linger there for too long. As she was crossing through another street, she noticed two other hooded figures. The smallest one was in a purple cape - they weren't even that short of a person - and the tallest, in a green one, with a bushy, messy beard. They had stopped in the middle of the road, and seemed to be talking. A bunch of crows suddenly came flying upon them, cawing loudly. The two strangers and Revynah all turned around, looking up to see what was going on. Some of the ominous black birds turned into sheets of paper falling down to the ground in a concert of screeching noise, whip with the wind.
Revynah's eyes followed a sheet as it descned to her feet and went to grab what was actually a wanted poster. The “traitorous elven witch” Yennefer of Vengerberg and the “Nilfgaardian war criminal” Cahir, were apparently fugitives too. But it wasn’t Nilfgaard that was after them, it was the Brotherhood, for some reason. Revynah frowned, remembering the sight of that Yennefer at the sorcerers' meeting, but it wasn't the reason for her frown. Her eyes stuck to Cahir's name. She couldn't comprehend why the brotherhood was after him, and how they even knew who he was, unless he had done something to them directly, and made himself their enemy. She would have some catching up to do regarding what happened to the two of them after the battle of Sodden Hill. She glanced at the two hooded figure that were now facing her as they looked at the posters. It was them. She recognized Yennerfer's lower face and hair and caught a glimpse of Cahir's eyes under that green hood looking small over his head. She got up, glancing around her, other people were starting to pick up the wanted posters from the ground. The moment she looked back at Yennefer and Cahir, they were promptly fleeing the scene and going down an alley, pulling as much as they could on their hoods. Curious to know where they were headed and why they were even here in the first place, Revynah decided to follow them from a distance so they wouldn’t spot her trailing them. She used to be a skilled assassin, on top of a sorceress and, well, she hadn’t lost her skills, just her assassin job, so they wouldn’t easily notice they were being trailed. They would especially not expect to be trailed by someone they both knew.
They walked around Gors Velen until night fall and even then didn’t stop. Revynah had not heard where they were heading but she was going to find out anyway. As they advanced down a street, they heard the voice of a man coming from their left. Revynah was a little behind so she couldn’t see but she could hear. She heard grunting. It was an elf, being beaten up for just that. They were lashing out at him, kicking him, punching him and insulting him. Yennefer was staring at the scene but Cahir walked away and the sorceress eventually followed him. When Revynah arrived where they were just standing a second ago, she swiftly rotated her wrist, her fingers stretched out, at the bullies and they suddenly fell down like vulgar bugs when she closed her hand into a fist, mouthing a few words.
“Go.” She mentally urged the poor elf as she unsuspiciously left the premises so as not to lose the two other fugitives. When she heard someone running away and the metal clattering of an armor, she effortlessly generated an energy shield across the street to block the guards chasing him. She looked in front of her when she perceived muffled noises coming from ahead. Cahir was fighting off a guard and got cornered in a door frame just to be saved by Yennefer who knocked the guard out with a mere plank. It was strange to say the least, that the sorceress wouldn’t use her powers. It would have taken much less efforts to incapacitate that soldier. Revynah watched them quicken up their pace and followed suit, stepping over the body of the unconscious guard, without as much as a glance towards him. They ran toward some bushes covering a gate leading to the sewers and jumped down. She followed them up until after the gate but didn’t jump down in turn, she simply kneeled down, and listened. She heard Cahir grunt.
“Make a move and lose your head !”
She frowned, listening even more attentively to what was going on down there. There was a silence for some reason but then she heard Yennefer talk to someone.
“We’re not here to hurt you.” She assured with a soft voice while Cahir grunted and yelled, apparently having gotten rid of his assailant.
“I’m still thinking it over !”
“Run, Dermain. Run ! Run like hell !” There was another silence, this one longer than the first one. But then again, Yennefer was the one to speak up. The Dermain in question seemed to insist on staying silent, he was either deaf or mute, or both.
“You don’t really want to hurt me. Dermain, was it ?” Another long silence was the response to Yennefer's question. Revynah had hit the nail on the head.
“No one’s on our side, you trusting idiot.” Another silence but this was suddenly cut off. “Shut up, damn it ! Shut up !”
“What is he saying ?!” The fugitive Nilfgaardian knight grew angry from not understanding.
“All right, all right. Um… The Sandpiper helps elves get to Xin’Trea. We get to Oxenfurt, he puts us on a boat.” He explained. “It’s just the two of us.”
“If you know a way to Cintra and help us, I can assure you your pick of land on our safe return.” Cahir promised.
“If there’s no room, we’ll catch the next boat.” Yennefer added. “I promise.”
“Oh,” the man sighed. “for fuck’s sake. All right. Come on.”
So, they were going to Cintra. Revynah stood up. Nilfgaard wasn’t looking for her and if no one except Cahir had noticed her escape, it wasn’t too dangerous to go there as well. She had no leads at all on where her brother was as of now so, going to Cintra was the only option right now. Maybe luck would be on her side and she would find her brother there, who knows. She walked out the gate and opened a portal to Oxenfurt. She would arrive there before them and the elves but it didn’t matter.
Oxenfurt turned out to be about as muddy and shitty as Gors Velen. An insignificant city in appearance but underneath all the filfth, someone was helping out the elves to get to Cintra. Revynah eventually made her way to a backwater bar from which was coming some music. She lowered her cloak, passed her finger through her braid and let her wavy hair flow graciously down her back as she entered. She came in on a bard singing and playing the lute for the whole bar. There was a cheerful atmosphere in there. The utter opposite to what she saw in the past days. She leaned against a post.
“ ♪ As I burn all the memories of you… ♪ Ladies and gentlemen, you have been the most beautiful audience. Remember to toss a coin if you can. If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the bar.” He playfully said before he started to sing once again. Revynah took a few steps in the bar, lowering her hood, watching the bard performing using the entire space available to him, leaning against a table, stepping onto one, eyeing everyone around him. He even met Revynah’s gaze for a second. “♪ Watch that Butcher, burn ! ♪ ”
The bard was joined by the customers of the bar when came this part. Revynah frowned. She turned to some random woman on her right.
“The Butcher, as in Butcher of Blaviken ?” The woman nodded as she drank and sang along.
It was him. It was the bard that sang about the adventures of her brother, the infamous witcher. She maybe had a chance to find him. She had to get to the bard as soon as the song would be over. In the meantime, she listened to the tune and he was putting such a raging and intense energy into it for some reason, so much that by the end of the performance he looked drained and somehow sad. Everyone applaused anyway, not caring about him personnally but Revynah had seen that this song was a lot more meaningful to him than it would ever be to those drunkheads. She swiftly grabbed someone’s drink as she walked toward him, pouring the rest of the liquid on the floor while everyone was too busy cheering up for the bard, while never taking her eyes off him, to pretend like she was coming his way not only to talk to him but also to get a refill of her drink. She walked past him and went put her empty cup on the counter of the bar, counting on him to come up to her, and she didn’t have to wait long for him to appear next to her. He ordered himself some ale, leaning on the counter.
“This song,” She started. “it sounded quite personal.”
“No, really, not–” She gave a doubtful look to let him know she was not having it. He smiled out of embarrassment. “It’s the past, it doesn’t matter.”
“Oh well, that’s not what I heard.” She joked.
“And what did you hear, uh…” He looked at her, wanting to complete his question by saying her name but he didn’t know it, so it was a subtle way to get her to tell him her name.
“Revynah. It means the one that rises from the flames.”
“Revynah.” He repeated, smiling charmingly at her after she told him her name. “It definitely suits you, I mean, your hair, it’s like fire.”
“Yeah, and you have no idea. My mom didn’t know how on point she was when she named me.” She looked away to arouse his curiosity about her mysterious behavior. And it worked. She felt bad for wanting to laugh at how simple men were, because this bard was actually quite nice and good-looking too. And Geralt was friend with him so if her brother appreciated his company, it must have been for a reason.
“Uh, I hate to drink alone. Care to let me get you one ? You haven’t refilled yours since we started chatting.”
“Right.” She looked down at the empty cup in her hands and pushed it aside, joining her hands on the counter. She looked at the bard. “Why not.”
“Two more drinks, please !” He smiled.
“I still don’t know your name.” She inquired.
“Oh, darn, you’re right. Uh, my name is Jaskier, that’s– that’s how I like to be called.”
“Okay, and what’s your full name, Jaskier the bard ?” He stood a little aside the counter, bringing a hand to his chest, slightly bowing his head.
“Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove.” He straightened up, resting his forearm on the counter, facing Revynah and doing a little bow.
“Wow.” She giggled, but not in a mocking way. He was definitelly a charming lad, that much she acknowledged, but he also seemed like a really spontaneous and true to himself kind of person. He gave off something really refreashing that Revynah found quite pleasant. It was energizing to talk to him, for some obscure reason. “I have no such noble title, I must say.”
“I usually never say I’m a viscount, just Jaskier. Uh, where are you from ?”
“This is gonna sound a bit weird but, to be honest, I’ve lived a rather long life. So long that I can’t really remember where I am from.” She insinuated that her age was higher than she seemed old, to trigger Jaskier’s curiosity once again. She had to gain his trust and interest for him to talk about his past, and mention Geralt. When their two drinks arrived, Jaskier grabbed them and put them in front of him and Revynah as he replied.
“Well, if that can reassure you, however old you are, you don’t look the part. And, to be honest with you too, I assumed you were in your early 20s.”
“That’s really nice of you. Thank you, Jaskier.” She smiled at him. “Can I ask you a question ?”
“Sure.” He nodded.
“I don’t want to sound intrusive, but, why did you sound so intense and angry when you sang earlier ? What happened with this witcher, uh, Geralt of Rivia?” He swallowed harshly, looking away, trying to keep his composure and not show that he was hurt by something that definitely happened between the two men.
“Like I said, it’s the past. It doesn’t matter anymore.” He simply said. “If you’ll excuse me, it was a pleasure meeting you, Revynah.”
She mentally swore at herself, and grabbed his arm as he walked away, “Wait.”
“I’m sorry, I have… other things to attend to.”
“No, Jaskier. Wait. I, uh…” She slowly turned her head to the side, bringing strands of red hair behind her ear that turned out to be quite pointy, but he had no clue it wasn’t real. Jaskier widened his eyes, and looked around. The bar was emptying out as it was about to close. He grabbed Revynah by the shoulders and led her to the back of the bar. “You’re the Sandpiper, aren’t you ?”
“You’re smart, and discerning, on top of being a rare beauty, if you don’t mind me saying.” She smiled, actually flattered by the compliment. She had her mother to thank for that - she herself was quite an elegant and beautiful woman. He lowered his voice. “You should get in the back, there are other elves there. Go.”
She nodded, pretending to be grateful and she walked out of the bar. She went around the establishment, just like Jaskier told her and she found a backdoor. She tried to open it but it was locked. It didn’t seem strange if there was a bunch of elven refugees hiding in there. She got close to the door and spoke up, almost whispering. “Please, let me in. The Sandpiper told me to come here. Please…”
“Hurry up, miss.” The door opened and an elf let her in, closing right after her.
“Thank you.” She breathed out in relief, showing the man her ear to prove she was an elf. She looked at the other elves and she saw Cahir, but Yennefer was nowhere to be seen. The knight stared back at her, shocked to see her.
“Revynah ?”
“Shut up, Cahir.” She hissed through her gritted teeth as she rushed over to him and had him turn his back to the other elves, facing the wooden wall. From a narrow opening in between the planks, she saw that Yennefer was actually in the bar, speaking with Jaskier. If the sorceress knew the bard who knew her brother, it surely meant she knew Geralt too. What a small world.
“What’s up with your ear ? You’re not an elf.” He whispered.
“That’s magic, in case you didn’t know.” She briefly stared at him before looking back at Yennefer and Jaskier in the distance. “And you, what’s up with your face ? You’re filthy.”
“Oh, you can talk.” He retorted. “You have brand new clothes but you smell like you took a bath over a century ago.”
“How fun, I am over a century old.” She replied, sarcastically. “You weren’t taught to respect your elders, young boy ?”
“You’re impossible.”
“Oh, excuse me. Did I offend you, Sir ?” He sighed, looking down at her with his three inches taller and suddenly cut her off with a swift kiss. She put her hand on his chest and slightly pushed him away. “What are you doing ?”
“Sorry, madam, did I offend you ?”
“Oh, my god. I swear, Cahir. You’re impossible too.” She shook her head. “But I’m telling you, you need to shave. This wild beard - it’s not it.” She turned her head and saw Cahir walk to the backdoor. She turned on her heels and followed him inside the bar. The bard was going to see her with the two other fugitives, but, fuck it.
“Stand back ! Stand back !” Jaskier exclamed upon seeing Cahir approach and brandished a bottle. Yennefer stepped in front of the knight on the run.
“He’s with me. It’s okay.”
“Revynah ?” He frowned, obviously not understanding what she was doing with the two of them when he had just spoken with her a moment ago. “She’s with you too ?”
“Rev–” Yennefer turned her head and saw th red-head standing there. “What ? What are you doing here?”
“I asked her but she didn’t answer.” Cahir stated, a bit annoyed.
“Okay, uh, I need to know, what’s going on here ? Who are you ? I mean, is your name even Revynah ?” Jaskier inquired, still his bottle in hand.
“Her name is Revynah.” Cahir confirmed before Yennefer could. “Revynah of Nilfgaard.”
“Of Nilfgaard ?” Jaskier and Yennefer asked at the same time.
The sorceress rolled her eyes and sighed, “I’m not of Nilfgaard.”
“You said and I quote, that you lived such a long life, you didn’t remember where you were from, was that true ? Or did you lie and you are Nilfgaardian ?” Jaskier stared at her, waiting an answer.
“No,” she sighed even louder of exasperation. “I’m not from Nilfgaard and yes I don’t remember where I’m from, as in where I was raised.”
“So, Revynah of Forgotten Lands, why did you want to know about my past with Geralt Of Rivia ?”
Yennefer frowned at Jaskier’s new inquiry, staring at her peer.
“Don’t be paranoid, Jaskier. I was just curious, that’s all. End of story.”
“End of story.” He nodded, chuckling, putting down the bottle on the counter, not really knowing if he could trust her on that. “Right.”
“You’re a mage, Revynah. And a rather powerful one on top of that. So I know how this works, it’s never about mere curiosity.” Yennefer stated, turning to her. “So what is it then ?”
Her eyes went from her to the bard, “I asked about him because I’m looking for him.”
“Why ?” Jaskier asked. “What could you possibly have to do with this heartless, lonely wolf ?”
“He’s my brother.” There was a silence and everyone looked at her. She glanced at each one of them and nodded. “He is my long lost brother, and I want to find him. Is that so hard to believe ?”
“Okay, um, can we talk about this later ? This is some surprising news but we are in a hurry at the moment.” Yennefer cut the conversation short and changed the subject. “We need to get to Cintra.” She glanced at Revynah. “All of us.”
“Well, I’ll do what I can. But know this. You, you both…” He addressed Cahir and Yennefer in particular and built up a suspense for absolutely no reason, as if he was about to announce something big. “…smell truly awful. I mean, it is like something had crawled up your arses and died. So…” His eyes were wide as he nodded to his statement. “Like, for real, Revynah’s the only one that smells… okay. And- and she’s pretty, which given she’s Geralt sister unsettles me. He’s truly ugly, a monster. Inside and out.” He walked around the bar and continued. “We leave Oxenfurt at nightfall. So plenty of time to take a bath before then. Just sayin’.”
“You can take a bath then, Revynah.” Cahir calmly stated, turning his head to her after discreetly smelling the air, as if he checked if Jaskier was right and he and Yennefer really smelled like garbage.
“Says the homeless man. I'm surprised you're not already swarming with flies.”
People were heard shouting in the distance while the elven refugees, including Cahir, Revynah and Yennefer, fled the city with Jaskier at the head of their queue. It was dark, almost pitch black if it was not for the moonlight and the few candles hanging here and there around the place. Jaskier stopped as they reached the port, standing at the corner of a building to hide from a bunch of Redanian people watching the area.
“A group of elves from Tretogor is on board.” Jaskier said, softly.
“And if the ship is full ?” Cahir inquired.
“Well… then you’re swimming. Come on.” Cahir and Revynah looked at Yennefer, who raised her eyebrows and sighed. They walked to another building, lurking in the shadows. “I’ll go first. Stick close to the wall and stay out of sight until I give you the signal. I’m gonna do what I do best.”
“And what’s that ?”
“Oh, I never really know. Yeah, that’s why I’m so good at it.” He said to Cahir. Jaskier walked toward the boat, a bag in hand and whistled merrily, probably to attract someone’s attention to do the said distraction that would allow all of them to get on the boat.
“Excuse me. Excuse me !” Some man loudly intercepted Jaskier, making him turn around. “Papers for the transit, please.”
“Papers ? Absolutely. Papers. Ah-ha ! How silly of me.” He walked down the boarding plateform, putting his hand in his coat, pretending to look for the papers and chuckeld awkwardly. “I’m just gonna… One moment. A lot of pockets.”
The man doubtfully acquiesced, observing the bard. The musician then started singing which probably was another of his songs. The man sang along and they started to cheerfully laugh and talk together as if Jaskier was not at all trying to create a distraction to smuggle a bunch of elves, and some wanted people, into the boat right behind him.
“Really ? Is he really singing ? That’s his distraction ?” Revynah mumbled before glancing at the sorceress in the purple cloak. Yennefer shrugged, not knowing what to say to explain what her old friend had in mind at the moment. She wasn’t sure anyone could guess what was on his mind, he was so spontaneous that it was quite unpredictable.
“Oh, you take care, good sir.” It apparently worked because the man chuckled as Jaskier walked back up the boarding platform but the man called out to him as he was leaving. “Uh, although, if you don’t mind me saying so, that one, it’s, uh… it’s not your strongest.”
“Oh, yeah ?” The bard turned around, giving the man a tight smile. He was unpredictable, but not so much. He was still a man in the end and his ego was a little too big apparently. He could choose to let it go and let the man believe he was right but obviously that’s what a man with too much ego would do. At least, if the man in question had powers like sorcerers or witchers, he could afford to defy someone else but, a mere human ? Not so much. He could put everyone's lives in jeopardy.
“It’s a bit complicated. Took me to the fourth verse to understand there were different timelines.” He chuckled. “That magic kiss ? That was a bit cheap.”
“Yeah ?”
“I spotted the dragon reveal a mile away.”
“Oh, you’re clever. You’re a clever one.” Jaskier obviously tried not to let his pride resurface and not angry the man.
“I must say, the, uh… the bit when the lute player ends up with the warrior ladies…”
“Lovable, lovable lutanist.” Jaskier awkwardly corrected.
“Yeah ! Didn’t really ring true for me, I must say.”
“All right.” He tried to hide the fact that his pride was hurt as he turned around but it didn’t take long for the man to come out and he kept going. “Am I gonna say it ? You know, if you could write yourself a little song, you could sing yourself whatever you please, but you can’t, can you ?”
“Oh my god.” Revynah brought her hand to her face for a second and her and Yennefer silently groaned in concert. The brunette let her head fall against the wall as Jaskier was practically digging his own grave by provoking and insulting the man.
“This is taking too long.” Cahir mumbled at his two friends. “We need to get him away from the ramps.”
“What are you doing ?” Yennefer stopped him from going with her hand.
“I’ll distract him. You take them onto the boat.”
“Like hell ! I’m not going to fucking Cintra without you. My head will roll before I step through the gate.” While they were arguing about what to do, Revynah noticed movement from the corner of her eyes and turned her head. She saw an elder elf stepping out of the shadows. It wasn’t hard to understand what he was planning on doing right now. They were saying over and over that they needed to do something because Jaskier’s distraction was dragging out.
“Stop arguing !” She caught their attention and pointed at the elf. He had walked near the man as he grabbed Jaskier by the collar of his leather coat. “Look.”
“Fuck the North !” He yelled, shaking. The man laughed at him and dodged a punch coming from the elf.
“Fuck the elves.” He punched him so hard the old man fell like a leave from a tree. Yennefer gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, watching the scene, horrified. Revynah clenched her jaw and frantically moved her fingers like it itched her to do something. Cahir grabbed her hands and stared at her.
“Do not. do. anything.”
“Did Nilfgaard really took your humanity and crushed it to ash?” The mage spat in a low voice.
“If I was so heartless, I would have hunted you down the moment you fled the battle and ran into the forest, Rev.” She withdrew her hands from his and turned her back to him, obviously offended at the moment. “We need to go. Now.”
They bent over and walked as fast as they could and got on the boat while the poor elf was getting beaten up to death. Cahir, Yennefer and Revynah went to the back of the boat hold as Jaskier helped the elves down, one by one, telling them reassuring words as they came down. He talked an elf with afro hair for a second before turning to the three unexpected refugees.
“Someone should be there to receive you on the other side.”
“Thank you. I’ll make sure they get everything they need when we arrive.” Cahir replied before walking a little further in the hold to let the others talk together.
Revynah followed her Nilfgaardian peer, leaving Yennefer and Jaskier to talk. She crossed her arms and let her rest against the inside of the boat’s hull as she zoned out for a second. Tissaia’s word from a few days ago were still echoing in her head. “It wasn’t an intruder that slayed them… your family, they were collateral damage.”. Her jaw clenched slightly. The brotherhood had killed her poor baby, just because he was born of a mage mother. This was so cruel and unfair. As she thought about it, she straightened up her head, frowning. She was the child of a conduit of chaos too. It wasn’t exactly the same but, her mother had powers anyway. She was a druid. It wasn’t nothing. Her facial features relaxed when she realized that maybe the reason she abandoned both of her children years after their warrior of a father died, not only because being a single mother was hard, but also because her kids might become the target of people who wanted to erase such children from existence; had they been left to live among regular people with no real knowledge as to how to control their powers. She bent her head and massaged her temples as she exhaled. It turned into silent tears that rolled down her cheeks. Since Cahir was standing rather close because of the little space they had in the boat’s hold, the top of her head rested against his chest. She felt a warmth spread on her back when he put his hand on her shoulder blade.
“If you came to flee the Nilfgaardian army, something must have happened. You used to be as devoted as Fringilla and I.” She stopped crying and looked up at him once she had wiped away the tears. He let his hand slip off her back.
“I was blind. I was manipulated by Emhyr. As all of you. He never saved us out of kindness, he saved us to use us afterwards, Cahir. You need to stop giving so much credit to the “White Flame” and think for yourself. Hearing that my brother was alive was the trigger for me and I realized, my whole life, I only truly lived twice. When I was a child... and when I had one. And it was so long ago, I…” She shook her head, looking away and saw Jaskier turning around toward the steps leading to the upper deck, his lute in hand.
“I hope you find Geralt. Truly. If I see him before you do, I’ll tell you’re looking for him. I promise.” He looked at Revynah and gave her a friendly smile.
“Thank you.”
“This was a pleasure to meet you. Hoping to see you again, Revynah of the Forgotten Lands.”
“Good luck to you as well, Jaskier.” They nodded at each other and he left, his figure slowly disappearing from the head down as he climbed the steps. Less than a dozen seconds after, the bard was heard yelling and lute strings jangled as it apparently fell down on the ground. Yennefer, Cahir and Revynah suddenly looked up, wondering what was going on and the elven sorceress went outside, followed by Revynah, who went out on the deck with her while Cahir remained at the hatch leading to the hold.
“Yennefer, Revynah, what are you doing ?”
“The lute’s broken.” Revynah stated. “He was attacked by someone.”
“Yennefer ! Revynah ! We have to save ourselves !” He whisper-shouted at them. Yennefer stared ahead of her, obviously scared for her friend. She glanced at Revynah.
“I’m going to find him. You, and Cahir, go to Cintra.” Revynah nodded and pushed Cahir out of the way, making him go back down as well.
“What–”
“The trip to Cintra is gonna be long enough, stop talking already. Don' t make it longer for me.” She then went to sit down and let the back of her head rest on the hull. Cahir eventually sat down next to her, with this seriousness of his. With a clean shave, he could already seem quite threatening and intimidating, but with this messy beard, it was even worse.
“What ?” He asked in a deeper voice than usual. That meant he was a bit annoyed, for sure. Revynah looked ahead, shrugging.
“I’ve already said it but–”
“But you’re gonna speak your mind anyway, aren’t you ?”
“Indeed.” She replied with smirk.
“Go ahead then.”
“Thank you for giving me the permission to let you know that this beard does not only makes you look like a homeless man, but also, a bear. But like, a bear on the verge of death.”
He didn’t say anything and glanced to his side. They were both annoyed by each other but that was part of their relationship. That was the dynamic they always had since they met each other when Cahir started as a mere soldier. She was already working as a mage and assassin for the Nilfgaardian empire at that time and she had seen Cahir’s military career evolve, from his first days to him becoming a respected commander. At first, he thought she was just a few years older than him but as he grew older and her appearance didn’t change a bit, to the point where she was the one looking younger while she was the oldest, he figured that her unmoving youth was due to her use of magic. She was as cold as ice when he first met her. The most obedient dog Emhyr ever had and as he became a true follower of his, her faith in the emperor decreased. It seemed that their personal and professional development were going complete opposite ways constantly. But this funny thing about them was stopping now. Revynah was never letting Emhyr use her ever again so, if Cahir ever started to stop listening to the Emperor and thought by himself, she wouldn’t go the opposite way this time. She really hoped he would stop being the White Flame damn puppet, or they undoubtly would have to fight each other at some point and Revynah was not dying just yet.
Revynah was unable to get some sleep even for just a second during the whole trip, which lasted hours and hours on end. She didn’t have seasickness at all, besides, she even had used her powers to make sure of it, making her body feel like it wasn’t being tossed around. In the boat hold, one could feel all the movements of the ocean, the waves hitting the hull from all sides, and most of the elves with them were moaning and on the verge of vomiting every second. On the other hand, Cahir had apparently managed to get some rest. He had started the trip his back to a crate and had slipped all the way downto the floor, his head resting on Revynah’s leg, his hand gripping feverishly to the fabric of his cape. Revynah watched him, twitching his head and fingers as he slept. She put the tip of her fingers on his temple and silently chanted a few words. She was curious to know what was the nightmare he was having and how bad it was.
Her eyes closed and she stood on a plain, outside of the burning kingdom of Cintra. She observed from afar and could see Cahir, with his black armor and winged helmet, riding a horse with a blond girl. They fell and the girl ran away but Cahir went after her, trying to get her. Revynah could feel this wasn’t just a nightmare. This wasn’t only something made up by his mind as he slept. This was something that actually happened. The fear she felt from this young girl was so palpable, she knew it wasn’t a dream. The girl then let out a blood-curling scream and a tall black stone nearby cracked all the way up and collapsed, causing a crevice deeper than she had ever seen. The quake it spread made it feel like there was enough force to cut the entire continent was going to end up cut in half. Suddenly, Cahir woke up, pulling her out of the nightmare as well. She relaxed her fingers, putting her palm against his light brown hair. He was panting as he raised his eyes to look up at Revynah as she removed her hand from his head and stood up, letting him fall back. She stared at him as he straightened up and then walked out of the hold to the deck, eyeing the immensity of the sea.
“Cintra is just around the corner.” She said, when she felt Cahir walking up to her. The golden city was so close. “You can shave and get your hair trimmed now. Not too short though, that length isn't too bad.”
“I felt you.”
“What do you mean ?” She knew what he meant but she still asked.
“In my head. There’s was something off about my dream, a presence that wasn’t there when it happened.”
“I just wanted to see what was putting you in such a state of distress. I even thought you were having a stroke.” She joked. “This blond girl, it was princess Cirilla ?”
“Yes. It was.” She frowned and turned to Cahir, her side to the handrail.
“I don’t get it. Why are you so obsessed with her ?”
“Because with the power she holds, she could help to spread the White Flame’s supremacy throughout the whole continent. She is the key in making Nilfgaard unstoppable.”
“You sound like a fanatic, Cahir.”
“You don’t have to get it.”
“Well, I don’t want to understand the words of a raving hairy beast.” She retorted with a bit of sarcasm as she turned back to the handrail, resting her elbows on it as the boat docked at the port of Cintra. A wide ramp was then put to connect the boat to the quay and the refugees were escorted to the entrance of the city. Revynah and Cahir walked down and progressed through the walls of Cintra. Guards were controlling the refugees before letting them in.
“Your papers.” They didn’t even have time to get into the queue, a guard stopped them from walking further.
“What ?” Cahir asked.
“Stand in line with the others.” He grabbed the man’s arm and pulled him away in the waiting’s queue direction. Revynah dodged the guard’s grip and just followed him. He inserted himself into the queue and the sorceress already knew Cahir was not going to accept having to wait when he was the commander that he was. But she had to keep a low profile as much as she could, in the hope that no one except Cahir was aware of her deflection during Sodden Hill Battle, or she wouldn’t see the light of day for long, or maybe her head would even roll on the ground in the next minutes. Evidently, barely an instant later, Cahir bursted out the line and walked at a rapid pace to the elf that was controlling the refugees. Revynah sighed, rolling her eyes.
“You must declare yourself before entering Xin’trea.”
“Stand aside.”
“Fall back in line !”
“I said stand aside.” An elf with long and light blond hair came to the both of them.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear. There’s no entry until you report.” He paused, looking at Cahir. “So who are you ?”
“I am Commander Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach.”He answered before raising his voice at the elf. “Who the fuck are you ?”
“Cahir !” When she heard Fringilla, Revynah turned her head to the side, trying to stay out of her sight. It worked for a second as she didn’t noticed her and walked up to Cahir along with a pregnant elven woman. “Good to see you alive.” A random gaze from Cahir at Revynah direction sufficed from Fringilla to know there was more. “Seize her.”
“What–” Before she could protest, a guard shackled her, hands restrained at her waist, with anti-magic chains, specifically made to neutralize the threat she could be for them and kicked in her back to force her to the ground. She grunted and coughed as her head hit the dirt and a warmth rose around her nose. She winced while a few drops of blood fell to the ground.
“You know why you’re restrained.” She stared at her with contempt. “You are convicted with desertion and for betraying the White Flame. You won’t be executed just yet. We’ll wait for the emperor to come so he can attend.”
“You’re making a mistake, Fringilla. He’s not on your side.”
“Oh, is that a threat ? On top of being a coward… you think you can intimidate me without your powers ?”
“You hag.” Revynah spat as the guard dragged her in the dirt, not even letting her a second to stand up. Cahir watched the whole scene but did not intervene at any moment and Revynah saw it, giving him a death stare before she disappeared behind a wall and got thrown into a cell and locked up in the dungeons beneath the castle. Her handcuffs were let on her wrists and she was thrown unceremonously into a narrow cell. She grunted and winced when her back hit the ground, rolling to the side.
“Sorceress scum.”The guard hissed before walking away. She groaned as she crawled to the corner of the cell, to lean against the wall trying to catch her breath. She had no idea how long she would be in there. Days ? Weeks ?
The leaves of the trees were violently whipped by the stormy wind. Thunder rumbled in the distance as a pouring rain began to pound the ground, gorging it with water, quickly making it a mud pool. Revynah’s feet sank several inches with each step, causing her to lose her balance and fall face first into the mud. Each time she would struggle to stand back up, try to take more than a couple steps but would fall in the mud once again. She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes when she saw a tall and muscular figure a few feet away. They were standing still, their back to her. They had white hair tied in a half ponytail, fluttering in the wind. Next thing she knew, the plain was a steep hill on which she was at the top, just beside the unknown person. She couldn’t move her feet or talk but for some reason she looked down and there was a necklace in her hands. A silver necklace with a chain as long as her forearm and a round pendant with the side profile of a wolf on it. She gasped as she realized what it was. A witcher’s necklace. From the wolf school. She didn’t know if her brother had went at this school but after thinking about it for a second, remembering he was nicknamed the White Wolf, she connected the dots all together and turned to the man by her side but he was gone.
All of sudden, she was kicked from the side, seemingly by the wind itself as she was alone on top of this ridiculously steep hill, and let out a piercing cry, rolling down, groaning loudly. She shut her eyes closed so tight, convinced she was going to die but she woke up with a start hearing a metallic noise echoing around her. She was back in her tiny cell. It had been days since she had been brought here. The blood that flowed from her nose was dry above her lips. She laughed bitterly when she saw Cahir, and Fringilla, getting locked up with her in her cell. She calmed down and gave the both of them a death stare.
“Hello again."
[To be continued…]
Previous Chapter / Next Chapter
Published (01/18/2022) by Andrea
Taglist: @cathrin2405 @littlebirdgot