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The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection. - Michelangelo
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Recap
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"I studied the girls born around the Black Sun and I found horrendous internal mutations among them. I tried to cure them, locked them in towers for safekeeping, but the girls always died." Stregobor said. I looked back to Stregobor with furrowed brows.
"Internal mutations?" Geralt asked the question that was swimming around our minds.
"They were autopsied, of course, to confirm my suspicions."
Why am I not surprised...
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Present
"But eliminating these women was the lesser evil. They could have drowned entire kingdoms in blood. If you'd been alive during Falka's Rebellion, see what I saw-"
Stregobor started to finish when I interrupted, my voice stony, "Innocent women are dead. But not Renfri. She's after you."
"Daughter of King Fredefalk of Creyden. I delivered the princess myself in the middle of the afternoon in pitch black." Stregobor said, his gaze hard as he looked at me.
"Under the Black Sun, so she's cursed." Geralt said with more of a sarcastic tone.
"Do you consider me a fool, Witcher?" Stregobor asked.
"Yes." I muttered under my breath.
"What was that girl?" Stregobor asked, glaring at me.
"Not a girl." I stated, looking him in the eye, a glare upon my face.
Stregobor looked between Geralt and me. "Do you think I did not conduct research? Renfri was acutely affected. Her stepmother, Aridea, told me she toed a canary, strangled two puppies, even gouged out her maid's eyes with a comb." Stregobor started.
"I admit what happened next was not ideal, but with the lives of Aridea's own children on the line, we had to act." Stregobor looked at me, "So I dispatched someone to follow Renfri into the woods. We found him in the brush, Renfri's antique brooch jammed into his ear. After that, I organized a manhunt to find the princess, but she was gone."
Stregobor looked back to Geralt, "Two years. Until she reappeared, robbing and murdering merchants on the roads of Mahakam. Impaled them on sticks at first, but soon, she picked up sword skills. And now no man can defy her, it's said." Stregobor finished.
"You're not a man. You're a magician." Geralt said. I huffed a quiet laugh and wandered away, looking around the courtyard. As I wandered, I looked at the flowers, smelling a few.
As I stopped to look at a flower, I felt a hand run through my hair. I turned to look at who it was and it was one of the naked women. "My dear, your hair is so soft. Would you mind if I braided it?" She asked, her tone sweet.
"Um, okay..." I said, following her to a mat where a few other women were sitting. She sat then motioned for me to do the same. I sat in front of her, crossing my legs. She and some other women started to braid my hair, complementing it every so often.
The women put cornrows on the sides of my head and small braids scattered my hair. "There you go, my dear. Now your lovely hair won't get all tangled on your travels." The woman said. My entire head was covered in braids some having deep blue and dark green ribbons in them.
"Thank you." I said with a faint smile.
"You're welcome, my dear." She said.
"Navina." Geralt called. I looked up and he was walking toward the archway. I stood, curtly nodded at the women, and went to Geralt.
"The kikimora kills because it's hungry, Renfri kills for pleasure. She is a monster. She is the last of Lilit's women. And she possesses the power to destroy us all." Stregobor said to Geralt.
"I don't believe anyone has that power," Geralt said, looking back at Stregobor then continued to walk to the archway.
"With the fate of the Continent at stake, is that a chance you're willing to take? There's your rhyme. Killing Renfri is the lesser evil." Stregobor said. Geralt and I both stopped to look at Stregobor.
"Evil is evil, Stregobor. Lesser, greater, middling... it's all the same. I'm not judging you." I am... "I haven't only done good in my life either. But now, if I have to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all." Geralt said, walking away. I went to follow behind Geralt but Stregobor's voice stopped me.
"What of you girl? Will you do it?" He asked, stepping closer to me.
I faced him with a glare. "I'm not a girl. And I am no killer." I said coldly, walking away.
When I was almost out of earshot from Stregobor I heard him say, "Not yet, Crossbreed. Not yet..."
What does he mean not yet?
When I stepped back outside, my hoodie reappeared. Geralt stood by Roach with her reins in hand, Marilka long gone. "Come on," Geralt said, motioning with his head as well. I put up my hood and he led the way to the forest just outside of Blaviken.
Once we made it to a small stream, Geralt tied Roach to a tree and went over to the stream. Meanwhile, I stayed by Roach, leaning against a tree, taking the weight off of my left leg. Stregobor's words then rang through my head.
The Hel did he mean by not yet? And why did he call me a crossbreed? Is that what I am? What does he know that I don't?
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Why hello wonderful people!
Would you look at that, more consistent posts! That's definitely not a regular occurrence. Anyway... I hope that you liked this part and the little bit of a, not-really, cliffhanger! (Can you tell I'm posting this at 12 a.m.?)
On that note, have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night! Drink some water! Get some sleep! Eat something! And I'll see you in the next part. 😁
YOU ARE READING
Journey to the Past
Fanfiction"Why do you always have to be a pain in my ass?" "Why do you always have to be a dispirited pessimist?" "Why do you always use big words to sound smarter?" "Why do you always grunt instead of saying what you mean?" "Well played..." This is a rewrite...
