Vesemir was quite surprised to find out Jaskier and the girl came here without Geralt. One couldn't say that she was really talk active, she ate dinner and went straight to bed that evening. "Is she always like that?" I asked as she was out of the room. Lambert shook his head. "Usually she makes a fuzz about going to bed after dinner and challenges us to a round of knucklebones." he explained and I nodded understanding. I looked in the direction where she left. "I bet Geralt had his hands full with her. But now, that I got to know her, she just seems... I don't know, anxious. She's just a girl." I said and massaged my temples.
"What could Nilfgaard possibly want from her? It can't be only the throne, right?" I asked and Vesemir nodded. "She's got some sort of power. I told you, we had Triss here to find something out about it but without luck, that's why she and Geralt went to the Temple." he explained and I nodded, continuing to stir with my piece of bread in the soup. "Jaskier, are you not hungry?" I asked and looked over at the bard.
He was sitting near the fire on a couch and was playing a few notes as quiet as possible on his lute. However, we could still hear it clearly.
"But the story is this
She'll destroy with her sweet kiss."
He sang quietly to himself but interrupted it to answer my question. "I'm not." he answered shortly and kept on singing his soft tune. I heard him work on it before. It was right before we encountered Borch Three Jackdaws.
"Aren't you going to bed?" Jaskier asked me later that evening when we were the last ones up. I shook my head. "I'm probably just gonna sit here until Geralt shows up." I answered and he sighed. "What did he do to deserve such a loving and caring wife?" Jaskier chuckled and pat my shoulder. "I'm heading to bed, I'm as tired as a dog run over by a cart. Goodnight, Eve." I nodded at him and wished him a good night as well, before I was all by myself in the main hall. The room was dim, with only a few torches and the fireplace was lit. Outside it was dark and quiet. I planned on staying awake but soon enough I must've fallen asleep on the couch.
Hooves were clacking on the bare stone underneath the gate where no snow reached. I shot up from my uncomfortable lying position and looked around. The room was still empty so I looked out of the window to see who it was. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Geralt ride through the gate, behind him Yennefer. He hopped off of his horse, which wasn't Roach and tied the reins to the wooden pillar. Yennefer hopped off as well but Geralt didn't say more than a few words before walking away from her.
She walked after him and stopped him by his arm. He turned to face her with an annoyed expression. I slightly opened the window to hear what they were saying. "Explain." I hear Geralt's deep voice demand. I wanted to jump in excitement. "She finds your weakness, the gaping wound in your heart, the thing that makes you feel hopeless, and she plunges her finger into it and makes it hurt so badly, you'd do anything." Yennefer said, almost pleadingly. "Like sacrificing an innocent child. Trust me, Yennefer, I know the feeling." he said while tilting his head and then turning back to walk forward.
"Yes. Except I couldn't do it!" she exclaimed and ran after him to step in front of him and stop him. "Look, I know this means nothing to you but I understand now how special she is! When Chaos left me, I never thought that I'd feel that spark, that... life again, but Ciri, she radiates it. At Melitele's when I helped her control it, when she opened that portal under my direction, I felt like... like-" he interrupted her. "I know how it feels, Yennefer." he said with a clenched jaw.
"I don't know what Voleth Meir wants from Ciri, but we have to protect her." Geralt frowned and stepped a little closer. "I have to protect her." he clarified and walked past her. This time she didn't follow to argue. Geralt didn't enter through the main entrance but instead walked around. Where was he going? I tried to recreate the path he was taking around the fortress. I heard a door open a little further away and then heavy steps walking into the building. Those were Geralt's. I rushed down the halls to find him but he took his turns as well.
"Vesemir." I heard him say in the distance. "Ciri, what's going on?" he asked. I only heard him very quietly. He was in Vesemir's chambers perhaps. I walked up the stairs and tried to follow the voices to reach him. The voices faded and I cursed under my breath as I figured that it was the wrong turn. "I saw her leaving Everard's room. We have to do something." Ciri stated and her voice became louder and louder with every step. "She killed them. Everard and Gwain." she said.
"How did you escape?" he asked. I was nearly there. "I screamed." she answered. "And that didn't cause any damage?" he asked again. "I don't know." she whispered. After I walked up to the first floor I looked around the halls to check for the voices. They must be higher up. "It didn't wake Vesemir." he said. "I'm scared. Please." it was silent for a few seconds.
"Tell me what you want." he then asked before I heard something slash and him groan. I looked around and saw Ciri rushing past me, without even noticing me. I looked in the direction where she came from and saw Geralt holding his head. "Geralt!" I exclaimed. It seemed like he froze on the spot as I called him. Slowly he turned around and before he could even fully recognize me I had my arms around his neck. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" I rambled and pushed him away to examine the wound on his temple.
His eyes were wide and he took my hand from his face to give it a tight squeeze. "Did I got hit too hard on the head?" he mumbled to himself as he brushed his gloved hand over mine. I smiled up at him and shook my head which turned into a nod. "Maybe a little." I said with a small shrug.