Epilogue - Dragon And Wolf

Bracken went through a rapid yet spectacular trial and was sentenced to death after a minimum prison time of one hundred and eighty days. After that, he'd be hanged, drawn and quartered during a public execution.

Multiple times the envoys of the Church tried to get him out of prison, citing lunacy and insanity, that he needed to be taken care and that a man of his stature deserved a better treatment than this, but Foltest had been adamant about it. He remained in prison. Also, Bracken's own king, Demevend of Kaedwen, refused to ask for mercy to his Temerian counterpart. He too found Bracken's crimes too heinous for compassion.

Meanwhile, Castle had cashed in the money for the contract, sum large enough to allow both he and Beckett to live like high society for a long while, then another good sum of gold was added by the king himself, for having apprehended the criminal without anyone else getting hurt. Foltest wasn't exactly his favourite of the Northern Kingdoms ruler, but this time he showed he actually might know what he was doing.

It took Kate a while to accept the fact that her ten year long nightmare had come to an end, and the final sink in came when they went to visit her father. Jim Beckett, an elderly gentleman, welcomed them in his house just outside Vizima.

"I guess you're here about what happened the other day in court," he said, walking towards the tidy living room while heavily leaning on a cane.

"Yes Dad," started Kate. "But before that, sit down. And this is Richard Castle, the man that helped me find mom's murderer."

Jim looked at her, blue eyes shining brightly. "You caught him?"

She nodded as she sat down in front of her. "Yes. Dad, it's a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

He did. But as Kate wove the tale of how a single man had decided that his beloved wife deserved to die for her opinion of a religion, Jim went through all the stages of grief, all over again. Castle could read it on his face. When she was done, he ran a hand over his face and remained silent for a long while.

"All of this… for the madness of one man. And no one ever realized it."

"People didn't know where to look. I didn't know where to look, too. Castle here, he had the idea, and the training to see things I couldn't see. That's how he managed to find Bracken."

The older man looked at him for a long moment. "You're a Witcher then."

Castle nodded. "Yes sir."

"And my daughter asked your help because…"

"Because we have common acquaintances and she has been referred to me for my abilities as a tracker."

"Mmh… I guess that by common acquaintances you mean her tutors at the academy. Well, thanks for helping my daughter find my wife's murderer. I appreciate it. I suppose you came here to demand the money you're due."

Jim made to stand up but both Castle and Kate hurried to stop him. "Absolutely not sir," explained Castle, with a voice tone a tad too harsh, to the point that Jim startled. "I've undertaken the contract from the city of Vizima, not from your daughter. You don't owe me an oren. The matter has already been settled by King Foltest."

"Oh…" replied Jim. "Alright. But, let me at least offer you something to drink, to show you how grateful I am. Unfortunately I don't keep alcohol here anymore, but Kate has introduced me to this marvellous beverage from Zerrikania and…"

Smiling, Castle stopped him. "Your daughter introduced me to coffee too. And I'll gladly accept the offer."

They quickly got used to a routine together. Beckett, as word of mouth blew her cover as a city guard, went back to the old ways of being a sorceress and healer full time, establishing a legitimate medical practice that cured everything from a random cold to curses. Castle took care of all the contracts in the region, dealing with all the necrophages that infested the sewers of Vizima and the pack of ghouls in the graveyard, allowing the population to use it again for its original purpose and stop dropping corpses in the sewers.

When someone called for a Witcher, he answered, and monsters went away. And during down time, he wrote. The new book came out nicely, with new interesting characters and new stories and dynamics between the characters. Kate seemed to like it too, and for once Gina was happy to have him close by and monitor his progression with the new book.

And Castle was happy to live a more stable life, with a roof above his head every night and someone respecting him close by. Things between Beckett and him were just perfect, better than things had ever been with Meredith. They had even traveled to Tretegor so Kate could meet Alexis, and the two women, despite being so close in age, seemed to get along quite well too.

Things were idyllic for a couple of months, until something strange happened. An outbreak of the Caitriona Plague burst in the poorest quarters of town and in some of the nearby villages, so to contain infection the authorities sealed off Vizima. No one entered and no one got out.

Only for news of an infestation of barghests, demon hounds, came to Castle's ears and yet he was forbidden to go out and take care of that. Despite his immunity against every kind of infectious disease, the guards forbid him to go out.

But it was about a week later that things started going completely bonkers. First, a cockatrice, a foul creature that looked half like a bird of prey and half like a reptile, had taken residence in the sewers and sometimes hopped upstairs and ate an unfortunate soul that happened to pass that way. Knowing that cockatrices were nightly creatures, Castle had already an agreement with the city guards to go down the sewers on daytime and take care of it while the beast would be sleeping, making it way easier to deal with it.

The convened morning, Castle went to the entrance of the sewers at first light of dawn, only to be told that another Witcher had wiggled his way out of prison by bargaining the killing of said cockatrice with his release.

"I can't believe there's another Witcher in town!" screamed Castle as he stomped all the way up to their bedroom. He had left early and let Kate sleep, but had come back not an hour after his departure, so she was still in bed.

"What's going on?" she asked, opening an eye just enough to let him know she was awake.

"The cockatrice… another Witcher killed it, last night! Apparently they caught him trying to sneak in town and imprisoned him. He told the guards that he'd kill the blasted monster if they let him go and he did it!"

He let his harness fall on the floor with a bang, then ran his hand through his hair. "I swear that if it's one of the School Of The Cat I'm going to kill him as soon as I identify him."

"What has the School Of The Cat done to you?"

"The school? Absolutely nothing." He approached the dresser and poured some water in a bowl from a pitcher nearby. It warmed up instantly, thank to an enchantment Kate had performed on it. "The problem is that their methods tend to spew out Witchers with psychopathic and homicidal tendencies. And this city has seen enough homicidal psychopaths for a hundred years at least."

He then proceeded to shave. He had just lathered his face with shaving soap and was about to start when he suddenly burst again. "No really, I'm not joking… if there's another Witcher in town I want to meet him," he said, brandishing the razor like a sword.

"Could he be one of your friends?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe… it's me, Vesemir, Leo, Lambert and Eskel from my School, I have no idea from the others. I don't actually know many Witchers, we're…" he swiped the blade on his skin and took away some of the lather and the coarse hair of his beard. "We're few and sparse around the world. We don't meet often, and I'm not one to make it through winter back at Kaer Morhen. I actually haven't been there since…"

"Since Geralt died?" she asked.

He looked down, at the pool of steaming, white-ish water in the bowl in front of him. "Yes, since Geralt died."

"I'll ask around, I might be able to find something else about this Witcher. But tell me, since you don't have to get all dirty and stinky down in the sewers this morning, do you mind coming with me to Carmen's place so I can check out the girls?"

Laughing, he turned to her, only to laugh more when he saw she was dressed in one of his oldest, most tattered shirts and wrapped in the bedsheet, propped up on her elbows and showing off those legs that made him go crazy every time. "You're weird, you know that? You're the only woman who would ask her man to come with her to a brothel. Do you have any idea of what happens when a man in possession of a very large sausage enters in a brothel?"

Much to his glee, Kate started laughing uncontrollably, rolling on the bed holding her belly because she was laughing so hard it hurt. "Gods, it's so funny because it's so true…" she managed to cackle out when she regained some control.

By that time, he had finished and his face was now perfectly smooth. He approached the bed and lay beside her. "When do you have to be there?"

"After lunch. We have time, if you want to write some more."

"Actually…" He slid his arm beneath her and pulled her to him. "Actually I'd like to spend some time with my girlfriend, this morning."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "Really? Even after last night?"

He nodded, vehemently. "Yes, even after last night. You know, I don't get tired easily, perks of being a mutant."

"I became intimately acquainted with your mutations in the past two months, babe, don't worry."

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "You know I love it when you call me babe?"

She smiled. "I do. And you know I love you even when I don't call you babe?"

"I'll never tire of hear you saying that."

Later that day, as Beckett was checking on Carmen girls and curing the various ailments that afflicted them, Castle killed time on his notebook, writing the last few chapters of his new book, Heat Wave, set in Novigrad, sealed off during a heat wave - hence the title, that made a great pun with the new protagonist's name - and of a city guard doing her best to find the killer of a rich merchant fallen in disgrace. With her, a ruggedly handsome Witcher to help her fend off more supernatural kind of enemies. It was the easiest book he had ever wrote. Gina would be very pleased when he'd be presenting it to her.

But after two hours, he ran out of ink and most of his hand was cramping a little bit, so he decided to leave his spot in the corner of the foyer and take a quick stroll outside. Maybe sneak inside the Hairy Bear and buy a drink. They had come to terms with the owner, and he was now welcome again in the tavern. Only, he didn't have the permission to sleep there. Not that he needed it, since he finally had a place to call home.

He had just stepped outside, when he felt something in the air. A familiar presence, something he hadn't perceived in years. He turned around, confused, looking for clues. His medallion started vibrating against his skin and he noticed a silhouette he knew very well, just outside the inn.

"Geralt?" he whispered.

He felt his heart clench in a steely grip at the thought. Could his brother still be alive after Rivia?

No, it wasn't possible. Absolutely out of question, Geralt had died five years ago, right in front of his eyes. It wasn't really possible. But then the man turned around and…

It was Geralt.

From the long straight white hair he kept tied in a loose ponytail to the steel, unreadable eyes that shone in the bright afternoon sunlight. He was speaking with Zoltan Chivay, one of their oldest friends. The stubby dwarf seemed just as shocked to see the Witcher, alive and kicking.

But before approaching the man that incredibly looked like his dead brother, he rushed in the brothel. Kate was visiting a girl who looked in the early stages of anemia. "Kate, do you mind coming outside for a moment?"

The sorceress followed him without a word, and stopped in her tracks the moment he showed her the Geralt lookalike, eyes wide open in pure disbelief. "No way."

"So I'm not going insane. That man looks like Geralt."

She shook her head. "No Rick, that man is Geralt."

"But it's not possible, I saw him dying in front of my eyes. He can't be!"

But then Kate grabbed his hand and rushed towards that man. Zoltan had entered the inn, while the man lollygagged outside, as if waiting for someone.

"Geralt?" called Kate.

Both she and Castle shared a sharp intake of breath when the man, Geralt, turned to face them. He gave them a double take before he spoke. "Do I know you?" he asked.

Castle gasped. "Geralt, what the hell? I'm Rick, your brother! And you worked with Kate for a while in the past!"

"I'm sorry…" he said, his voice faltering a bit. "But I can't remember you both. You see, a month ago I appeared out of nowhere just outside Kaer Morhen and… I don't remember anything except my name and how to fight."

Castle looked down at Kate. She promptly waved her hand around his head and muttered a few arcane words. "Oh yes, he doesn't remember anything except what happened in the past month! Geralt, do you know what…"

He gave them a nod. "I've been told that I supposedly died during a pogrom in Rivia, yes. Triss told me, but… I'm sorry, I can't remember anything."

Castle felt like a deflated bagpipe. So it was Geralt, but with amnesia. And Kate had just confirmed it. And yet… something told him there was something more, or some kind of trick that someone was pulling on the world. Or both, perhaps.

"You said Triss told you? So you saw her?" asked Kate.

"Yes. She was at Kaer Morhen when I…"

"When you reappeared, I get it. Did she do anything for your amnesia?"

He shook his head. "No she… she told me my mind was still too worn out by whatever ordeal I went through. And then someone attacked the fortress and…"

Castle jolted up as if electrocuted. "What do you mean someone attacked the fortress?"

Geralt, or the man passing for Geralt as Castle seemed inclined to think from time to time, told them the story that night at dinner. How someone, leading a cult-like organization named Salamandra sieged Kaer Morhen, killed Leo and stole most of the mutagens kept in their lab. About a week after he had been rescued from the forests around it. The remaining Witchers had spread through the continents to follow the trails, and he had just arrived in Vizima to investigate. Dealing with the cockatrice was his bargain chip to get out of prison, when someone outside tricked him to pay a hefty bribe to get inside the city walls.

"So let me get this straight… You don't remember absolutely squat about me?" asked Castle when he was done speaking.

"I don't remember squat about myself too, except for what Triss and the others told me," he paused, rubbing his beard. "Which isn't much."

Kate took a long moment to inspect him then. He looked different from what she remembered, in the light of the candles and the fireplace. Older, yes, but she hadn't seen the man in ten years, but ten years for a Witcher are nothing. He looked misplaced. And if had indeed lost his memories, he had all the right to feel so.

"So you don't remember Yennefer?" asked Castle. "And Ciri too?"

The man in front of them startled in his seat, then looked around, disoriented. "Ciri? Wait a minute, I know Ciri, she's my…"

"She's your daughter. You adopted her after her kingdom crumbled during the Nilfgaardian war," explained Kate.

"Yes… We… we trained her at Kaer Morhen… she's… I invoked the Law Of Surprise on her as payment for lifting a curse over her father and…"

"And she's a Source," continued the sorceress. "A powerful one, that Yennefer took under tutelage to teach her how to control her immense power."

"Do you know where she is? Is she alright?" he asked, suddenly frantic in his need to see his adoptive daughter, to know that she was safe.

"No idea. She disappeared, sometime before you and Yennefer…" answered Castle.

Geralt, at this point both her and Castle were sure the man in front of them was indeed his older step brother, sagged in his chair and let out a long, desperate breath. "Why can't I remember anything? I… I see flashes here and there, people's faces that don't have a name in my head but… I don't remember you two. And you tell me you're my brother?"

"Younger step brother actually. We only share our father as common parent, but he's never been in the picture. We grew up in Kaer Morhen, destined to be Witchers. We were both surprise children, your mother was a druidess and like sorceresses, they are sterile most of the time, except she clearly wasn't. My mother… well, that's another matter, but let's just say she wasn't expecting to shack up with our dad and settled down."

Geralt groaned. "Sounds like the typical situation for Witchers… Unwanted boys. We're not exactly a caste that sees tons and tons of volunteers."

It was Kate's turn to speak. "And yet you remember that. And you had a flash of Ciri the moment we spoke of her. Maybe there's a chance you can regain your memory sooner or later, even sooner if we use magical aid."

"Triss said the same, but she thinks that whatever caused the memory loss was an event of devastating magnitude for my mind. And if people tampered with it, I could lose my memories forever."

Castle must have had an idea right in that moment. He jumped up from the couch and ran upstairs, only to come down a minute later with one of his swords, which he promptly handed to him. "Let's see if this jogs your memory, the natural way."

Geralt took the weapon in his hands and examinated it, but the moment he wrapped his palm round the handle, he jolted again, like when they had mentioned Ciri.

"This… this is my sword!" he exclaimed. "My silver sword, the blade for monsters!"

Castle nodded. "Yes, it's yours. It was the only thing we managed to salvage after the pogrom. The only thing that remained of you and Yennefer. Everything else just disappeared, along with your bodies. I've been using it, in your memory, but it belongs to you."

Geralt examined the blade in his hands for a long while, but then gave it back to Castle. "I… I can't take it back Ricky. It's yours now, I'll have a new sword crafted as soon as I have the money and…"

"I can afford a new sword. The one they gave you sucks ass, take this. It's yours, you had it custom built by a master blacksmith and..." Then he looked at Geralt, eyes reduced to tiny slits. "Wait, you called me Ricky!"

"I've always called you Ricky, ever since we were…"

They could see the memories flood back to him painted on Geralt's face, when the little color he bore on his face suddenly disappeared and he turned white as a wraith.

"Ever since we were kids," Castle completed the sentence for him.

Realization struck both of them like a punch in the face, Kate could read it in their eyes. The wall of ice between them suddenly melted when Geralt had another flash and suddenly dropped the sword to hug Castle.

"You don't look a day older, Ricky…"

"You look good too, Geralt. Sit down, come on, we have a lot to discuss."

That lot to discuss turned out to be a plan to find the bastards that had stolen the mutagens from the fortress and, if possible, find out what they needed it for. Outside Vizima, Geralt had found proof that Salamandra was present in the area in some sort of way, and had done all he could to get inside the city in order to keep investigating.

"I guess we'll have to work together for this one," said Geralt. "I'm not sure I can deal with such a big thing in these conditions. I feel crippled, like someone had cut one of my legs."

"You have lost all your knowledge on monsters too?" asked Kate.

"Yes and… oh now I remember you! I tried to seduce you a couple of times in the past!" he recalled, with a wide smile on his face.

"Get your filthy paws off her, pervert! You already have your sorceress!" replied Castle, jovially.

That shadow that had always clouded his bright eyes was gone, Kate could see it now. That desperation she always saw when he opened up to her, came from the grief of having lost his brother, and now that he had found him again, despite the weird circumstances, had lifted that sort of curse from him.

"I would never hit on her again in all my life. She nearly burned my pants once, you know that?"

"Yeah, she told me. Now, back at the plan, how do we proceed?"

"The swamp. It's the perfect hideout. We go down there and see what we find. Then there's a private investigator in town, I was directed to ask him for help, in case we need it."

"There's the city guard too. I'm not in it anymore, but I still have friends in there," said Kate.

"Great," stated Castle then. "First things first though, I need a new sword and…"

"No, I need a new sword. That one, doesn't feel like mine anymore. Something changed, it's yours now, you carried it for more than I ever did and it's yours now. I'll find a blacksmith and have a new one crafted. Until then, I've been given this, the guards told me it belonged to another Witcher that passed through here some months ago. It will do, until I get one that I like."

"So? We're back on the Path? Together?"

Geralt nodded. "Hell yeah we're back on the Path! You two jogged my memory more in six hours than anyone else in the past month. If I want to find Ciri, I'm going to need your help."

"Then let's make a pact. We go look for this Salamandra thing and shut it down for good. Then we're going after Ciri. Deal?" Castle extended his hand to his brother, who promptly took it and shook it.

"Deal. Damn, The Dragon And The Wolf back on the Path. Dandelion will have a stroke when he hears the news. Speaking of daughters though, how's Alexis?"

Kate saw the happiness sparkle on Castle's face when Geralt remembered about his own adoptive daughter and couldn't help but smile herself.

In the end, what started out as a terrifying trip into the madness of one single man who have turned his life into a crusade against all he considered a heathen menace to the Eternal Fire, turned out great for every party involved. She had found closure to her mother's murder, she had found a man that loved her and she loved in return, and Castle, even though the stress and the wounds and the pain threatened to kill him, found his long lost brother and partner in crimes.

Despite everything, they had both found their happy ending. Time to help Geralt find his own.

So, this adventure comes to an end that I hope gives some closure (and possibly some room to manouver a sequel sometime down the road) to the characters and the story. A story I started weaving a little shy of a year ago, mere days before the release of that 200+ hours game that is The Witcher III Wild Hunt and decided to turn the late night musings of a gamer into something real, though written in haste to make it before the deadline. As I clocked in hours in the third game and read through the books I could find translated in English, more details came out, the story changed and evolved. I hope you liked reading it as much as I loved writing it. The source material is just too awesome.

Now, I'm still tinkering with the idea of going full postal and write another ficathon entry for this year, again based on a videogame, but more of a spy story this time. I just have to decide if messing up with Hideo Kojima's dystopic vision of a world ruled by the war economy could fit Castle or not. My boyfriend thinks it does, most of all with how I would twist and turn the characters, but you know... Metal Gear Solid is a tough cookie to bite, don't know how many of you would be interested in it.