The Witcher: Through the Worlds
Chapter 88: The End III (The Line of Lod)
Narrator: The battle for the world rages. On the Isle of Undvik, Dominik, Geralt and Ciri set out for one final confrontation against the Wild Hunt. After successfully summoning Eredin and his forces to the Isle, Dominik led his friends and remnants of the knights of Cintra into the fray, clashing with the Hunt in the icy planes, a graveyard of ships that was once the great Imperial Fleet. Soon however, he and his friends were overwhelmed, leading Ciri to finally enter the battle. Needing to find and kill the mage Caranthir for any hope of victory, she united with Dominik and the two set out to kill the Navigator. However, before they could find him, they encountered Baelen, the commander of the Wild Hunt… who is Dominik's younger sister Bella. Kidnapped, tortured and mind-washed, Bella fought with her emotions, eventually becoming a weapon of the Hunt. Dominik, knowing that he would never leave his sister alone again, sent Ciri off to find and kill Caranthir, while the fight with his sister begins...
Ciri landed with a thud, closer to Nagalfar than she had planned. However, she used what power she had to try and sense the largest pocket of magical energy in the area, and it had worked. Caranthir had to be coordinating magical defenses, summoning more riders and licking his wounded pride after Dominik and she had almost killed him. He would be there, and Ciri would kill him.
Sneaking along a small gulley of ice; she had been expecting riders this close to the ship. Looking up, she wondered where Eredin could be, was he on the deck of the ship? Or staying far away from the battle like the coward he was? Hoping he didn't go to where Dominik was, she hadn't heard any loud clash yet. Dominik was making one last attempt to reason with his sister. She trembled at the thought, the image of Bella's blade coming at her, decapitating a man flashing in her brain.
No… no, don't worry about him. He promised he'd meet up with you and he will, she told herself.
With magic exhuming from her limbs, she took off in a run, feeling a large pull of magic out near the back of the ship. Her legs moved faster than they had ever carried her. The weather was becoming more and more violent. Winds churned inside the icy sphere they fought in, and the rain continued to pour down even harder as the minutes rolled on. She got near the back of the ship and was almost knocked back by a large gust of ice, the magic inside the gust washed over her, chilling her bones and limbs down to their cores.
That was when the sound of battle got closer. She turned wildly, scrambling to her feet and looking back. Towards the shore where the assault had begun, the army, led by Anton and Hjalmar had finally broken through, capturing the first of the Hunt's three ships. Skelligers and knights- she prayed in her mind Faram, Freya and George were with them- poured over a gangplank and other bits of debris and the ships. With a crash, the army collided with new riders who were still coming from portals and the Nagalfar. That was another reason she needed to find Caranthir, if she could kill him, then new riders would stop appearing out of portals.
Distracted by watching the army behind her, she almost stumbled when she came to the edge of a small ledge. Her eyes wide, she looked out and saw she had come to another crater of ice. Ships were trapped in ice, the large masts once holding the golden sun of Nilfgaard were gone, but the hulls and bits of the ship made up the entire arena like a crater. Walls of ice, from Kilgarrah's breath or Caranthir's spells circled out, plenty of room to teleport and fight.
Plenty for her to kill Caranthir.
The Navigator stood in the center of the crater, his helmet still missing. He held his staff high, the magic crystal at the top still swirling with light. Ciri had never seen him without a helmet until that day. Dominik had in one of his dreams, the one where he saw Caranthir kill Bella's adopted mother, her girlfriend, and take her back to Eredin.
He had the normal Aen Elle height, however he was not nearly as tall as Eredin or Imlerith. Behind him, bright blonde hair streaked down to his shoulders. His eyes swirled with dark blue magic, juxtaposed to her magic's white-bluish color. Like she had guessed, she couldn't see any cuts or bleeding wounds in his arms or back. Dominik and she had injured him yes, but just like they could do, he had used his magic to heal himself.
Ciri's jaw clenched as she pulled her sword from her back, this time I'll make sure he can't heal… ever again.
She had wanted this, she craved this. The chance to finally make them all pay. Too many times has Aen Elle ruined her life. Now, Ciri would finally strike back. They had always underestimated her, told her she wasn't worthy of the power she held, and she had thought at times they were right.
However, now, she controlled those powers, and if they wanted them back so bad, Ciri was going to give them to them.
Focusing on Caranthir again, she noticed he had repaired his staff. Remembering Kaer Morhen, and even their battle just moments ago she went through her options in her head. Caranthir had defeated Eskel with relative ease at Kaer Morhen, however, it had only been after he began teleporting, using magic. Before arriving to save Dominik, she saw Dominik had gotten the better of Caranthir at first. Again, Caranthir had used his powers, began teleporting to get the upper hand.
Eskel and Dominik- she would never admit it to him, but she knew it to be true- were both better pure swordsmen then she was. So just like Caranthir did she would have to use her powers.
It'll come down to who can control them better… who has more power, she thought as her eyes narrowed toward the Navigator. A smirk came to her face, time to show them what I'm made of… it's been a long time since I was your prisoner.
She would show them, all of them, how far she'd come. Gripping tighter on her sword, she focused on the spot just behind Caranthir, as the battle drew closer. Her magic- still to her amazement- bent to her will. After so many years of fearing it, being controlled, restrained by it, having control over it still felt a bit off. It had at one point controlled her life, dominated it, was responsible for all the horrible things that had happened to her.
But now, the Aen Hen Ichaer, the Elder Blood, was under her control.
"Time to give them what they want…" She said, focusing again on the spot right behind Caranthir.
But just before she could teleport, the Navigator turned sharply, his eyes narrowing at her.
Ciri cursed and went to finally teleport but heard a portal ripple open behind her. Spinning around her sword flashed in front of her. She deflected a blow from a rider's sword, but before she could do anything a hound leapt from the rider's feet. She cut it out of the air but found herself falling. With a slam she landed in the icy crater below, but again saw the riders leaping down to run her through.
She cursed again, teleporting away and stumbling to her feet. Shaking her vision clear she saw Caranthir looking over at her, smirking.
That fucking smirk. All of them have it, him, Avallac'h, Eredin… I'll remove it permanently.
Closing her eyes and letting the magic flow through her, she shot open her eyes to see the riders that had attacked her rushing forward. Four came in total, so Ciri teleported forward. She cut through one, spinning and parrying another. After locking blades with one, another tried to stab at her side. Teleporting away again at will, she reappeared behind them. Spinning through them with precision, her magically enhanced strikes knocked aside their blades and Ciri was able to cut two more down before she came to a stop.
She spun back around towards Caranthir, as the last rider charged. He lashed out wildly, and Ciri was able to side-step and attack from the right. However, the rider blocked more furiously than she anticipated. Stumbling back, Ciri remembered her and Dominik watching Geralt perform the move a hundred times. She leapt up as she spun stabbing her blade forward. She stabbed the eye of the rider's faceplate and he stumbled back. Blood dripped to the ice, and Ciri could see Caranthir still with that smirk on her face.
Anger boiled in her gut, and she teleported forward. She cut through the rider who was still reeling going straight for Caranthir's through. However, just before she could cut her blade through him, he teleported away in another puff of frost.
"You… are… too late, Zireael," The voice came from behind her.
Ciri almost didn't recognize Caranthir's voice not coming from behind his faceplate. She spun back around, sword leveled and magic swirling from her limbs. The Navigator stood across from her, his staff held in one hand as he still looked as if he was in complete control of the situation.
She shook her head. "It's not! I won't let you, or any of your comrade torture any more worlds! You'll pay for all you've done, all the people you killed!"
"It was all because… you have what rightfully belongs to us," He said, his tone growing angrier. "You… will finally serve your purpose."
"I have my own purpose," Ciri said, "that's to save people from monsters! Monsters like you, and Eredin, your entire race! The Aen Hen Ichaer… the Elder Blood belongs to me! I claim it, and now, I claim all your lives! For all my friends you've killed, for all the hell you put my ancestors through! For Lara Dorren, Cregan of Lod and Alexander, I'm going to end this!"
For Dominik, for Geralt, for Yennefer, for all her friends, for Fiona, and most importantly for herself. Today, would finally be the day she killed that part of her past.
Caranthir smirked still, twirling his staff to a fighting stance. "You… are arrogant girl, just as they were. Even if you… manage to defeat me here… it is too late for you… and for his descendants…"
Her eyes widened, panic setting in. "What are you talking about!? What did you-."
A loud *BOOOOOOOOOOM* erupted, shaking the icy ground they fought on. Ciri stumbled, her eyes shooting over to a large tornado of bright magic. It was high enough that it dwarfed the Nagalfar. A spinning hurricane of violently churning white-blue magic. The rays of light battled each other in the air, lashing out and casting a shadow over the entire battlefield.
"Dominik…" She said under her breath, looking towards Caranthir. "What's happening!? What did you do!?"
The Navigator, in the shadow of the tornado, turned and laughed. "Aha… I did nothing. Baelen… will end his descendant… and even if he survives…. Today our King… ends… the line that disgraced us… today… he ends the Line of Lod."
She knew where Eredin was. He was going to let Dominik and Bella kill each other, and then whichever one was left alive he was going to kill.
"NO!" Ciri yelled, the magic shooting around her as she remembered the last place she had seen Dominik at in her mind. However, as soon as her eyes turned from Caranthir, she heard a portal open behind her.
She spun and raised her blade in time to parry. Caranthir spun, catching her off guard and slamming his staff into her stomach. Ciri flew back, pain erupting in her stomach and chest. She yelled as she landed on her back, her sword falling just out of her grasp.
"No matter… what you say girl…" Caranthir drawled out, stomping towards her. "You… will always be… that scared… scared little girl in our King's bedchamber… you… will never fully understand… or control… the power you wield."
Ciri groaned as she looked ahead of her, rolling onto her stomach. She looked over at her sword laying in the ice.
Crawling she got to it, grabbing it by the hilt, wrapping her hand tight around the brown leather. Every lesson, every lecture, every minute of training she had ever received, from Geralt, Vesemir, the witcher, Yennefer, Dominik, they all came back to her. As well as their faces.
A sword must be part of your arm, can you drop part of your arm? Dominik's favorite quote.
A witcher can forget to eat, drink, even to bathe, but a witcher never forgets to care for their blades, Uncle Vesemir.
Slowly, pain flaring in her gut she pushed herself to her knees. Her gaze traveled to the looming tornado of magic, the distant explosions and sounds of battle.
No, she said to herself. Yes… I am that same girl… but even back then, she was strong… and she's strong now. Dominik's not done fighting… and neither am I… not until we're all safe.
She took in a steadying breath, magic sucking into her body. She felt the aches of her stomach go away, the pain in her chest disappear. She grabbed the ring around her neck, behind the witcher medallion and stood to her feet.
Not until we're both safe… we always fight to get to each other, to keep each other safe, that was the ring's promise.
Magic erupted from her limbs and she spun, power invigorating her, surging through her as she leveled her blade at Caranthir who had begun to snarl.
Ciri locked eyes with him. "We'll see about that."
"So… we shall…" Caranthir said, spinning his staff again.
And with a flash of magic, Ciri's eyes turned white-blue, and she dashed forward.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Dominik had fought Bella three times before this, but that time was the first he saw just how fast she was, even without magic aiding her. He considered himself quick, but Bella moved and slid along the ice with more grace and poise than he had seen from any opponent he'd faced. Each step was perfect, seamlessly moving her between attacks. The alignment of her sword was precise, and the magic enhancing her limbs only made her move quicker.
She pushed him back, lashing out from the left, from the right, each strike coming right after the other. He had seen plenty of smaller opportunities to lash back out, but he kept falling back, only lashing out when he had too. Around him in his peripheral, he could see the riders all surrounding them. Two dozen at least, hounds as well. If they decided to attack he'd be done for, he couldn't fight Bella and worry about them as well.
However, Bella didn't seem focused on anything except cleaving him in half.
Magic still churned above her, forming a small storm of violent churning light. He blocked a strike from the right, spinning after the parry and going to jab his elbow into her back. She was too fast. She continued her movement forward spinning and striking out at his back. He shot his sword up behind him, catching the blade on his, a small eruption of magic shooting from all angles.
"Bella it isn't too late, you can stop this!" He yelled, pushing back on her blade and lashing out at her side. She blocked and he spun off it, striking down towards her legs making her jump back. He looked at her, her emerald eyes radiating, churning streams of magic. "If we keep fighting like this-."
"Then I won't be able to stop!" She shouted, rushing and leaping at him again.
He cursed under his breath, the blast of him parrying her blow erupting in an explosion of magic. Sucking in more of the mist around his body, he finally lashed out himself, although they were far from the most convincing strikes he had ever thrown. He did it mainly to get her blade away from him, when he struck he went for her legs. Each time he tried to go higher, he'd have to look at her eyes, her face, her nose, her ears. He'd look and see his sister's face.
Gods, I never should have made her take her helmet off, he thought. Finally she seemed to see him hesitate, because she spun around him after parrying one of his blows and cut at his side. The blade ripped against his armor; the wound would have been worse had he been wearing anything less than the armor he had.
He winced and grabbed his side and tried to knock away Bella's sword that came again, but she was simply too quick. She rolled out of the way and Dominik cursed under his breath, looking down at his hand and seeing the blood pooling. He sucked in more of the magic, shooting it through his body to heal the wound. The process was slow, and Bella must have known that because she took full advantage.
She lashed out with a new flurry of strikes that he barely managed to stop. He shot his hand forward, and Aard unleashed from his fingertips. She disappeared in a puff of frost and Dominik instinctively spun, raising his blade just barely in time to stop her blow from above. He felt down to one knee under the pressure and he saw her eyes looking at him. Black bags were under them, magic spat from them like a churning tempest, but behind them he still saw her. Her eyes always matched his so, so perfectly, and for a moment he saw her younger face, that infectious smile that enthralled anyone who saw it.
"Alexander doomed you to this fate, just like he doomed me!" Bella yelled, her sword pressing down on him nearing his shoulder. Her eyes were wild, but behind them, he could see the torment, he could see how broken she felt. "Don't die for his mistakes, don't die for someone who's the reason your family is dead!"
His muscles began to convulse. He felt something snap in his mind, he sucked in some of the magic mist around him and pushed.
She's just as good as me with the sword… I'm going to need to try something else.
"I don't give a damn about Alexander! I don't give a damn about his mistakes!" Dominik yelled, pushing upwards back to his feet, Bella's sword bearing down on him. The words his ancestor spoke to him rang in his ears as he shook his head, meeting Bella's eyes.
"I'm doing this to save the woman I love; save all the people I love! And that includes you!"
He willed the magic to his palm and shot it outwards. It rippled the air around them, and Aard slammed into Bella's stomach sending her flying backwards. She landed with a thud, and Dominik rushed forward, coming to a stop just a few meters away from her. Her armor was singed and he stumbled, throwing her locks of brown hair out of her face. The wind took it and blew it back. A bruise formed on her cheek as she finally shook her head and growled at him.
"YOU DON'T LOVE ME!" She screamed, but it came out almost as a sob. "YOU STOPPED THE DAY YOU MET CIRI! SHE WAS ALL YOU EVER CARED ABOUT!"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT ISN'T!" He screamed, his anger beginning to bubble up into his chest. He met her gaze and shook his head. "I LOVE YOU BOTH! YOU LOVED HER TOO! SHE WAS A CHILD SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
"SHE TURNED YOU AGAINST ME! YOU AND OUR PARENTS!" She yelled again, as Dominik saw tears start streaming down her face which was full of soot. "BECAUSE OF HER YOU ALL LEFT ME TO DIE!"
"AND THAT'S NOT TRUE EITHER! YOU KNOW IT ISN'T I WON'T CODDLE YOU ANYMORE!" He finally felt the anger leak into his magic. His own started churning violently like Bella's. Simply telling Bella how much he still loved her, how Eredin's visions were lies hadn't worked, and it wasn't going to work. Despite what he told himself before the battle he had tried to talk her back again.
He knew she didn't believe what Eredin said. She had seen the truth when he sent her the dream of them and Ciri. She wasn't stupid, she was scared, he could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice.
"YOU KNOW WHAT I SHOWED YOU WAS REAL!" He shouted at her the magic started to hurricane around him like it was her. She hadn't stopped looking at him, but she hadn't lowered her sword either. "YOU'RE JUST SCARED! SCARED OF WHAT EREDIN WILL DO, THAT YOU CAN'T TRUST ME AGAIN!"
She faltered for just a moment, and Dominik saw it.
"I FAILED YOU THE LAST TIME BELLA!" He said, his heart falling to his stomach as he shook his head at her. "But I was a child then… I was helpless. But I'm not anymore! I won't let Eredin use you, I won't let him kill you!"
For a moment Bella was silent. Dominik's heart raced at an alarming rate, which would have worried him had the magic not been around him. He sucked in a shaky breath to calm himself, as the magic around him slowly turned back into the calming mist.
No more words… they won't work, she's just as stubborn as I am…
Bella growled and gripped her head with her non-sword hand. It seemed as if she was going to pull her hair out as she shook her head and looked at him.
"You expect me to believe that!? You expect me to believe that even after all I've done," Bella said, "after trying to kill you, Ciri, thousands of innocent people, that you'd just forget about it all!? You know that if you don't kill me, I will kill your princess. You'd kill me if it meant keeping her safe… we both know it."
"That's not true!" Dominik said, stepping forward again, "I know it isn't true, because I know you won't kill her, won't kill me! I know you don't want what Eredin will do to happen to all these people! I know who you are, you're my sister, my family… and you never give up on family, no matter how far gone they seem!"
"Well, I'm too far gone now…. I trusted you once… big brother," Bella said, tears streaming from her cheeks. "It's too late…." She said, shakily sighing as the magic still whirled form her. She wiped her face and growled, looking over at him, rushing towards him again. "YOU WERE TOO FUCKING LATE!"
He didn't have time to respond. He knew what he had to do now. He couldn't use words anymore, there was only once option left to him.
Bella leapt, her magic swirling around her she came down with her sword. Her eyes had gone completely white-blue as she slammed her blade towards his head. Dominik formed the proper hand-sign and smacked his hand into the ground. The purple glyph of Yrden appeared, and he rolled out of the way. She landed in the glyph and was stuck in place, he had her back to him, unable to move her feet and he finally lashed out.
He leapt and swung at her back, but she saw it coming. In a puff of frost she teleported, and Dominik heard it re-open behind him. There wasn't time to turn and parry, he shot his hand up, and a yellow bubble shield from the Quen sign shot open around him. Bella slammed into it, and with a loud *BOOM* Dominik heard her cry out as she was sent back.
She tumbled and rolled, and he rushed towards her. He saw her get to her knees and spin towards him. Her hand fired forward and a spear of ice shot from her hands. It zoomed towards him, but Dominik felt a new surge of energy. He knew now this was the only way to get through to her. He had to win, he had to win this duel, no matter what. If he didn't, not only would Eredin then kill Bella, but he'd be leaving Ciri alone.
Sucking in magic he leapt, he spun and struck down with his blade. The magic encasing, he sword helped it cut clean through the icy spear, finally he reached Bella. He lashed out from the right, she parried, surprised by his ferocity. Seeing his advantage, he kept pressing on. Soon he backed her up against the edge of the icy caver, riders leapt out of the way, as he shot his hand forward and Aard shot Bella back. While she was dazed, he reached out and grabbed her sword hand, pushing his blade up against hers, pressing her back against the icy wall.
"Stop this now…." He hissed, meeting her eyes, burning with rage. "I won't let Eredin lay his hands on you! Together, me, you and Ciri can kill him, and stop what's coming!"
"You have no idea what's coming!" She hissed back, her hands both holding up her sword, protecting her throat from it as she pushed. "They hold more power than you understand! And they'll give me a place where I belong!"
He cursed, not wanting to argue with her now. He saw too late she was willing her magic to her hand. She shot it forward, slamming it into his stomach. He only had enough time to bring his hand back down from the sword and shoot it forward. A weaker Aard sign erupted, and it was what saved him from having his insides turned to mush. The blow shot him back, but he quickly scrambled to his feet, retrieving his dropped steel.
"YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF!" Bella's screams hit his ears, and he just barely raised his sword up to block.
She lashed out with a flurry of strikes from his right, but he saw her overextending. Her strikes were erratic, and the magic only made her move faster, not more precise. Yelling again she struck out high from the right. He parried the strike, a loud *BOOOM* erupted and magic smoke shot up around him, but he saw the glowing of Bella's eyes and spun.
He realized he didn't see her, and as she spun to her back, he brought his blade down. She spun too late, and dropped to one knee to block, but the power behind his strike was too great. It smacked into her sword, but the weight of his strike pushed past it, and his sword dug into the flesh of her shoulder, right in the unarmored part of her neck.
"GAHHHH FUCK!" She screamed, but her magic helped her keep his blade from digging any deeper into her shoulder.
Her blood sprayed from her shoulder onto the ice below them. He watched, as it slowly trickled under his boot. He looked at his blade, dug into her shoulder, her blood dripping and sucking onto the steel.
His sister's blood.
And then he made the mistake of looking into her eyes. Bella looked up at him, partly in shock, but what he saw twisted his insides, it almost made him sick then and there on the ice.
She hated him; he could see it in her eyes. She looked hurt, angry… betrayed.
His eyes returned to normal, all sense of anger leaving him.
I… really just cut my sister… my… my sister….
"B…Bella," He said, his hands shaking as neither of them moved. He looked down directly into her eyes, her shocked, twisted emerald eyes. "I… I'm-."
He stopped when he saw her eyes shoot to the side of the crater. Everything seemed to completely stop around them all. All the riders around them stood at attention, swords of halberds going to their shoulder. Bella's eyes changed, from a look of anger, of betrayal, to one of fear… of terror which made his heart twist even more.
It was like a magnetic pull had drug all their gazes towards one spot near the side of the crater, where a massive portal had rippled to life. The smell of sulfur attacked his nose. The riders stirred, and he swore he almost heard a whimper out of Bella.
And all at once, the scars on his cheek, and his thigh started to tremble.
"No…" He said, looking down towards Bella. "Bella! We can stop this now if we both-."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed, shooting her hands up and knocking his sword away. Magic churned in her hands, all the magic in the violent storm formed into her hands, and she slammed into his chest and he flew backwards like he was fired from a ballista. It was all he could do to will the magic to try and soften his blow, to brace him for the impact.
With a loud *BOOOOOOOM* he slammed against the icy crater. Pain was all he felt. Even with the magic quickly working to slowly heal him, he could feel his legs, he couldn't feel his heart moving, the blood running through his veins. The riders had all backed away from him as if he had some kind of infectious disease. Coughing he saw blood spit from his mouth, and while the magic slowly worked to heal him, it didn't go nearly quick enough.
It did enough to return feeling to his legs and let him crawl to his sword which had fallen not far from him. His vision was so blurry it took him a few tries to properly grip the hilt, in that time he could hear muffled voices.
"Good… Baelen… good…." The demonic voice crawled up his skin, and snaked into his ears, piercing his head like a sharp knife.
His vision cleared as he pushed him to his feet, stumbling forward with his blade loosely in hand.
"Ah… our… hero arises…" Eredin's voice came again, an amused tone to it. "So brave… yet… so foolish, just like your ancestors."
He finally looked up. Bella hadn't moved. Her sword was gripped for dear life in her hand, her eyes fixed down on the ice. Her blood slowly trickled from the wound on her shoulder, but he could see her magic going to work fixing it like it was trying to do for him. He had to blink a few more times, but he could still see Eredin's towering form besides her. He had taken off his faceplate and looked over at him with those demonic pale eyes, a smirk on his face.
That… that fucking… smirk. He coughed, blood coming out on his glove. They all have it… I'm going to wipe it away permanently.
His scars burned, as images of the King's blade stabbing into his leg, the feeling of it raking against his face all came back to him at once, hitting him like a too strong drink. A part of him wanted to flee, to find Ciri, to find his friends. He looked around and saw all the riders begin to stand at the ready, he wouldn't stand a chance against Eredin, Bella and all of them, no matter how much magic he had.
He sucked in a shaky breath, leveling his sword and letting the magic whirl around him. He looked at Bella, who refused to look up at him, not moving a muscle as Eredin was inches away from her, standing next to her while he stared at Dominik.
He focused his magic and looked over at Eredin. Coughing again he shook his head. "You… you're going to realize soon that… that we're all that way!"
His words were directed at Eredin, but he looked towards Bella, who stiffened. Eredin looked at him, with that smirk Dominik wanted to remove from his head. His magic was steadying, working through his bruised bones, and his injuries. He had it under control, it slipped up his arms, up his sword, down his legs.
No, he wouldn't run, he wasn't going to give Eredin the satisfaction. He stood, ready for what was to come.
But then Eredin smirked and looked towards Bella. "Baelen is not… she is… loyal, my… personal weapon. She…." He said, gently drawing his armored fingers across Bella's cheek, "is my… perfect little weapon."
The magic erupted out of him. "FUCKING TOUCH HER AGAIN AND I SWEAR-."
"You swear what? Are… you going to try and kill me again?" Eredin said slowly, his hand cupping Bella's face, jerking it up towards him. Bella jumped, but let him, trembling as she still didn't move. Eredin turned back to him, his eyes boring into him. "After this day… both Baelen… and Cirilla will be… where they truly belong… at my side. Well… one will be a corpse…"
All semblance of thought was gone from Dominik then. He didn't think about anything, anything except seeing Eredin's head roll from his shoulders. Those armored fingers trailed along Bella's cheek, and held around her neck. Bella trembled, her back straightening as she knew as well as Dominik did, all Eredin had to do was apply a small amount of pressure her neck would snap.
"Baelen…" Eredin said, speaking slowly as his hand rested around Bella's neck, "must complete… one last mission." He smirked at Dominik again, before looking down at Bella. "Baelen… it will not be a problem… correct?"
He squeezed ever so slightly around Bella's neck, making her gently whimper again, quickly nodding. She looked up at Eredin and shook her head. "I… I will not fail… not again."
"Bella!" Dominik yelled, making them both snap their heads to her. "You can't seriously believe this! Don't let him force you into this, you're stronger than him, he'd stand no chance against us together, he knows it and that's the only reason he's keeping you alive now!"
"Aha… your… feeble attempts fall on deaf ears, Baelen," Eredin said, squeezing Bella's neck tighter again, looking down at her, "is loyal…to me. I... control her… because she knows that without me… she is nothing." He looked at Dominik again, shaking his head, "She will serve… many purposes after the deaths of you and Zireael… a great many."
And that was when he felt himself erupt.
No longer was there a calm churning mist around him. He rushed forward, his legs moving of their own accord, faster than they had ever moved as he lunged and went to cut his sword down through Eredin's neck.
But before he could end the king's life, another blade flashed up to block, and a loud *BOOOOOOOOOOM* shook the icy plains as his sword clashed into Bella's.
A portal reopened, and Eredin stepped out again a few meters away, as Dominik wiped away the cloud of smoke from his vision. He had gotten sent stumbling back but not far. Once the smoke cleared, he saw Bella in front of him, her eyes flashing white, blue around her emerald eyes, as she looked at him, holding her sword leveled with trembling hands.
Rage, that was all he felt. A deep, visceral rage that carried into the very depths of his soul. He looked at Eredin behind Bella, who smiled coyly before turning and looking at Bella.
"Now Baelen… kill him, complete your final test," He said slowly, before turning and looking at Dominik again. "Today… the despicable line that embarrassed our superior race… comes to an end."
Bella turned to him; he could see her eyes quivering as she looked to Dominik again. He didn't see the same angry look, the same look of hatred and betrayal. No, she was just afraid, and Dominik took another slow step forward.
"Bella… please…" He said slowly, the magic building up above him. He looked at Bella, similar to him, the magic was turning into a large tornado above. He slowly glanced over at Eredin. "Together… we can kill him."
"Baelen!" Eredin yelled after he spoke, turning Bella's attention towards him. Eredin slowly smiled and gestured towards Dominik again. "Remember… the price of failure."
The dream he had a few days prior flashed into his mind again. Bella, writhing on the floor in pain, Eredin and Caranthir standing above her. He remembered all the other dreams he saw, of them beating her, harassing her, telling her what would happen if he failed.
He turned back towards Bella again, who slowly looked back to him.
And with a scream, she rushed at him again.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"You… are WEAK ZIREAEL!" Caranthir screamed, lashing out from the right with his staff.
Ciri ducked back, the ball of light passing over her head, before teleporting forward and trying to cut across the Navigator's stomach. However, Caranthir again was ready, and teleported out of the way in a puff of frost. Ciri whirled, trying to locate him, but again was too distracted looking at the tornados of magic from just a short distance away. The crater where Dominik was couldn't have been more than a few meters, she could remember exactly where it was, could teleport there.
But each time that she tried, Caranthir was on her.
This was their plan all along, separate us, Ciri realized as she parried the staff and leapt to avoid another strike. Even Avallac'h said it, they realize how much stronger we are together, they separated us to make it easier.
Caranthir growled and leapt towards her again. He swung out with one end of his staff and then the other. His eyes were what unnerved her the most. They were a pale green, the same demonic look all the Aen Elle had as he tried to smash her head in. She parried quickly to one side, and then the other, trying to avoid both sides was hard, it was like facing two weapons at once. She cursed and said a silent apology to Dominik. He had offered to teach her more advanced ways of fighting with two weapons the previous few weeks, and each time she rejected, saying she didn't feel she needed it. It would have come in handy at that moment.
But it wasn't that, or Caranthir's eyes which distracted Ciri the most. It was the battle in the other crater. Two massive tornadoes of magic, which looked like two large whips slamming against one another. She could feel the access of magic, it would have given her a headache had her own powers not countered it. She had never seen magic like it. What she was seeing then, looked similar to how Dominik described her own powers unleashing at Kaer Morhen.
He's over there… and so is Eredin. I need to get there; I need to get-.
"You have no hope Zireael!" Caranthir's staff passed inches from her face. She ducked back, avoiding the top of the staff again before the Navigator spun, slamming the staff against her stomach.
She yelled, teleporting away and falling backwards after reappearing a distance away. Her gut felt like it was imploding in on itself. Coughing, Ciri managed to stumble back to her feet, grabbing the hilt of her sword from the ice below and looking up at Caranthir again.
"Soon… Baelen will… fulfill her purpose," He said, spinning his staff under his arm again, that fucking smirk still present. "And… your allies will fall."
The sounds of the main battle were in the distance, but she had gotten enough of a look to see more and more riders, an endless stream heading towards the main site of the battle. More and more portals opened and would continue to open so long as Caranthir lived, so long as his staff stayed in tack. She had passed frozen Nilfgaardeans, all unmoving. It wasn't too many, but it should be enough to turn the tide of battle. More importantly it would mean the end of one of the Hunt's commanders, one of the heads of the snake cut off.
The only problem was there were three heads, and Dominik faced two of them alone.
Ciri gritted her teeth, looking down at the ring dangling from her neck. She couldn't teleport to him now, Caranthir would simply follow. No, the only way she was getting back to him was by killing the Navigator there.
But all she could see was, the image of Dominik standing before Eredin and Bella both, both bent on killing him.
She had run away after Rivia, after leaving Geralt and Yen on Avalon, specifically to make sure the Hunt didn't get to them, or to Dominik. She had separated from him again, denied herself that love for years, all so that what was happening now wouldn't happen, and he'd be safe.
She had brought the Hunt there. No matter how many times she was told it wasn't her fault, she knew that was false. The Hunt was there for her and had come because she decided to come back.
No more… no more are going to die for this… least of all Dominik. Caranthir stood across from her, why he hadn't advanced and finished her off was a mystery, but the more Ciri looked at him the more she felt that smirk stirring the boiling pot of rage deep in her stomach.
I'll wipe that fucking smirk out forever, she thought before looking up at his staff, but first thing is first… the staff.
Ciri didn't give him time to say anything else. Feeling her own magic erupting from her limbs, shooting from her eyes she ran and leapt. Caranthir looked up, raising his staff to defend, Ciri couldn't remember a time she had ever gotten so high. In the air she blinked forward swinging her blade down towards Caranthir. Like she expected he teleported away, but Ciri smashed into the ground, cracking and shaking the ice beneath her. Right away she turned and teleported again, again and again, each time Caranthir teleported away from her.
Never stop when you have the advantage, press your attack! Vesemir's words played over and over in her mind as it was almost as if she and Caranthir were playing a game of tag to the death.
Finally, she caught up with him, he stumbled out of a teleport and Ciri finally got to him. She landed near his side, and using her continued moment cut her sword across his side. The Navigator's blood spilled to the ice and he yelled out. Ciri came back around to his front and struck upwards. Her magic spurred on her arm, and Caranthir just managed to get his staff up to block. She heard a satisfying clang as her sword cut clean through the bottom of his staff. The bit of metal fell to the ground, but Ciri had no time to celebrate.
Growling Caranthir struck again, his staff clanged against Ciri's sword and he spun. He came down from above, but she got her sword up to block it. For a moment he towered over her, his staff pressed down against her sword. Ciri saw the opening, she ducked and rolled letting his momentum bring him to the ground. She spun and came up behind going for another strike to his already bleeding torso, but this time the Navigator was ready.
He disappeared in a puff of frost, and Ciri spun around just in time to find the staff smashing against her side again. She cried out and fell backwards, her sword almost slipping from her hand. She grabbed it, and just as Caranthir came to swing his staff down on her she teleported scrambling up from the ground to level her blade at Caranthir again, who stepped up in front of her. She saw his blood slowly leaking from his side like a leaky pipe. He grabbed his side, keeping one hand on his staff, but Ciri couldn't take joy in seeing him like that.
She felt a pain shoot through her head. It was as if every fall from the gauntlet was coming back to her in that moment. Her bones ached. She willed the magic to invigorate her, to mend her aches, but it was hard to do that and fight at the same time.
And she also still looked at the tornados of magic, which now seemed to combine into one massive hurricane over the crater just miles away.
Caranthir must have seen her looking because he chuckled. "Ha… he stands no chance…. Either… Baelen kills him, or our King... finally wipes out that line. Today… the line… of Lod… finally comes to an end… one way or another."
Ciri couldn't take her eyes off the hurricane. Rain continued pounding down on her, but it was as if Bella and Dominik fought in an electric cage of magic. She had never seen something churn so violently.
And he's not just fighting Bella… Eredin is there. She cursed and turned back to Caranthir. "You're wrong! You all underestimate us, and that's going to be why you lose here today! Together we're going too-."
A loud *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* cut her off, a giant blast of magic erupting from the crater where Dominik was fighting. The hurricane imploded on itself and shot outwards. Even Caranthir was taken and flung aside by the power of the burst. Ciri tried to stay standing but soon felt like a rag doll in the wind. She slammed against a wall of ice and the broken hull of a ship. She landed with new pain coursing through her body, her head exploding from the inside as the amount of magic that went through her mind rang like a bell. She knew Caranthir was getting up as well, with the ringing still in her head, her vision still blurry; she found her sword and grabbed it.
She crawled up to her knees, leaning on her sword as she blinked to try and clear her vision.
And when she finally did, it was completely silent.
The hurricane of magic was gone, she couldn't even hear the sounds of battle in the distance. She had to assume they were all knocked back as well, but all she could think about, was the deafening quiet. All she could hear was the ringing in her head and nothing else.
Her eyes stayed fixed on where she had seen the magic, waiting, praying for the tornados to come back, to hear anything.
"Dominik…." She said, her voice in a whisper but rising to a panic. Groaning she pushed herself to her feet again. Her heart raced, and she took a wobbling step towards the center of the crater. Still no magic, still no noise. "DOMINIK!"
"Ah… aha… it… it is done," Caranthir said, coughing as he stumbled away from the wall he had been thrown against. He bled and was still holding his bleeding side. His face had been bruised and scraped; it was probably once, but now it was mangled. He spun, leering towards Ciri with his demonic eyes and spoke in his raspy voice. "He… he is… dead. Baelen… dead….and… after you die… Zireael… the line of Lod… will… be no more… you will fulfill your purpose."
"No… no, no, no, no, no not again," She said, rushing forward, stumbling to her knees as she got to the center of the crater. She looked up; a huge plume of smoke was over the crater. Still no noise, no magic. "NO, NO, NO DOMINIK!"
Her voice raked against the back of her throat. Tears came down her face before she could even think about holding them back. All she could see was him dead. He had been dead; he'd been killed at Kaer Morhen and she had been unable to do anything. No, he couldn't be dead again, she wasn't going to let him, she was going to be there for him this time.
But the longer she stared, the longer she saw no smoke come, and she felt herself break.
"Dominik… no… no you promised no… no…" She cried. She couldn't stop herself, standing there, in the middle of the battle Ciri cried.
NO, stop it. He isn't dead, he ISN'T!
She could feel the ring bounce against her chest. No, he wasn't dead, he couldn't be. And even if he had been knocked out, he was still alive. The sounds of the battle resumed, steel clashing against steel as thunder started to boom in the icy sphere, they all fought in. Sounds started hitting her ears again, but all Ciri could focus on was the plume of smoke above the crater so far away.
She needed to go. She needed to get to him, she wasn't going to leave him to fight alone again she-.
"IT IS OVER!" Caranthir yelled, and Ciri's highly trained ears heard the whooshing of the wind coming from behind her.
She spun, raising her sword to barely block Caranthir's staff. Before she could do anything else the Navigator thrusted his hand forward and a blast of magic slammed into her and Ciri got sent skidding back. She landed on stomach, her sword just falling out of her hands.
"You… can spare all… these other deaths…" Caranthir yelled over the wind in his broken tongue. Ciri groaned and crawled to her sword grabbing it and pushing herself to her feet. She spun just as Caranthir got to her, his pale green eyes baring into her. "Or… you can end up like… your little lover."
No. He wasn't dead, she refused to believe it, it wasn't going to happen, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. They had been through too much, they deserved to both make it out of this. They had suffered, they had fought, all the bad things in the world seemed to happen to them. At the end of it all was supposed to be a life, their life and nobody else was supposed to try and take that from them.
"And nobody will…." She gritted through her teeth. Her hand gripped tighter to her sword, feeling the magic around her begin to churn, to swirl, it came out of her eyes, out of her arms. No, nobody else was going to torture them. She had wanted that life for too long, she deserved that life, Dominik deserved that better life.
"And we're going to fucking have it." She turned, the magic completely overtaking her eyes, as she saw it shoot up in a spiraling vortex around her. She willed it, forced it to go further, to push more out of her, and when she screamed it erupted from her like a bomb. Her fuses had finally been burnt out, and now it all unleashed out of her. It picked up old pieces of wood, it knocked Caranthir off balance, it was like what happened at Kaer Morhen all over again.
Only this time, she controlled it. And when Caranthir looked back at her, he wasn't smirking anymore.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed and leapt, charging down towards the Navigator.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"He put lies in your head!" Dominik shouted, blocking Bella's blows and stepping under one of her strikes. "Our mother died protecting us both in the streets! Nilfgaard came for Ciri when she didn't even know about her powers!"
"THEY STILL CAME FOR HER, THEY PROTECTED HER INSTEAD!" Bella screamed, spinning and slashing her blade back down over her head.
He blocked it, thrusting his hand forward. Aard blasted Bella back but she quickly recovered. "They protected ALL of us the best they could because we were a FAMILY me, you and Ciri, they loved all three of us. YOU loved her like that! She didn't come up with some elaborate scheme she was a fucking child Bella!"
"YOU'RE WRONG! I'VE SEEN IT!"
"YOU'VE SEEN WHAT HE SHOWED YOU!" Dominik shouted, pointing his sword over towards Eredin, who stood with his hands behind his back. "I KNOW YOU DOUBT IT, I'VE SEEN IT IN YOU BELLA! What Ciri is supposed to do!? Stop the Black Ones? Stop mother and father from protecting her!? She was a child, we all were! None of us were to blame for what happened, only the Black Ones!"
"THE SAME PEOPLE YOU CAME AND FOUGHT WITH HERE TODAY!" Bella rushed at him again. He looked above her head and the churning tornado of magic had grown, it slammed and slapped into his as she leapt and brought her sword down.
A large burst of magic erupted from both blades. Bella pressed, but Dominik managed to parry it to the side. Bella's sword dug into the ice, and Dominik thrusted out his elbow, hitting her in the cheek before blasting her back with Aard again. She cursed as she stumbled back to her feet, one hand clawing at her hair again. She looked over at Eredin who didn't say a word, simply standing there with no helmet, watching the fight unfold.
I can make it to him… I can fucking end this now, I can-. Bella shouted again as she rushed towards him, this time however she was much more precise. He cursed as he fended off her blows. The speed at which she changed her guard position, at which she struck out was quicker than Dominik had ever seen. The magic while erratic helped her move, but with each missed strike, with each strike he parried, she grew more frustrated. Each time she'd scream, and lunge again. There were plenty of times he could've lunged and cut her good across the stomach.
But he stopped himself. If she wouldn't respond to his pleas, if he couldn't harm her, the best thing he could do was simply state the truth. Eredin being there however was an issue. The King simply stood with his riders, watching them, a dissatisfied look on his face. Each time Bella stopped she glanced there, she'd stiffen, and within a second turn back to attack him again. Why wasn't he attacking? Was he so confident that he controlled Bella that he was really going to stand there?
"YOU FOUGHT WITH THEM, YOU ALLIED YOURSELF WITH THEM!" Bella lashed out again, bringing his mind back to the fight. She lashed at him, stabbed forward, a blow which he barely had time to dodge. He side-stepped, but the momentary lapse gave Bella time to spin back and cut across his torso. If not for his armor he'd have bled out.
A hit pain shot up his lungs, he sucked in magic to help heal him, but Bella was still on him. She struck from the right and pushing the magic to his legs he rolled to the right and came back up, shooting his hand forward as Aard blasted her sword from her hand. Bella yelled out, stumbling back and Dominik lunged, tackling her back just before she could reach and grab her sword.
She tried to say something but yelled out when he slammed his knee over her wrist. He held her other arm down while holding onto his sword as well. He grimaced and winced, feeling his own blood drip onto the ice. The two massive tornadoes of magic around them had clashed, forming one massive hurricane above them. It churned, shot bits of debris and ice all over them. The howling drowned out the sounds of battle in the distance as Dominik looked down at Bella. A giant bruise was forming on her cheek, she was bleeding from her shoulder still and for a moment it was just the two of them.
Around them riders all grew antsy, while Eredin simply watched, his gaze unchanging. Around them both the maelstrom continued to churn, Bella's hair sprawled out behind her as she tried to rip free from his hold, but Dominik's grip was like iron.
He looked down and saw her eyes welling with panic. Soon, they fell on him, and for a moment, he was looking at his sister again, which made him shake his head.
"I allied with them, because sometimes the greater good outweighs the need for petty grudges and revenge! I hate the Black Ones, I always will! But I know that the best chance to save not just the lives of the people I love, but thousands of others would come if I fought besides them!" He pressed down again on Bella's wrist with his knee, keeping hold on her wrist. She squirmed but her eyes didn't leave him as he shouted over the winds. "And I know you think the same way! Even if for some reason you do really hate Ciri and me, blame us for what happened, you don't want thousands to die!"
"I've… I've killed thousands before! Entire villages!" She said through gritted teeth. He saw tears fall down the sides of her face to the ice, but it only made her kick to be free of his grip even harder. "I didn't feel any sympathy then… I am what I am… I'm a monster Dominik don't you fucking understand!? THIS is where I belong, I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!"
"YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE! OUR FATHER TAUGHT US THAT!" He screamed at her, his anger, his annoyance, his shame all boiling over into his words. Bella went silent, still crying and struggling under his grip as he looked at her. He slowly shook his head, tears beginning to form in his own eyes as well, as he struggled to form the words. "It… it is our choices that show what we truly are… far more than our abilities."
A favorite quote of their fathers, he was rather fond of that one, and it seemed Bella remembered it as well as he did.
Underneath his grips, she finally stopped struggling. Around them wind continued to swirl, the magic almost sounding like a hundred birds chirping at once in his ear. He spared a glance at the riders around them, and at Eredin as well.
Still no change, but he was done worrying about the King now. All he did was look down at Bella, who had closed her eyes, tears not stopping. His heart sank again. He hated seeing her like this, at any time. His life had been hard since Cintra yes, but Bella's had been just as tumultuous.
She shakily sighed and looked deep into his eyes from beneath him. "And… and my choices so far? What I've done?"
"Those were choices you made before; you can't change them. You can't change the past Bella no matter how hard you try," He said, his grip on her wrist and the force of his knee on her other hand softening. He didn't look away from her. "All we can do… is learn from it. I haven't done all good in my life either… but I'm choosing to fight for the ones I love here… it isn't too late."
"That's all you're here for!" She hissed as he put more pressure to hold her down again. She shakily sobbed out a small scoff, shaking her head, her eyes not leaving him. "For her, she's all you ever cared about, and all you care about now. Me, mother, father… no… I never really mattered to you… you were my best-friend… I trusted you!"
"I know…" He said his voice finally cracked. He made sure not to let up on his grip, but he could feel his heart shattering. She was broken under him, but the chirping of the magic, the howling of winds, and the cold glares from the riders and Eredin around them made him keep his focus. He sucked in a sharp breath and looked at his crying little sister again. "I let you down… and Bella I'm so… so sorry for that. But you're wrong. I'm not just here for Ciri… I'm here for everyone I love… and that includes you. I won't leave you again…"
"I told you it's too late…." She cried, tears coming faster now as she shook her head furiously beneath him. "You still don't understand! I don't want it to be, but it is, it's too late! THIS is who I am! And no matter what I do… I'm not strong enough to change it… I'm not."
He shook his head, and his mouth tasted like lead. She was still in tears below him, and around them he could see the riders getting antsy. Even Eredin's scowl started to deepen.
His gaze shot back down to Bella. "Bell… we don't have much time. Please… don't make me keep doing this! You're stronger than you know, you are the reason you're strong not him…. It isn't too late to make a different choice."
Slowly, he moved his knee off of her hand and wrist. He didn't break eye contact, not once. His sister was crying. He hated it when Bella cried when they were kids. He and Ciri would always do whatever they could to make her feel better, to make her smile again. Because that was just how infectious Bella's smile was, how infectious her personality was. She made so many others happy simply by being in the room. He hadn't seen it in eleven years, and now he figured out he had almost killed her three times.
He didn't know if he ever would forgive himself for that. Even as she lay below him, she was dripping blood from her shoulder and neck still. A giant bruise had formed on her right cheek where he'd elbowed her. The magic had been healing them both, but he still winced at pain in his right side where she had cut him. It seemed the magic was capable of sealing wounds on the outside, but not of taking the pain away in his bones.
Bella finally stirred, moving her arm and forming a fist. He thought she was going to attack for a moment, but finally he heard her sob. He had no idea what else he could do. He thought about the rest of the army, of his friends, and most importantly of Ciri. Had she found Caranthir? Was she fighting him as he looked at Bella then? How fast could he find her? He hadn't tried using his own magic to detect other magic, but he was sure he could.
For that one fleeting moment however, he pushed all those thoughts from his mind. He looked only at Bella. A part of him still wondered if it was some sick joke, some cruel illusion that Eredin had somehow managed to pull. Could they even do something like that?
But the more he looked at her, the more he knew that wasn't the case. His sister was below him; Bella was truly alive. One of his biggest failures.
She finally let out a shaky breath, meeting his eyes and shaking her head. "I wish that was true…."
His eyes widened and his heart palpitated. "Bella! Bella please you can't-. GAH!"
She threw her foot upwards, magic enhancing the speed of it. Her armored foot smacked into the back of his head, and right away Dominik's vision went blurry, black spots dancing in his eyes. He rolled off her, grabbing the back of his head and feeling the blood right away begin to pool. His sword fell just out of reach as a clap of thunder rang in his head like a bell. Above them as his vision cleared, he saw the magic above them both churning into one massive hurricane.
He looked to the side of his head as he rolled, seeing blood pooling from the back of his skull. He was having trouble bleeding let alone thinking of happy memories then to help control the mist. But he gritted his teeth and sucked in what magic wasn't churning around him. Slowly he could feel the pain leaving him, the wound on the back of his head was closing, blood was stopping, but that didn't stop his head from pounding and him from seeing black spots in his vision.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHH!"
Bella's scream sounded more like a shriek in his ears. He looked up as she bared down on him. Magic swirled around her entire body like a coat. It had turned from white-blue to dark blue, almost black as it shot around like static. He rolled just as her sword hit the ground where he had been, it would have easily been enough to cut him in half, but instead it cut into the ice where he had been laying in pain. Rock and ice exploded up into her face, and she turned just as he finally found his sword again.
And then she screamed again, coming for him in a blur. He barely got his sword up to block her first strike. Strength from the magic finally started returning to him, but after every attack, every clang of steel on steel his head would ring. The black spots would return to his vision. With each connection of their swords, more magic would shoot up from them blinding him even more. If Bella had been holding anything back on him before, she had stopped.
More thunder rattled overhead, as the rain became a downpour, but it was dwarfed by the storm of magic that swirled above their heads. It was pure, raw, unfiltered magic and with each attack his armor was singed, he could feel bits of his hair setting alight, quickly smothered by the wind and rain.
Bella leapt and stabbed at him, he side-stepped, knocking her sword into the ground. It cracked the ice below them, and he spun his sword ready to cut across her back.
But he stopped, his stomach erupting, his heart falling into it as he instead shot out his hands with Aard. The moment of hesitation bought Bella the time she needed, she rolled out of the way, cutting her sword back across his leg. He yelled and fell to his knee, spinning just as Bella came down with her sword over his head. He pulled his sword up, and Bella's slammed into it sending out a ring of magic shooting out around them. It smashed into some of the riders watching, sending them off balance, and Dominik almost dropped his blade from the shock that got sent up his arms.
"BELLA STOP!" He yelled, rolling and getting out of the clinch. He shot back up to his feet, leveling his sword as she whirled back around to him. "This is exactly what he wants! He wants one of us to kill each other, so he can pick off the other one!"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" She came at him again, lunging from the right, attacking and then rolling to her left. She moved quickly, striking out and putting him on his back foot. Her eyes were awash with magical light, that same twisted dark blue light their magic had turned into. Her cheeks were red and bruised, but she lunged out at him.
The pain in his head was finally going away, but he knew he'd have to check for more damage later. Now however, Bella didn't seem to be thinking about her injuries either. She bled from spots all over her body, her armor was singed like his, but she didn't relent. She lashed out with a new flurry, the right, the left, she stabbed, not even taking a second to breath.
She shot her hand out, and a spear of ice shot from it. He rolled and got out of the way, the spear shot past him, impaling a rider in the neck before he had time to move. He watched the rider crumple to the ground, but even as he looked away for a second Bella took advantage. She lashed out towards him again, cutting from the right, but with his heightened reflexes from the magic he shot his sword up and blocked it. He shot his hands forward to knock her off balance with Aard, but she saw it coming. Her own hand went up, and a magic shield appeared around her. Aard bounced off it, before she lowered it and lunged. He barely got Quen up in time to block it. Bella's sword smacked into his shield, it erupted magic back to her, and she screamed she stumbled back, a massive surge sent through her body.
Go! Fucking attack, you idiot, he screamed at himself. But he was rooted to his spot. Bella stumbled, laboring as she grabbed her sword wrist in pain. She was exhausted. He could see it. She was bent over, still bleeding. Her skin was almost white as snow, her breathing was shaky as she slowly straightened herself back out. His Uncle Vesemir, Geralt, any of his mentors would have been screaming at him to attack, it was an opportunity that only came for a few precious moments in a fight like this. He tried to force his limbs to move, to fire Igni, to pull his crossbow out and shoot, anything.
He still didn't move. It was as if his limbs wanted to move, but the receptors in his brain weren't letting them.
Gods I… I really can't do this. Ciri… Ciri was right, I never should have done this alone, he thought, his cold hand slowly tightening around his sword. I've already hurt her… how the hell did I expect to swing a sword at my sister? I couldn't even-.
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bella had seen him not moving. She rushed and leapt at him, magic building up in her hands coming directly from the hurricane of it above. It formed into a blast in her hand and she shot it forward at him. It came so quick, that Dominik only had time to form the sign for Quen.
The shield had just barely raised when the magic slammed into him. It felt like his insides were being ripped apart as he flew back. He shot back as if he was fired from a ballista, he shot his hands up again, magic from the storm above formed around him but it wasn't quick enough to cover him fully as he slammed against the side of the crater. His head smacked against the ice as a cloud of smoke went up from around them. The magic was still in the air, but all he could see were small bits of what was in front of him. His sword fell limply from his hand as the riders scattered and he slumped to the ground. His ass hit the ice, and every rider around him seemed to multiply.
He groaned and tried to use the magic to heal him again, but he couldn't see let alone focus. He sat, limp and aching as he fumbled for his sword. Blood trickled from cuts all over his body. Under his armor he could feel his shirt sticking to his chest soaking up the blood. He fell to his side, the pain in his head was unbearable. He felt as if someone was sticking needles into his brain. Still all he could see were specks of black, which he assumed were the riders, Bella and Eredin. He thought he could hear muffled voices, but all he could focus on was trying to move his limbs.
Slowly he felt himself able to think. Ciri… Ciri for… for fuck's sake you… you were right. God… I'm dead… I'm fucking dead aren't I.
Eredin was there, and he wasn't going to let him live. No matter what his only hope for getting out of that situation lay with Bella, and she had almost just did him in then. He would be dead if not for the magic. It slowly helped his vision clear, as he thought about Ciri. Groaning he moved and crawled, hearing the steel of his sword rattle. His hand found it, and soon he was looking at the pommel, his hand wrapping around the hilt.
No… fucking… no. I… I promised her…. All he could think about then was her. If he died, Ciri would die just so she could smack him in the afterlife. He kept blinking, he thought he could hear voices, arguing, Bella and Eredin? He shook it out of his head, trying to blink away the blurry black dots that danced in his eyes.
Ciri didn't deserve this. He had promised, promised he'd be okay, and that their life would start tomorrow. They had both been through enough, this was supposed to be it, this was supposed to be the last fight for their lives. He still hadn't heard her entire story, the entire story of what happened after they were separated. It was one of the first things they planned on doing. A hot bath, food, a warm bed at a roadside inn, and just the two of them, telling each other every single little detail, no matter how agonizing it was.
It was their life, and they'd do whatever they wanted with it. Finally.
"Ciri…" It hurt even to speak as he pushed the tip of his sword into the ice. Around him riders stirred, as if itching to run him through, but they dutifully stayed put.
He kept blinking, wincing and groaning as he willed the magic to try and heal him, meanwhile he looked up out in the distance near the Nagalfar. The sounds of the battle were getting closer, but it didn't matter. If Ciri didn't kill Caranthir, and they couldn't kill Eredin, nothing would matter.
"You promised you'd consider sparing him!" Bella said, but her voice to him was distant, muffled.
He ignored it, all he did was look, he needed to know she was alive, that Ciri was alright, that he hadn't sent her to her death. He knew she could survive, but what if just like this had been a trap for him, they had set one for her?
With a coughing laugh, Dominik realized what they had done. They… they split us up… they wanted this from the start. He… he knew that… that together we… we would've been too much.
And I gave them exactly what they wanted. He pushed himself to his knees, having to hold onto his sword as he looked out towards the Nagalfar again. "Ciri…"
"I said… I would consider sparing him…. Once Zireael was dead," Eredin's deep voice said, the voices becoming clearer now.
Bella spoke again. "And she has to be! She stands no chance against Caranthir, we know this! He stands no threat anymore. Once she's dead, I'm sure I can convince him to stand down!"
As soon as he heard the words, Dominik turned to the sound. His vision was slowly clearing, and he could make out Bella, standing in front of Eredin her sword dripping blood at her side. The wind, rain and churning of the magic sent her hair flying up in all directions. Eredin looked down at her, and for the first time, his steely gaze didn't seem to intimidate her. The King glared down at her, his pale demonic eyes didn't leave her, but Bella didn't waver. For the first time she showed strength. She didn't back down, even when Eredin got inches from her, staring down at her, towering over her by feet, his sister didn't move.
But Dominik ignored all of that, all he heard, was Ciri being mentioned in the same sentence as being dead.
"No… no, no!" He hissed, trying to step to his feet, but slipping back to the ground after new pain shot through his head. The magic around him became like static as his panic rose.
Eredin's voice cut over the wind again. "Again Baelen… I said I would consider your request. And being as generous as I am… I have and I've chosen to decline."
"But you said-."
"NO Baelen," Eredin hissed, "you have seen as I have… he will not back down. Besides… don't think I haven't seen your weakness."
Dominik looked up, still on his knees he couldn't even find the strength to get up. He tried, but the magic was too slow. Each time he tried to relax his mind the pain would erupt, as if his brain were slowly being ripped off in chunks. His bones, the aching it hadn't stopped, and the magic could only do so much. He couldn't think straight, he couldn't think of happy memories, of what was coming after, all he could think about was Ciri, where she was, if she really had a trap sprung on her like he had.
"I did what you asked! I fought him, I beat him, he can barely stand!" Bella's shouting drew his attention. He looked over and she still looked up at Eredin, the magic gone from her eyes. In the center of the crater.
She shook her head. "I did what I had to do, and I fulfilled MY orders! You told me that it was all I had to do! To get him away from Zireael and beat him, and THAT is what I did-."
A loud *BOOOOOOOM* shook the icy plains below them, cutting Bella off and turning the attention of every rider over towards the Nagalfar.
Dominik tried again to get to his feet, but only managed a few steps before falling, his head still spinning. He looked up and saw a large blast of magic spiral up from one of the craters a distance away. It heightened his senses, his eyes widened and pushing through the pain in his head, he reached out with the magic that was left around him. He had never tried it before, he hadn't tried almost anything with the magic before, but he could remember Yennefer, Triss, Ida, everyone saying that each mage had a distinct magical signature, one that defined them. It was how Ida was able to tell he was related to Connor of Lod, because Dominik's signature was so similar to his.
Each minute he pushed, his head pounded but after a few seconds he latched onto something, a feeling, a familiar feeling. It was as if she were standing right next him. He realized he had felt it, the feeling of her magic. It had been next to him, it bounced off his so naturally, that he knew right away it was her.
That blast had come from Ciri. He looked and saw a large cloud of smoke, of magic wisps coming from the crater she had been fighting in.
She was in trouble, she was alone. I promised not to leave her alone again… come on, get the fuck up you useless fucking man. GET UP!
He tried, but he slipped again, falling back onto his stomach on the ice now stained with his blood. His fingers dug into the ice as his steel just fell from his hand, outstretched in front of him was the swallow around his neck, it had somehow fallen from his neck. A surge shot through him as he snatched it, curling it in his fingers, which only made him think about Ciri alone again.
His breathing came in quick rapid breaths as he got to his knees again. Looking down his gloves, and now the swallow was covered in his own blood. The wounds had sealed thanks to the magic, but the blood all over his body was still there, and now it stained his one reminder of her.
That small piece of silver had gotten him through the last eight years. There had been nights where he didn't feel anything. He had weeks at a time where all he felt was pain, inside and out, it was if someone was repeatedly beating him down over the head with a shovel. All he was able to think about was her, how he failed her, how she was suffering, and how he had known something would happen, yet he did nothing.
For days at a time he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep. Why would he? Because each time he did, each time he would try to close his eyes for the night he'd see her, he'd see Cintra, his home in flames, Bella and his mother shot down in the streets, he'd see Cahir chasing Ciri and he, he'd see Ciri walking through the portal with Yen. Her last smile, her last words, the dreams of her being kidnapped, of her being killed. How could you close your eyes to sleep, to try and escape the pain of being awake, when you experienced that same pain only worse when you did close your eyes? He had days where he couldn't move, he'd lay awake in a bed roll, unable to eat or get up and do anything. What was the point? What was the point of getting up and doing anything, when everything you tried only brought more of the same pain?
Every. Single. Day. For weeks at a time this was his life, waking up after an hour of sleep with an empty stomach drenching in his own sweat. Combine that with sleeping in the woods, having to fight every day to survive, to make money to live, having to risk his life to kill monsters he never should have been able to, or had to fight. He could either fight a pack of drowners and risk pain that way, or sleep and feel the pain that way.
At points the only good thing, was the prospect that maybe the monster he fought that day would finally kill him and take it all away. If he were dead, he wouldn't feel anything anymore. Anyone would think that better, then nothing but a repeating cycle of the same pain each day, wouldn't they?
He had looked over so many cliffs. People would always claim they knew what it was like, to be at the edge, to experience what he had. But until you looked over that ledge, an actual ledge and saw the abyss, the blackness below, you didn't know how it felt. You didn't know what it was like to be ready to end it all, until you had one foot over the ledge.
But he always pulled back, and that small piece of silver in his hand had been the reason why. That swallow always reminded him of the promise he made. If they were ever separated, he would do everything he could to find her. It reminded him that the happiness he had, the few moments of it had been real, that Ciri had been real. The swallow wasn't just some piece of silver, it was her. It helped remind him of the times his life hadn't been so full of pain.
And all those moments had Ciri in them. The one person who understood him, who made him feel like he wasn't alone in the pain he experienced. A light in his life which had been nothing but darkness since his home was burned to the ground and his family murdered. She had shown him that good things still existed in the world, and that swallow always reminded him that she was real. She had gotten him off that ledge.
It was small, but sometimes, something small was all you needed.
On paper sometimes your life looked bleak, but in the end, there was always some good. And to get through, all you needed to do was focus on that good.
Ciri.
The smoke had cleared from where the explosion had erupted. Magic around him was beginning to quicken with his heartbeat. He sucked in a shaky breath, focusing on that good. The mist came back, and he sucked in the magic through his nose. It calmed his trembling hands. Small wisps of it came out of his eyes as he opened them and squeezed his hand around the swallow.
If they somehow did kill her… there's going to be hell to pay… for everyone. His eyes grew more filled with magic, as he slowly tied the chain for the swallow back around his neck.
That one bit of good.
"Ah… it seems Caranthir has done his job," Eredin's voice broke over the wind again. Dominik turned slowly, his head down, but he peaked to see the King turn towards Bella.
Bella hadn't moved, still staring out over where the explosion had happened, her knees locked. However, when Eredin grabbed and violently squeezed her shoulder Bella jumped and turned back to him.
Eredin's face contorted into a snarl, his voice hissing. "You have grown… weak again Baelen. You are… lucky Caranthir succeeded in his task."
Bella looked at him, and then over to Dominik again. He coughed, falling to all fours again. He continued his fit, blood spewing up from his mouth before he heard Bella's voice again.
"But… but I completed my task as well! We've won the day, and you told me, you swore to me on your honor as King," Bella said, her voice growing angrier as she looked up at the King. Her armored boots dug into the snow as she shook her head. "You said I'd get the chance to let him join with us once I proved I could defeat him, and Zireael was dead, you said that you-."
"ENOUGH!" Eredin's armored hand swung smacking into Bella's right cheek. Not ready, not ready for the strike, Bella cried out and fell to the ground blood spilling from her cheek. Her confidence drained as did the color from her face as she looked back up at Eredin.
The King reached down, grabbing the base of Bella's hair and yanking her back up to meet his eyes. Bella yelled and struggled, grabbing at Eredin's massive hand as he knelt on one knee next to her, yanking.
"I have new orders for you Baelen," He growled in her ear, tossing her back to the ground next to her sword. He turned and looked over at Dominik, his lips curling. "Kill him. Right your ancestors mistake Baelen… one final test…"
"You… you told me," Bella coughed from the ground, her hand curling around her sword as she looked back at Eredin, pushing herself to her feet, "that… this was my final test! You lied!"
Eredin stalked to her, his hand raised, and Bella stumbled back. A smirk came to Eredin's face, his black hair blew behind him as the magic around Bella and Dominik continued to swirl above them. The King scoffed, looking down at Bella again, she scrambled back as he stood over her.
"I decide when your final test is you filthy half-breed," He said, "now… you will do as I command. Kill him… and remember what the price of failure is…"
Eredin strode back to a wall of the crater below them. Dominik stumbled and fell to his stomach again, the magic still slowly working at his wounds. He saw Bella looking between him and Eredin, her hand finally curling around her blade. She shakily stood, and Dominik snuck a glance at her face. Eredin had struck the cheek Dominik already hit earlier. The entire left side of Bella's face was dark black and blue, blood trickling down in small streams. She still bled from her shoulder, from her back.
Come on Bella… come on….
She turned back over to him, and Dominik saw magic stream from the churning storm above her head. It shot into her eyes, the dark blue overtaking her eyes. He cursed and looked down again, sucking in the last of the mist surrounding him, not wanting Bella or any of the riders to see it.
He couldn't do this anymore. He needed to get to Ciri. He refused to believe she was dead, he'd come back for Bella but now, he needed to reach Ciri.
Bella's boots crunched against the snow, and Dominik looked back down. He coughed, spitting more blood onto the ice, watching his medallion and the swallow dangle in his vision before the only bits of light from the torches around them were blocked out.
Replaced by Bella's shadow.
"I… I warned you…. I did," She said. She was crying again. "It's over…. After I do this… I'll finally have my place…. Eredin he… he will make sure of it.
"You… you're a lot of things Bella," He said, coughing again as he dispersed the rest of the magic throughout his bones. He dug his finger into the ice, not looking up. "But… but an idiot isn't one of them…. You… you're nothing but a pawn to him, he doesn't care."
"And you do!?" She spat.
"Yes," He said, a breath leaving him, magic wisps coming from his lips.
Bella's shadow shook its head. "It doesn't matter anymore…. If I kill you… maybe the pain will go away… it has to go away somehow!"
"It won't… believe me, I know," He said, his eyes drifting to his sword a few feet away. Shaking his head, he kept his eyes on the ground. An idea formed in his head. "The pain… it won't go away with one death…"
The tip of Bella's sword touched his neck. "And how would you know?"
"Because I've tried that," He said, trying to remember anything he had ever heard Yennefer say about the abilities of magic. Bella's cold sword tip tingled against his neck. "You think that if other people hurt as much as you do… then maybe it'll make you feel better… but it doesn't, it never will."
"And you're going to tell me you know how I feel!? That you've felt how I feel!? That you can somehow make it better!?"
"I'm your brother… I may be the only one who does know. Well… me and one other person," He said softly, feeling the connection with the sword made, it was just behind Bella's back.
Bella's sword trembled on the back of his neck. He heard her shakily sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore Dominik... I'll kill you here… and if Ciri isn't dead… I'll kill her next. Don't you understand? You're going to die, and then Ciri is going to if she isn't already! It's over!"
I'm sorry…. He slowly let out the breath he had been holding. He felt Bella's sword leave his neck, and saw her shadow raise it. Dominik almost scrambled, but it stopped, unmoving as he had been when he could have killed her.
He couldn't freeze this time.
The magic loosed from his lips in a puff, and the color filled his eyes. He looked up at his sister, and when Bella saw the magic in her eyes she stumbled back from the bright light, her storm of magic spitting around her as she almost fell.
"Like hell it is…" He shot his hand forward as he leapt to his feet, magic flowing around his limbs invigorating him with new energy.
Around him the riders all fell backwards, he even saw Eredin stumble from just how bright the blue light around him blaze. He stood in the center of the crater as if he were a beacon of burning light for the ships in the bay. Bella stood up straight, and Dominik focused the magic around him, to the connection he had made around the sword.
From behind Bella tendrils of his bright magic wrapped around the sword, and it flew in the air spinning as it did directly towards Dominik's hand.
It spun and the tip cut across Bella's arm. She yelled, grabbing her now bleeding left arm just as the sword's hilt slammed into Dominik's hand.
Bella cried out in pain, looking over at him with widened eyes as the magic around him blazed like a roaring fire. But before she could do anything he looked to the edge of the crater and reached out with his magic again. He had only heard small bits about telekinesis from Yennefer and mages he met over the years, but they had always described it as a difficult practice, requiring immense amounts of chaos, of magical energy.
And luckily Dominik was saturated with it.
He saw a fallen sword and reached out with his magic as he charged. He flung his hand towards Bella, and that sword zipped towards her. She knocked it out of the air and turned around just as Dominik was on her.
Leaping he came down, focusing the magic into his palm. He channeled his chaos and blasted Aard down towards her. She got her sword up to block the blow but was sent flying back after the sign hit her.
Feeling as if he was the wind itself, he didn't stop, dashing forward again, this time latching his magic to a nearby helmet from a fallen An Craite soldier. Bella scrambled up to her feet just as the helmet slammed into her back. This made her turn and Dominik leapt again. He came down and clashed swords with her as she spun back around. The two hurricanes of magic that was clouding them both slammed into each other as a whirlwind of steel ensued.
Dominik fought and parried, but Bella had finally regained her footing, regained her focus and lashed back at him with just as much ferocity. He ducked and rolled under one of her blows getting low to the ground. He looked over and saw an old plank large wood and latched his magic to it. It zipped towards Bella and she had to turn and cut it out of the air, giving him the perfect opportunity to pounce again. He swung the flat of his blade at her feet, knocking them out and bringing her to the ground on her back.
He came back around above her, but Bella recovered quicker than he expected. She fired her hands forward and magic shot from it. It smashed into his chest. His own magic deflected it, but he still got sent stumbling back. Growling in frustration he latched onto a large shield of a fallen soldier and sent it flying towards her. She spun and with her magic enhancing her limbs she cut it in half and Dominik cursed.
Gods for fucks sake she's as good as I am… I need to do something different. Another idea formed in his head just as Bella charged again.
He rolled out of the way, turning his sword to a reversed grip and came up to one knee. Bella spun, but Dominik thrusted out both his hands, magic exploded from his eyes, he latched it onto as many bits of debris as he could. He swung and crossed his hands, sending all of them spiraling towards Bella. Riders ducked out of the way less they got hit. Some of their own weapons, shields, aces, halberds, bits of old wood and helmets all shot towards Bella, which gave him time to recuperate.
His time was short lived. Bella yelled and shot both her hands out, a shield popped up around her and all the weapons and pieces of debris smashed into it. He took the time to survey his surroundings. Still about two dozen riders were circling the crater, Eredin watched from between two of them, hulking over and keeping his beady demonic eyes trained on Bella.
And for the first time, Dominik saw the slightest bit of doubt in them.
I need to move, gotta get to Ciri, he thought. He looked and saw Bella shaking off the eruption from the magic. She rushed at him again, and kept his sword in a reversed grip, dodging and rolling the attacks Bella threw. He switched to Cat School techniques, dodging and keeping out of the way of Bella's attacks. Now and then he'd latch his magic to an old weapon and throw it at her, but her vision was tunneled.
She swung wildly from the right; the speed of her weapon was almost impossible to see. He ducked down and rolled to the side, but she expected that, smacking the butt of her sword into his cheek. On his back she lunged to cut him in half again, but he latched his magic to a nearby helmet and shot it towards her. It smashed into her bleeding arm, and Dominik rolled again coming back up to his feet and thrusting his hands forward with Aard. The blast was so powerful it sent her shooting backwards away from him.
She skidded to a halt and dashed towards him again. Dominik could see her the slightest bit slower, and he took full advantage. His sword still in reverse grip he blocked and turned for a perfect pirouette, and he saw it her back fully exposed, a quick stab and it would be over. He reared back his sword, the magic exploding from his eyes like it had been.
But he stopped again.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bella spun back around, cutting her sword up across his armor, blood flew from it. The cut was deep he could tell and just under his shoulder erupted like it was on fire.
He yelled out himself, firing Aard to blast her back. Setting the magic back to healing it Bella lunged again.
"I TOLD YOU, I'LL KILL YOU I PROMISE!" She leapt and came down, getting into a clinch of blades. Her face, her once emerald eyes were awash with magic as they were inches from him. "AND THEN I'LL MAKE SURE YOUR PRINCESS IS DEAD!"
And something in him finally erupted as the pain in his chest became almost unbearable.
Nobody was taking her again.
He looked behind her and saw one last red Clan An Craite shield. Pushing off the clinch he ducked. He knew it would come right after him again and he was right as she went to swing down on him after he came up to his knee. His magic shot from around him, latching itself to the shield and it shot towards Bella. It slammed into her chest, sending her stumbling back, and Dominik shot up from the ground, leaping higher than he had, coming down right for Bella as she turned back to him.
Her eyes widened as she summoned magic to her palm. She raised up her sword and bright it to meet his as they slammed the balls of magic into one another.
A loud *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* shook the entirety of the icy plains.
Magic swirled in his vision as Dominik finally opened his eyes. His entire body ached, but the fine magic mist stayed around him. Smoke covered the crater he had been in. Frantically he shot the magic through his body, and it helped him get up with a groan.
It was completely silent. The hurricanes of magic that had been around Bella and he had disappeared. Only the mist around him remained, and it slowly moved to heal the injuries he had accumulated.
The first few steps through the mist he staggered. Around the walls of the crater, he saw the riders all slowly climbing back to their feet. Frantically he looked for Eredin, and found the King hadn't fallen, but still stumbled back. He was regaining his footing, and when he saw Dominik again, a smirk returned to his face. What is he smirking about?
"ARGHHHHHHH!" He spun just as Bella yelled and leapt.
Her armor was blackened, but her eyes still glowed with a fury. A small bit of magic was left around her and slammed her sword down on him. Dominik raised him to block. Her moves weren't as enhanced as they were. She was as exhausted as he was.
The only difference was exactly what Alexander had described to him. Bella's magic may have been possibly even more powerful than his during the fight, but she had used it with feelings of anger and hate.
And the magic took much more out of her then it did Dominik, slowly crumbling her. Which was why Dominik now had more power, and more speed.
He blocked and side-stepped, spinning and swiping his sword under Bella's feet. The flat of his blade took her feet from under her and she fell to the ground. Dominik came back around her side, his sword pointed down and the tip of his steel was inches from his throat.
And like that he had won.
He groaned loudly as pain shot through his chest. His own blood dripped to the ice. Slowly he sucked in some of the magic around him, shooting it through his chest. It would be able to heal the wound outside, but he would still feel the pain inside. The rest of his body wasn't in much better shape. It would take a bit for the magic to get him back to full strength.
However, he looked much better then Bella did.
Her right cheek was completely black and blue, blood trickling from it. Her shoulder, her torso, her arm, all of them bled. The magic around her was slowly trying to heal her but seemed to be doing more damage than good. She breathed slowly, shakily, tears running down her cheeks with the blood. Her skeletal armor was blackened from the multiple explosions of magic, and he didn't know how much more damage it could take. Her eyes weren't full of magic anymore. They were the same emerald green colored as his, almond shaped, just like his.
And even with her eyes like that she had tried to kill him.
He saw her try to reach for her sword, but he kicked it out of the way, his sword touching her throat.
"Do it," She hissed up at him. Her tears fell quicker, her chest rising and falling at a dangerous rate. She started to hyperventilate, her eyes not leaving him. "Make it go away… Dominik… do it. Fucking… do something for me."
Dominik's throat closed. The front of his brain screamed at him to stop to pull his sword away and help her to her feet, to use his magic to treat her wounds.
But the last time you did that… she tried to kill you. She said she was going to kill Ciri…. That was from the back of his brain.
His hands started to tremble, but his steel stayed tipped at her throat.
NO! Fucking stop it, this is fucking Bella what are you thinking! His hands shook more, as he kept looking down at her. The drip of his blood onto the ice echoed. But she's the reason you're bleeding… Folan, Vigi, Arno, they'd all died because she helped attack Kaer Morhen. One good act doesn't outweigh a lifetime of bad, that's what father said.
"Please," She said from under his sword. Her eyes looked up at him, she started sobbing, she shook her head pleading. "Make it go away… please… please Dominik… make the pain… make it fucking go away. Please… do it!"
His mouth tasted like iron. It was blood, he knew the taste of it. His hand started shaking uncontrollably. He brought both hands to hold his sword, keeping the point at her neck. His heart began to beat an alarming rate. Was his sister really asking him to kill her?
"Yes… do it, kill her," A voice came from the left, cutting across the rain and thunder. The sounds of battle in the distance resumed, as Eredin slowly clunked towards them from the crater wall.
Dominik turned, and Bella did as well. Her eyes looked up to Eredin, almost desperate, pleading again for him to do something. He dug the tip of his point into her neck but realized a moment later how foolish it was. Eredin didn't care about Bella, he wanted them both dead, to him, it was only a matter of which one he'd have to deal with himself.
Bella from below him croaked, her eyes still over at Eredin from the ice. "My… my king I… but… I-."
"Baelen… knew the price of failure," Eredin said, his pale eyes turning dark as they looked over at Bella who shriveled back to the ground. The King turned to him. "Do it… kill her. Because if you don't… then she won't stop. She's a threat to Zireael if she still lives… Baelen will kill her… kill you. Why not eliminate another threat now?"
Dominik looked back to Bella. He could feel the eyes of all the riders around him directed towards them. Some reached for weapons, hounds of the Hunt snarled as Eredin stood only meters away. A part of him wanted to lunge, attack, but who's to say Bella wouldn't get up and try to attack him again if he did?
He looked back to Bella, who still sobbed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her gaze darted back to Dominik and Eredin, mostly now at Eredin still pleading. Eredin however, simply smirked over towards Dominik, his hands behind his back looking as if he had complete control of the situation.
Bella's eyes slowly fell back over to him, and he could see something new in them.
"Please…please Dominik…" She whispered, slowly shaking her head. "I want it to end… please… please… make the pain end."
She had one foot over the chasm. Bella was looking down into the abyss, as he once did.
The only difference, Bella hadn't found any good to focus on.
"No…." He said, looking down at his sword, and then back to Bella. "I told you… I'm not going to leave you, never again… and I won't give up on you either."
And he tossed his sword to the side.
You're such a fucking idiot.
All the riders around him stirred, he heard one hound snarl from near his right. He looked over to Eredin, who's calm, confident smirk was gone, replaced by an annoyed glare. He waited for the King to lung at him, to summon his sword and cut him in half, but for the moment, Dominik turned back to Bella, who hadn't stopped looking at him. Her eyes were wide, small wisps of magic were in them. She seemed panicked but didn't take her gaze away from him.
Shaking his head and ignoring the hundreds of alarm bells going off in his mind he reached his hand down, holding it out to her.
He managed to see her face in closer detail then. For a moment everything seemed to freeze. Her bruise was somehow starting to shrink. The magic around her was getting quicker and quicker, was she gaining her strength back? The blood around her slowed its drip, as his eyes traveled from his hand to his eyes.
No, she won't… she's your sister you know her. She trembled for a moment, her arms slowly pushing her to sit, her armored hands digging into the ice. Dominik looked as deep into her eyes as he could. On the Path you learned to read people. It had been something Dominik learned how to do exceptionally well over the years.
But he couldn't read Bella's face then. He only watched it, as he saw the magic slowly starting to whirl again.
Seeing the riders around them begin to stir more he bit his lip, looking between Bella's eyes and his hand.
He held it closer to her. "Bella… please, let me help-."
She lashed out quicker then Dominik had seen through their entire fight.
Bella spun on her back, wrapping both her legs around his and tripping him to the ground. His head hit the ice, blurring his vision making him unable to focus his magic. He felt a fist slam into his gut. He wheezed and groaned as soon, he felt steel at his throat, a knee on one of his arms, a foot on the other.
And when his vision finally cleared, he saw Bella over top of him. Her cheek bruise was still there, but almost completely gone. Her eyes were wide, staring directly down at him, not leaving his own for a single moment as the tip of her jagged black sword digging into his neck.
"Bella," He tried to yell out, but he was silenced by the prongs of the sword digging into his throat. Bella's eyes remained unblinking, staring down at him.
He knew now what she had been thinking.
Uncle Vesemir never said, 'don't willingly disarm yourself when in battle', he thought, because well… it's kind of fucking obvious.
His heart had shattered. He looked at Bella who seemed to be doing everything she could not to show any emotion. Her eyes stayed trained on him, and it seemed as if time froze again before he saw something that was different from before.
The magic that slowly was swirling in her eyes. It was white-blue again.
His eyes widened as he shook his head. "Bella… what are you-."
She silenced him with a smack across the face, and her sword digging deeper into his neck. He cursed her under his breath, but then fought to keep back a smile.
Bella hadn't put any magic behind the smack, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I'm probably the first man to be smacked like that by his sister and smile about it.
Boots crunched in the snow, and Dominik looked to the right of the crater. A few meters over, Eredin stood, a smile back on his face. Bella hadn't looked over at the King, instead her eyes staying glued to Dominik below her, her sword still dug into his neck. Thunder boomed, and the wind seemed to pick up again. Bella's hair blew behind her back, her brown locks were mattered with dirt, ice, snow, blood. It stuck together, and he could remember how uptight Bella was about it when they were younger.
"Well done Baelen…" Eredin said, his tone smug, satisfied. Dominik looked over at him and could see the King smirking over at Bella who still didn't turn to him. He then gazed to Dominik, a triumphant look in his eyes. "You picked up on my plan well… very impressive."
"Yes… my king," Bella said slowly, her voice steadying. She still didn't look back to Eredin as she nodded. "You… are very wise."
"Yes… now, here is another chance for your… redemption," Eredin said, "kill him…. We will go check on Caranthir's progress… and then celebrate our great victory."
Dominik hurriedly looked back to Bella, hoping that he hadn't simply been delusional.
No, he hadn't been. White-blue magic still churned from Bella. He had to assume she was smart enough to understand why her powers now had drained her quicker than his in the end. However, it wasn't just the magic he saw, he looked into her eyes, and for a moment thought she was losing it.
She was blinking, rapidly as if she had dirt stuck in her eyes.
But once he looked back to her, the blinking slowed, coming in small intervals. He didn't understand at first, but after seeing a few of the sequences of blinks, he saw the patterns.
And he almost laughed.
Back when they were younger, before they had even met Ciri he and Bella had developed a special way to communicate with each other. It was something they had kept between themselves; Dominik had never even told Ciri about it. Bella had been so excited, and he could remember multiple times them abusing the method at family dinners. The two of them would be across from each other, and Dominik would blink Bella a message, she'd blink one back and they'd end up laughing out loud. It dreadfully confused their parents who indeed never caught on.
Each letter of the alphabet was represented by a certain number of blinks. That letters position in the alphabet was the way they got them. For example, two quick blinks, followed by a pause, then six blinks meant twenty-six. That meant Z, the twenty-sixth letter in the alphabet.
It had been eleven years since he had last done this with his sister, but as Bella blinked above him, he could understand as if he were reading from a book.
R. E. A. D. Y.
Dominik looked to his right at Eredin, and then to his left, where his sword had fallen. It was only a few meters away, and he still had plenty of magic around him. Bella let up on her hold ever so slightly, and it let him use his left hand to latch his magic out onto the sword. After the connection was made, the magic disappeared, and he looked back to Bella above him again. He blinked right back at her.
R. E. A. D. Y.
"Come now Baelen," Eredin said, more insistently. "Finish the job… fulfill… your purpose and finally take your place… at my side."
Bella slowly let out a breath, her eyes not leaving Dominik as she nodded. "Yes... my King. I… will finally be where I belong."
She raised her sword up above him, readying to impale it down on his throat.
And she blinked again.
N. O. W.
Dominik bit back a smile and sucked in the magic around him.
Bella rolled to the right off him, and before Dominik could even blink, she teleported away in a puff of frost. He would have laughed at the surprised look on Eredin's face, but he let loose the magic that he sucked in.
With a yell Dominik rolled up to his knees, reaching out to the magic he used to latch onto his sword. He swung his hand forward as Eredin was trying to process what happened the steel blade zipped through the air towards him. It looked as if it was going to impale the King through the chest.
Eredin however turned, and in a second his blade materialized in his hand in a puff of frost. He knocked away Dominik's sword, but Dominik kept the connection to it, and pulled his hands backwards. It came at Eredin from behind, but the King was able to step out of the way, wisps of frosty magic starting to form along his arms.
Dominik held out his hand and the steel shot through the air back to his hand. He gripped his fingers around the hilt, as all the riders drew swords, and the hounds growled ready to pounce on him. Eredin looked at him, his pale demonic eyes bearing into Dominik as the wind blew back his black hair.
His sword, the same sword that had almost killed him before pointed at him. Dominik felt himself smirk for the first time in the fight, as he leveled his blade and let the magic swirl around his body. It zoomed and swirled around him in mist, invigorating him like it had never had, as all he could think about what he had just accomplished.
Eredin snarled at him. "You think you can challenge me? You filthy little half-breed? I knew I should have just had Leila killed… it would have saved me multiple headaches."
"Your worst nightmare is here," Dominik said, sheathing his steel. A smile on his face, Dominik pulled Fate from his back, twirling it to a reverse grip. "You won't live past the day."
"You told me that the last time as well," Eredin said darkly, magic swirling around his arms, a small storm of ice forming. He scoffed in Dominik's direction. "You can't possibly think that this time you-."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bella shot from a portal behind Eredin, leaping down from above the King her sword swirling with magic light.
Eredin spun, and as Bella fell Dominik dashed and closed the distance. Bella's sword slammed down onto Eredin, who moved his own to block. He blocked Bella's blade and knocked her aside with a blast of magic, but Dominik had finally closed the gap between Eredin and himself. He slid in his knees on the ice, cutting his sword across the King's torso. His sword cut deep, right along the slits of his skeletal armor. Blood sprayed out onto the stones, as magic exploded from Dominik's sword and his eyes.
"GAHHHHHHHHH!" Eredin screamed, and it shook his bones more than any monster's cry ever had.
But it still wasn't nearly enough.
Dominik spun back around ready to fight again, but Eredin already bore down on him with his sword. The same blade that gave him the scar on his cheek got inches from his face again. Dominik just barely raised his sword to block, but all the fatigue, the aching of his bones hadn't been healed through yet, so his arms buckled despite the magic helping him.
Eredin's eyes looked down at him. He pressed his sword down further and further, the edge almost at his neck. The riders still hadn't moved, but Eredin's pale eyes turned dark as he pressed harder and harder, Dominik's arms buckled again, and he fell onto his back. He rolled out of the way and Eredin's blade slammed into the eyes sending up sheets of it behind the power. Magic and ice swirled around Eredin's body, as he stalked towards Dominik again, still bleeding from his side.
He tried to get up again, but Eredin punched him back to the ground. His cheek erupted in pain, as the magic absorbed some of the blow, but still it sent his head spinning. He rolled onto his back again, looking up as Eredin held his sword raised. The ice from around the King's body started to freeze the tips of Dominik's cheek, and he looked at his silver just out of reach again.
"I should have done this ages ago…" Eredin growled, bringing his blade down just as Dominik grabbed onto Fate's hilt.
The black blade came swinging down for him, but a massive blast of magic from the left knocked it away just before it could hit him.
Bella was swirling and saturated with glowing magic as she yelled and leapt forward. Eredin recovered and his blade clashed with Bella's. The shock of the situation caught Eredin off guard and he stumbled. Bella knocked away his blade and spun low, going for a strike that could have cut across his back. But Eredin was quicker than they thought, he spun back around and knocked Bella's sword aside, punching his armored hand into her stomach and kicking her back.
Dominik tried to stand but a pain shot through his body. He watched as Bella stumbled back, with Eredin advancing quickly again. Trying to find any way to help her Dominik grabbed his silver and managed to sit up.
"BELL!" She turned to him and he tossed his sword over to her. Bella caught it and managed to raise her sword and his to block Eredin's next attack from overhead. Her arms pulsated with magic as she pushed the sword of Eredin to the side, rolling to the left and cutting both her blades across the back of the King's calf.
Eredin roared out in annoyance again, disappearing in another puff of frost and reappearing towards the edge of the crater in between his riders again. Bella looked towards the King, ready to rush again, but when Dominik groaned and got to one knee she turned and dashed back next to him. She held out both swords, standing in front of him, leveling them out towards Eredin.
And as Dominik looked up, he saw something that shocked him more than anything else he had seen that day.
Eredin looked between them both, from Dominik to Bella holding two swords out towards him. In his eyes, Dominik saw something, something he never thought he would see before.
It only lasted for a split second, but it was there. Worry had appeared in the King's eyes.
That prophecy. The one Ida told me Connor heard before he died… that if he died at Eredin's hands, it meant one day Connor and Lara of Lod could be reborn… and they'd be able to defeat Eredin for good.
His eyes trailed over to Bella, standing over him with both swords pointed outwards. Her eyes were narrowed, and finally he found himself able to ready what she was thinking again.
She was angry, and with very good reason. She was angry yes, but she was with him, just like he had always known she would.
One you once loved has returned… Bella, he thought, remembering the words that had haunted him for months since he first heard them from the Crones in Crookback Bog. A single choice you make shall seal their fate… my decision not to fight her, to toss my sword aside. And finally… the choice you make, the fate of your family, to preserve or raise.
It had been preserved; the last bit of his family had been saved.
And more importantly, one of his three goals coming into the battle had been completed. He saved Bella. Now, he just needed to find Ciri, and make sure to keep her safe.
After that, he'd kill Eredin. With his sister and Ciri next to him.
"I am… disappointed Baelen," Eredin hissed, his hand feeling at his side where Dominik had cut him. A scowl on his face he looked down at the blood on his fingers. "You have failed me… once again."
"It wouldn't be the first time…" Bella hissed back, the magic starting to swim around her more violently.
Eredin scoffed. "That is the truth… I knew I never should have let one with your… disgusting blood into my ranks. And even now… despite all I've done for you… this is how you repay me?"
"You stole my mind away from me!" Bella said, screaming now as both her swords dipped and she shook her head. "Caranthir and Imlerith murdered my mother, the person I loved! You made me almost kill my own brother, kill thousands of innocents, you made me betray my only friend! AND I'LL KILL YOU FOR IT!"
Dominik saw the magic turning back to black as she got angrier. Eredin laughed from across them, calmly sliding his sword back to his belt. He was unfazed by the magic swirling around Bella as he shook his head.
"Oh… I didn't make you do anything… Baelen," He said, "you were so… eager to please me. All you did… that was you Baelen, the real you. I simply… helped you discover the true person you are… I made you strong."
"YOU'RE WRONG! YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!" Bella yelled, her arms starting to tremble as Eredin laughed again.
"Aha… you don't truly believe those words," The King said. "I made you Baelen. You do realize… that no matter the day's outcome, this… betrayal does not matter. That is because, no matter what you do… Baelen… you will always belong to me. I will forever be a part… of who you are."
"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" Dominik finally shouted, groaning as he got to his feet, sucking in the mist of magic around him, and willing it to close, fix his wounds and reinvigorate him, which it did. He stood next to Bella, looking over at Eredin. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY. FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER, TO HER VILLAGE, TO CIRI, AND TO EVERYONE ON EVERY WORLD YOU'VE RAZED!"
Bella looked over at him, tears welling up in her eyes again. He met her eyes and nodded, but not before Eredin laughed again.
"Again… you will try… as you did the last time. And as for you Baelen… you will now die alongside your brother… as was planned. Today, the line that disgraced and stole from us ends," Eredin said slowly, turning his back to them, looking over to one of the riders to his right. "Kill them both… and let it be known that Baelen… has betrayed us."
Eredin disappeared in a puff of frost, and as soon as he was gone, all the riders leveled blades, halberds and axes. Two dozen in all, and right away he got spun around, putting his back up behind Bella's. All of them slowly started circling the two of them. Most of the riders probably had been ones Bella wiped the floor with while training, making them hesitant to attack.
Bella let out a shaky breath, and turned around to him, holding out his silver. "You'll probably need this."
Dominik met her eyes and took his sword back. He couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. Her eyes were awash with bits of magic streaming from them in small waves, but behind it, he could see the emerald green iris welled with tears. The massive bruise on her cheek was still there, but smaller than it had been. She was still bleeding from her shoulder, but the magic was slowly healing her.
But in her eyes, he saw his sister. He finally saw his sister. Baelen was dead, Bella had won.
"D…Dominik," She said slowly, shaking her head as tears and her eye makeup fell down her cheeks. Her eyes didn't leave his as she shakily sighed again. "I… I'm sor-."
"Bell…" He said, holding a handout on her shoulder. He met her eyes, and even managed a smile again. "We'll talk about it later…. You made a choice; you were strong enough. For now… we have work to do don't you think?"
Bella quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. "We do…. Come on, let's go save your princess."
"No… not just that," Dominik said. He shook his head, slowly getting back-to-back with her again. "Let's go save our world."
"Yeah… let's," Bella said slowly, pressing her back up against his again.
He was about to go into detail about their attack plan, ask her if she knew where Caranthir was or about Kilgarrah. The riders slowly closed in, and he was about to yell out for her to make ready.
But Bella simply shook her head again, her gaze down on the jagged black sword of the Wild Hunt in her hands.
"I decide who I am…" She said, looking back to Dominik, and to the riders around them.
Dominik looked back at her as well. "Bell? What are you-."
Bella shot magic around her arm, down through her sword, before she reared back and threw it. She threw it and it zipped through the air, spiraling out of the crater, until finally it sent up a small splash in the ocean.
She stood behind him, weaponless, looking down at her blood hands.
Dominik turned around to her, slightly panicking now. "Um, Bella…. That was awesome, and I'm sure a really symbolic gesture for you and all but um… you may have had more use for that."
"No," Bella said, looking up at the riders. She held her hand out to the side, shaking her head as they started getting closer, "I don't need it."
From a puff of frost, a sword formed in Bella's hands. Forty inches long, a touch smaller than his witcher's blades. The crossguard was painted black, going straight out and shooting up at a ninety-degree angle at the end. It had a tight brown leather-bound grip, with a white lion carved onto the pommel.
And along the blade-on which the edges didn't show the slightest bit of dullness- were a series of dark blue magic runes that kept the edges of the sword so sharp. A dwarven sahil, a sword that could supposedly cut through almost anything.
Coram.
"You know… for a bit, I thought you had tossed it off a cliff after I had Kilgarrah bring it to you," Dominik said, smiling as he slowly got back-to-back with Bella again.
"For a bit… I thought I would too," She said, leaning her back against his as well, her eyes going back to the riders. "Do you mind if I use it?"
"Why would I?"
"I… don't exactly deserve it anymore," She said, the magic slowly shooting up the sword.
Dominik shook his head, leveling Fate towards the riders. "No… destiny was the reason that sword made its way to Skellige with you after Cintra. It's like I told Kilgarrah… you were meant to carry it."
She looked like she wanted to say more, but simply nodded. The riders stalked closer, seeming to steel their nerves, as magic started coming out from around them both.
"Caranthir is at the front of the Nagalfar, our plan was to separate you and Ciri," Bella said, as they slowly spun.
"I figured that out when Eredin showed up," He said, "do you really think he killed her?"
"No… Caranthir may be more arrogant then Eredin is," Bella said, swinging her sword out against the riders in a wide arc. "We deal with them quickly enough; you make your way to Ciri."
"What about you?"
"I'll head and help your army… I need to be there incase Kilgarrah shows up," She said quickly, slowly sucking in a breath. "Get Ciri, and meet us back at the Nagalfar and then…"
"Then Eredin dies."
"Hopefully…. I don't know what he'll do," Bella said, "but if I'm ever going to make up for the things I did… I have to start somewhere."
"This is a pretty good place to start," Dominik said, a small smile coming to his face. "After this you can bring me tea, sharpen my swords, show me some magic. Oh, and do you still remember how to make those lemon cakes mother used to make? I miss those and-."
"Let's not go that far now."
"You tried to kill me four times."
"You tried to kill me each of them too. I practically was telling you who I was. Who else would have known the things I was telling you?"
"You could have just told me you know. It would have solved things a lot sooner."
"Yes… but you remember what mother and father used to say?" Bella said, a small smile coming to her lips as she twirled Coram in her hands. "I always did have a flare for dramatics."
"You should be a mummer," Dominik said, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Maybe, if we don't die."
"We won't," He said, looking back over his shoulder at her. "All of us are making it out of this."
"I hope so… I guess I owe Ciri an apology, don't I?" Bella said slowly.
He shook his head again. "It wasn't your fault Bell… neither of us blame you."
A smile came to her as she let out a breath. "We won't be talking much longer if we don't focus… let's kill these bastards…. I have a lot of pent-up frustration I need to let out."
He laughed and turned back to the riders again, leveling out his sword. "Oh, so do I, believe me…. It's good to have you back Bell."
"It's good to be back…" She said slowly, their magic combining overhead.
And finally, the riders and hounds dashed towards them.
He and Bella charged, just as the sound of two dragons began roaring overhead.
A/N: Ladies and gentlemen this was a chapter I had been waiting to write since they very beginning of this story, since its inception I have waited so long to write this one particular chapter. The moment where Bella makes her choice and Dominik reminds her of who she really is, and finally they come together to fight gods it had been such a dream of mine to make it to this point. I never thought I would, I thought this story would bomb and I'd never make it, but now here I am, with one of the most satisfying chapters I've ever gotten to write.
Now, I originally planned to have the rest of Ciri vs Caranthir and Dominik and Bella fighting together in this chapter, but I thought it would simply drag on for too long. I wanted to end on the powerful moment we did, when we get the littlest taste of the kind of power Dominik and Bella could have together.
Now here is where I normally break down the chapter, but it was basically one long fight scene xD So, I will simply let everyone know, next chapter will have the rest of Ciri vs Caranthir, and the pre-lude to the final showdown with Eredin. We get a climactic showdown and we get the build up to the battle we've all been waiting for. But as everyone who's played witcher 3 knows, we won't end the final battle with just the fight against Eredin, we have another scheming Aen Elle to deal with. We're finally in the home stretch. FIVE more chapters to go in this epic tale, and I cannot wait to hopefully wrap this up satisfyingly for you all before we move into the sequels.
SO, as usual everyone please follow and favorite if you enjoyed, and be sure to follow my personal profile because soon I'll be posting NEW stories and sequels within this world, and I want to be sure you all who enjoy this story can see those as well!
Please, everybody stay safe during these dangerous times, and I hope you all enjoyed! Review if you have time, favorite and follow, and I'll see you all next time!
