Present (The year 1231)
The town was falling, beams and walls collapsing as the fire ate through every building at an alarming rate, spreading faster and faster with each passing second.
As Aiden raced towards the girl who was trapped in the crumbling stable. Her tiny body was curled and pressed up against the far end of the wooden wall, a small straw-stuffed bunny in her tiny palms. He just hoped that no beam would break and topple down upon her before he got to her.
He pumped his legs and arms faster with a pained groan. He drew closer and raised his hand. Aard erupted from his palm, parting the flames between himself and the inside of the broken-down barn. he leapt through the gap, pulling his sword from his back just in time to slice through the flaming beam which would have surely crushed the little girl.
Aiden took a deep breath, tilting his head down to check if the girl was alright, before he sheathed the weapon, turned and knelt in front of the girl.
Aiden reached for her arm, his bloody fingertips smearing red across her pale skin, but she recoiled away from him, her eyes closed as she shook her head.
"No!" She yelled in her tiny voice and Aiden pulled his hand back immediately.
Fire licked at Aiden's boots but he ignored the heat as he looked over the small, terrified child. He chose his words carefully despite the stabbing pain he'd felt in his chest when the little girl had pulled away. Compassion bloomed within him. It was a strange feeling for Aiden, one he very rarely felt for humans, unless they were children. If she'd been ten years older, he would have left her to die.
"I know I'm scary," Aiden said, his voice soft but loud enough to be heard over the fire. The little girl opened an eye and looked at him only to shut that same blue eye a second later, confirming his words.
"But I'm just here to help, I promise. The town is burning, and while you might lose your home tonight, I am trying to make sure that your parents don't lose you too,"
She opened both her eyes this time, but they quickly widened when another falling beam toppled down from the roof and slammed down onto the back of Aiden's head and shoulders. The little girl bolted and then, everything went black.
"Mister... Mister!"
Nausea and a soft tugging on his shoulder were the first things he felt when he opened his eyes again. Aiden lurched upwards and to the side, vomiting into scorched earth. It was then that he felt the heat of the fire and saw the dancing flames all around him.
"Mister!" That little voice sounded again and Aiden turned to look at the source, his head spinning if he moved too fast. It was the little girl. Aiden collected himself and sat up, only to feel nausea twisting his stomach again.
"Mister, there's an opening, we need to go!" The girl said and Aiden grunted, attempting to stand slowly. Fear still lurked in her dainty features and her movements were rigid but she seemed to have decided that helping him was the best thing to do.
When he was finally able to get to his feet, he stumbled forward but he caught himself and the girl took his hand, believing that her little body had strength enough to keep him steady.
She tugged him forward but just as they began to move, the roof of the barn collapsed. Aiden scooped the girl up and cast Aard above them, blowing what debris that would have fallen onto them into splinters. Then he ran as best he could, swaying on occasion while casting Aard to clear their way.
Both Aiden and the little girl coughed violently as they finally broke out of the building and into fresh air but he did not put the little girl down nor did he stop moving. Instead, he followed his ears and headed towards the gathering people at the edge of the town.
When he saw them, Aiden breathed a sigh of relief, his gait slowing until he finally came to a stop and handed the girl to her parents who had rushed towards him like an oncoming tsunami. Neither the girl nor her parents seemed to care that she was covered in blood as they huddled together, tears and snot streaming down their cheeks.
Aiden looked up at the sky through the smoke and finally took a deep breath. A storm had begun to swirl in the sky up above. Rainfall would be their only hope but until then, Aiden still heard screaming in every direction.
Those that were using buckets of water to douse the fire had stopped, realising that their efforts were useless but there were still so many trapped in their homes, all of whom would die if they stayed trapped.
So, instead of collapsing into the dirt and resting, Aiden turned away and jogged back the way he'd come, ignoring the splitting pain in his head and every other part of him that ached. He listened as he ran, using the screams as a compass.
He heard a call for help to his right and instantly turned, following the sound until he arrived at the tiny hut. He pushed at the door but it refused to budge, debris must have fallen behind it.
"Stand back!" He shouted, hoping the people heard, and cast Aard, blowing the door open. A woman screamed and Aiden quickly pushed through into the hut.
He was met with the sight of an old woman and several children huddled in the corner, having successfully taken cover when he'd said to but he grimaced when his eyes landed on the body of a young boy on the floor, blood pooling around his head. It looked as if the sign had sent the boy careening back into a burning wall.
"Go, I'll get him," Aiden snapped before he picked the unconscious boy up with his uninjured arm.
The elderly woman and children rushed out of the building and Aiden followed back to the edge of the town. Once they were safe, he laid the boy down in the dirt and placed two fingers against the tiny neck, feeling for a pulse. He found one then checked if the child was breathing, ignoring the parents' wailing above his head.
Aiden looked up at the family and nodded, confirming that he was alive then stood, stepping back to give the family some space.
"Is there anyone else?" Aiden addressed the other townspeople gruffly but he couldn't hold back the pained sigh when a boy, no older than five, put up his hand.
"Yes, sir. M-my dog, Charlotte, she's trapped, sir!" The boy said, and Aiden closed his eyes, listening for the dog. He heard nothing.
"Sorry kid-"
"She's really old, usually sleeps in the new barn! I- I'll show you!" The boy took off running back into the burning village and Aiden groaned before he followed.
"Hey-" Aiden shouted but they quickly came to a stop before the inferno that was once the new barn.
"In there!" Sure enough, Aiden could hear soft whimpers from inside. He reached forward and pushed the door open, only to have the kid run inside from under his arm.
"Hey, what-" Aiden yelled but he was cut off when a section of the wall collapsed and sent him barreling forward into the burning building. Aiden slammed into the a wall, his wounded arm stretched out to break his fall. He cried out as bones cracked beneath his considerable weight and the wood gave out, his arm breaking a jagged hole through the wall. Aiden tried to pull his arm back but a large shard of wood had been jammed into his inner arm and he was certain that if he wrenched it back, he'd cut through the artery. He was trapped.
"Kid!" Aiden called, coughing as smoke clogged his lungs and he searched through the black smoke for the child and his dog. A few long moments later the boy emerged with his dog cradled in his arms, the pooch barking at him.
"Just hold on mister, I'll get help!" The kid shouted and ran through the door, leaving Aiden.
He coughed once again, and blinked, his eyes were watering profusely now. Aiden slammed his fist into the wall beside the jagged piece of wood keeping his arm trapped. He screamed as the wood cracked beneath the pressure and embedded itself deeper into his flesh but his arm broke free.
Aiden breathed a sigh of relief, only to start coughing and spluttering again. The next few moments were a blur of orange and black smoke but he made it back to the edge of the town just in time to see the little girl who had saved him fall to the floor, convulsing.
Not even tears could dispel the anguish he still felt days later after the town had burned to the ground and the little girl he had thought to be safe had died, her body twisting into unnatural angles in the dirt as all light drained behind her eyes.
An elven medic knelt beside Aiden, changing the bloody bandages which seemed to cover every inch of his large frame. Aiden was naked save for the bandages but he couldn't have cared less at that moment.
"Where am I?" He asked finally after three days in the same bed, nearly unable to move without being in unimaginable pain. At least, that's what he told himself but now he had to move on, to steel himself and continue. He had to find Geralt.
The medic startled, Aiden not having spoken at all while he had healed.
"You're in Blaviken,"
"The town?"
"Gone but most survived with your help... Which is why you're not dead," Aiden looked down at his arm, which the mage was coating in a viscous black substance.
"What are you using?" He asked, his eyes finding the young man's.
"A remedy Stregobor suggested."
When Aiden didn't react, the man continued, "He has a contract for you,"
"The man in the town that burned down, he said he knew where another Witcher had headed after he moved through Blaviken-"
"Yes, the white-haired Witcher..." Those hands worked deftly over his wounds. "You have the same eyes."
"We underwent the same mutations..." Aiden tilted his head and truly looked at the young man. He had blond hair which reached his shoulders and piercing green eyes. "You're a mage-"
"Yes-."
"Why are you here and not at Ban-Ard or in the high court?" Aiden asked.
"Because Stregobor wanted me to hunt down and kill the Witcher Geralt of Rivia... Whom you are looking for," Aiden's eyes narrowed.
"He'll ask you to join me..."
"I'll kill him first," Aiden murmured and sat up slowly. "Which direction did Geralt head in when he left?"
"I'd say he was headed towards Kaer Morhen,"
"What's your name?" Aiden looked around as he spoke. His swords, dagger and a filled coin pouch lay on a table not far from his bed.
"Rilenet of Aedirn," The man answered and Aiden nodded.
An hour later Aiden paid for the time he'd spent at the inn and left. He was met with nothing but derision by the townspeople but this did not surprise him. He was aware of the events that had occurred in Blaviken, it was the very reason why he was looking for Geralt.
"Oh fuck off," He snapped at a particularly hateful group of women before Aiden found his horse. He was stopped by Rilenet.
"What will you do?" The mage asked as Aiden mounted his stallion.
"I'll ride to Kaer Morhen, I suggest telling Stregobor that I took the contract," All Rilenet could do was nod as Aiden clicked his tongue and his stallion took off in a canter.
The road to Kaer Morhen took Aiden several days to travel, the Witcher riding as many hours as he could without stopping for anything save for supplies and to rest his stallion. He listened for whispers of Geralt as he travelled, all of which confirmed that Geralt was still headed for Kaer Morhen.
When Aiden arrived it was dusk. He led his horse to the stables and smiled when he saw Geralt's mare not two stalls down.
"Geralt..." Aiden whispered under his breath, excitement building in his belly as he strode through the castle grounds and to the castle doors. He pushed them open and the smell of Vesemir's cooking immediately hit his nose. Aiden sighed, happy to be back.
When he saw Geralt sitting at the dinner table, Aiden couldn't help but smile. The older Witcher stood, and Aiden walked directly into the man's arms, both men hugging.
"There you are," Aiden whispered into Geralt's ear. Geralt grunted and Aiden smirked. Both men pulled back and Aiden sat down at the table.
