Chapter 9

Sasuke Uchiha

The bridge that was connecting Velen and Novigrad wasn't a 'bridge' per se, it looks more like a hastily build Fort with wooden walls, and outside of it were soldiers guarding the entrance.

He looks at the long line of people trying to enter the gate to escape the war thorn land of Velen, he then glances at Cirilla who nods her head as they both dismount on their horses and proceed to head straight into the entrance gate while dragging the reins of their horses.

"Oi! No cuttin' we've been here in ages!"

"Guards do somethin!"

"Piece of shite, nobles me certain of it…"

He could hear the insults and profanities thrown their way but he paid them no mind as he reaches the guardsman at the gate.

"No transit pass, no entry," the Guardsman said.

He showed the paper the Baron gave him and Cirilla does the same.

The Guardsman grabs the letter as he proceeds to read the contents inside.

"Hmm… Safe conduct… entrance allowed… by the Baron of Crows Perch." the Guardsman looks at them with narrowed eyes, "Fine, I'll allow it, but make it quick."

He watches as the man signals with his hand as the gate is lowered and they headed inside the Fort. The insides of the Fort weren't really special, it has some tents for the soldiers to sleep on and a few watch towers to get a view of what is happening outside the wooden walls.

He sighs as they reach the other end of the 'bridge' and waited as the gate was lowered. Once the gate was open they walked outside of the Fort, the moment they are outside they mounted their horses and continue their journey towards Novigrad.

As they are getting farther and farther away from Velen he began noticing the difference in the environment.

Lucious green land greeted his sight as the grasses and trees began swaying from the wind. He looks across the land and notices some sown fields with farmers planting seeds on them, across the farmland are some traveling merchants selling assorted items like wine and other form of knickknacks.

'The difference is like night and day' he thought to himself as he gazes at his surroundings, 'It's like there was never a war happening in the first place.'

His mussing is interrupted when Cirilla calls his name.

"Hey, Sasuke…?" Cirilla asks getting his attention.

He glances in her direction before nodding his head.

"Hmm…?"

"I was just wondering…" Cirilla trails off before continuing, "Aren't you worried? About what is happening in your world?"

He raised an eyebrow at her question before asking her a question of his own.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I know you're strong and all… but what if the Wild Hunt somehow manages to find your world?" Cirila clarifies, "Aren't you worried that you weren't there to protect it from the Wild Hunt?"

He thought about it for a moment, imagining what would happen if the Wild Hunt crosses over his home dimension.

He barely holds out his snort, as an amused expression appears on his face before disappearing just as quickly.

If the Crones are said to be one of the strongest beings in this world and the so-called Wild Hunt are just Elves with magic from a different dimension, then it is safe to say that they can easily be dealt with in his universe.

"No," he replies keeping his expression neutral, "I believe my people can protect themselves should they invade, besides…" he trails off as he looks towards the road in front of them, "We are already prepared should an outside force breaches into our dimension."

"What?!" Cirilla exclaims, "Don't tell me…!"

He silently glances at her, the look of shock can be seen on her face.

"If you're wondering if the Wild Hunt has visited my world, then no they have not," he replies.

"Oh…" Cirilla mumbles as she starts to calm down, "Then how did your people know about the threats from other dimensions? If you don't mind me asking that is."

"Hmm…" he mussed thinking about the information he was about to reveal, "Put it this way, compared to the group of Elves like the Wild Hunt, there are far more powerful and dangerous entities that have targeted my world," he replies as he glances at the road ahead "We simply adopted a strategy should any more anomalies like that invade."

Cirilla still wide eyes at the thought of something powerful out there, slowly nods her head at what he said.

He sighs as he remembers the necessary steps that he and Naruto took to ensure the safety of the whole Elemental Nations.

When he shared the information he found with his blond friend about the possibilities of an alien race capable of destroying worlds, both he and Naruto prepared for what might be an invasion of said beings. As they discovered during the 4th Shinobi War if a single man with enough planning and strength can cripple entire nations, then an entity with unknown power and motives is too dangerous to be left unchecked.

He suggested reuniting all the 9 Bijuus should the need arises.

Surprisingly enough his friend agrees with him.

Through the help of Fuinjutsu, he and Naruto created a new seal that is capable of sealing all the 9 Bijuus while at the same time granting them the ability to leave an essence of themselves outside of the seal so they can still enjoy their freedom.

His trip to memory lane was interrupted when Cirilla taps his shoulder, he glances at her and notices that she was pointing at a distance.

He looks to his left and his lone eye widens at the sight before him.

Unlike in Velen which is mostly composed of dense forest, small villages, and run-down Forts.

Novigrad looks like a well-established metropolitan city.

High stone walls surrounded the city creating a solid barrier of protection from any would-be invaders, bridges that were also made of stone bricks scattered across the walls serving as entrance and exit points for the city, and a rather large docking area for ships and small boats, and lastly, a soaring tower lit with a flame on top of it that was located at the end of the city serving as a primary centerpiece for the metropolis.

'The books I read did not do it justice when it comes to describing this place' he thought as he gazed at the city.

"That's my reaction too when I first visited this place," Cirilla said with a small giggle, an amused expression can be seen on her face.

A scowl appears on his face as he snaps his head in her direction before fixing her a glare.

That only seemed to amuse her more, as his glare deepens further.

"Come now Sasuke! The only expression that I got from you is either a scowl or a glare!" Cirilla exclaims while gesturing at his face, "Lighten up a little, otherwise, that frown of yours will remain on your face for the rest of your life!"

Cirilla finishes while laughing at him.

He grunted in response as he speeds up his horse towards the city with Cirilla not far behind him.


'It looks grander up-close,' he thought as he looks at the city.

"Welcome to Novigrad," Cirilla said while gesturing her hand towards the city, "Considered to be the only free city here in Redania."

He merely nods his head as he already read about this place while in Crow's Perch.

Novigrad City is considered to be the perfect exporter and importer of goods throughout the Northern Realms due to its strategic location near the sea. Because of this, it was declared a free city in order to benefit the rest of the Northern Realms as a whole, not just a single kingdom.

"Exactly who are we looking for here?" he asks while looking at the entrance gate of the city.

"A friend of mine Triss, she might be able to help me undo a curse and fix…" Cirilla stops as she glances at the poster that was placed on the notice board outside of the entrance gate, "Oh no…"

He watches as Cirilla unmounts her horses and steps closer to the notice board and he does the same and follows after her.

He glances in the direction she was looking and notices what appears to be a wanted poster with a portrait of a woman on it.

Triss Merigold

Witch and harlot is wanted for the practice of black magic and conspiracy against the crown.

Information leading to her capture will be rewarded.

"This is bad…" Cirilla mutters while looking around nervously for any guards who might have overheard what she has said.

He sighs as he begins to massage the bridge of his nose.

'I knew it, this trip has been relatively peaceful for the most part,' he thought as he looks at the poster, 'A problem like this is bound to happen at some point.'

He then glances at Cirilla who has a worried expression on her face.

"Take a deep breath and calm down," he suggested before continuing, "The wanted poster here indicates that she might have already escaped or is in hiding. Now, do you have any other friends here that might be able to help you?"

Cirilla took his advice as she begins to normalize her breath.

"Well, there is one person I can think off but…"

"But?"

"I'm not sure if he can help since he is a bard…" Cirilla replies

He sighs before replying.

"Can he at least give us a place to stay? Or at the very least give us information on what is currently happening around here?"

"Oh, definitely I have known that man for years he'll help us out,"

He nods his head as he grabs the reins of his horse and walks straight to the gate with Cirilla following behind him.

"Halt! Remove your hoods and state your business here in Novigrad!" the Guardsman exclaimed while looking at them with narrowed eyes.

He glances at Cirilla who slowly nods her head as she begins to remove her hood.

He does the same while maintaining eye contact with the guard.

"Why? We're here to watch the performance of the famous bard Dandelion of course," Cirilla replies with a smile gracing her lips, "According to the posters scattered here, he is about to perform in The Kingfisher Inn."

The guardsman began looking them over with a critical eye.

He watches as the guard's eyes widen ever so slightly as the man begins to inspect him from top to bottom.

"You look like one of those nobles," the Guardsman said while looking at him, "Are you perhaps… one of them?"

"No," he replies with a deadpan expression.

'I have been mistaken for being a noble multiple times now,' he thought to himself with narrowed eyes, 'Is my height a factor in this?'

"If I were a noble…" he continues, "I would have a lot of guards with me right now."

"Hmm…" the Guardsman mumbles still looking at him, "Very well then, keep your noses clean and the guards won't bother you. The Kingfisher Inn is at the northeast corner of Hierarch Square, the center of the city, you'll see the sign once you get there."

He nodded as he gestures at Cirilla to enter the gate first.


Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon/Ciri

She took the lead as she enters the gate with Sasuke following behind her, she already know most of the layout in Novigrad. Specifically, she knows where her friend Dandelion often does his ballads and shows.

In all honesty, Dandelion was not really on her list of people who might be able to help her in her current predicament. It was nothing against the man really, he was a wonderful friend, and most of his jest always makes her laugh. It's just he wasn't exactly a planner much less a fighter, his skills align with entertainment and theatrics for the most part.

She sighs as she thinks over what she will do now.

'I just hope Dandelion knows where Triss might be hiding,' she thought to herself, 'Otherwise, this trip would be a waste of time.'

She stops as she gazes at the sign 'The Kingfisher Inn' that was placed on top of the building.

"Here we are…" she trails off before continuing, "I just hope Dandelion is here."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at what she said.

"I thought you said that you read a poster about the performance?"

"There was never any poster…" she replies while looking at Sasuke, "I just made that up and hopes that Dandelion's popularity here might convince the guard to let us enter."

She watches as an amused smirk appears on his face.

"So you lied and took the risk," Sasuke replies while nodding his head, "Impressive."

A small smile can be seen on her face as she nods her head.

"Thank you," she replies

She took a deep breath as she gets closer to the inn entrance, she opens the door and looks inside the inn, she took note of the people inside clapping their hands as a man wearing outlandish purple garb was bowing at the center stage.

"Thank you! Thank you! To all of my female admirers! I will be giving a flower to each and every one of you should you visit me backstage!"

'There goes the first impression,' she thought to herself while covering her face with her hands as Sasuke was giving her a deadpan stare.

"Really? That's the man who is going to help us?" Sasuke asks the doubt in his voice is palpable.

"It's not like I have any other choice…" she replies while looking at the other side of the room trying and failing to hide her embarrassment, "Let's just head backstage, I'll talk to him."

She looks around the room and finds a door right next to the stage. Assuming that it leads backstage she opens it and walks into the new room with Sasuke trailing behind her.

As they start to get closer to the dressing room they start to hear a faint giggling noise inside the said room.

"Hear you are, a hibiscus flower a perfect representation of you my dear,"

"Oh my~ what does it mean Master Dandelion?"

"It means delicate beauty just like you, my sweet,"

She glances at Sasuke who was giving her an impassive stare, she looks away in embarrassment while covering her face with her hands again, already she was having second thoughts about bringing Sasuke here.

"Look, he is the only one I know here in Novigrad. This may sound stupid but I know he will help us, please just trust me on this…" she whispers trying to convince Sasuke.

Sasuke sighs as he massages the bridge of his nose, before nodding his head.

"Alright fine, I'll at least hear him out okay?"

She smiles sheepishly as she waited for the woman to leave the dressing room. Once the woman steps out of the room, she lightly knocks on the door and waited for Dandelion to speak.

"Come in!"

She glances at Sasuke who nods his head as she opens the door.

"Dandelion…?"

"What can I do for yo- Ciri?"

"Hey…" she replies as she waves her hand, "It's good to see you again Dandelion,".

"Ciri?! It really is you! You've been gone for so long!" Dandelion exclaims as he opens his arms, "I miss you!"

She smiles widely as she hugs her friend tightly.

"Too long, Dandelion, I've been gone for too long," she replies as she lets go of her friend, "And I miss you too."

"Where have you been? Does Geralt know you have returned?"

"No, he doesn't," she replies while looking around the room, "Listen, I need your help."

"Sure, anything I can..."

She glances at Dandelion who suddenly stops talking, she looks at where he was facing and notices that Sasuke enters the room. She was about to introduce the two of them to each other when Dandelion suddenly steps right in front of her, blocking her from Sasuke.

"Don't worry Ciri, I have been in this situation before, I can explain everything," Dandelion said while puffing his chest out.

"What?" she asks confused about what he said.

She watches as Dandelion clears his throat as he took a deep breath and began speaking.

"Listen here, I know that Lady Maria is your betrothed. However, I can assure you that I have never slept with her before, as she was only interested in my romantic songs and poems," Dandelion said while nodding his head, "So you have nothing to worry about."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What?" Sasuke replies with a deadpan expression.

She doesn't know whether she should laugh or be embarrassed by the situation at hand, she sighs as she forces herself to remain calm, she steps in front of Dandelion and starts to introduce them to each other.

"Dandelion, I would like you to meet a… friend of mine who accompanied me on my way here," she said as she looks between the two of them, "Sasuke meet Dandelion, and Dandelion meet Sasuke."

"..."

"..."

"So, you… you're not the noble that she was promised to be with?" Dandelion asks.

"No," Sasuke replies with a monotone voice and an impassive face.

"Oh… well, nothing to worry about then!" Dandelion exclaims while laughing nervously at the awkward situation, "Sorry, it's just you have a look of a noble you know? Even have the height down."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Sasuke asks while narrowing his lone eye.

"Wait… you haven't noticed it before? Really?" Dandelion asks with a raised eyebrow, "Alright then, allow me to describe it for you. In the same way, my female admirers describe…" he trails off as he pointed at himself, "Yours truly, of course."

She looks at Sasuke's face as it remains unchanged for the entire conversation.

"Fine, no more jest," Dandelion grumbles, "Seeing how serious your expression reminds me of a witcher friend of mine named Geralt," he sighs as he remembers some fond memories, "Where was I? Oh right, as I was saying, you, my friend can be considered as 'pleasing to the eyes' similar to how ladies describe me."

"What?"

Dandelion sighs as he grumbles something inaudible.

"You're handsome," Dandelion clarifies before grumbling under his breath, "Unnaturally so if you ask me."

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow as a response to the statement.

"What? You still don't believe me? Ask Ciri she'll tell you that I'm not lying,"

'What?!' she mentally exclaims as two pairs of eyes suddenly turn to look at her waiting for her response.

"Wait! Why are you asking me all of a sudden?!" she yells at Dandelion who merely smirks before responding.

"So… he isn't pleasing to the eyes then?" Dandelion asks with an amused expression.

"No!... I mean yes!... Wait! I mean-!" she stammers as she tries to answer the question.

Dandelion laughs as she fixes him a glare, she balls her hand into a fist before punching him on the shoulder as hard as she could.

"Ah!" Dandelion exclaims as he starts to rub his hurting shoulder, "Alright, alright I'll stop now."

Her response was crossing her arms over her chest as she hardens her glare.

"Sorry, sorry, you know I was just messing with you, right?"

She sighs as she starts to massage her head, she looks at Dandelion before slowly nodding her head, dropping her frustrations on the man.

"Thank you," Dandelion replies, "Now you said something about needing my help, so what's the problem?"

She was about to speak when Sasuke suddenly raises his hand grabbing her and Dandelion's attention.

"Isn't there a place where we can talk about this? Somewhere more… private?" Sasuke interjects as he glances around the room.

She looks at Dandelion before nodding her head, agreeing with Sasuke's suggestion.

"Oh! Not to worry, I have just the right place…" Dandelion replies with a vibrant smile on his face.


"Welcome to my humble abode!" Dandelion exclaims as he presents the building in front of them.

It was a three-story building located in the southern part of the city, it has a small elevated wooden floorboard right beside the entrance which is can be used as a small stage for performers, and a rather large open balcony at the top of the building.

It was a well-built structure, a perfect place as their temporary safe haven where they can freely talk without any guards eavesdropping on them.

There is just one small problem.

"Dandelion…" she replies with a sigh while looking at the building, "This is a brothel."

"Formerly a brothel!" Dandelion replies while smiling vibrantly, "I inherited it from a known… associate of mine, who has an appreciation for fine arts. Specifically, my ballads and poems."

"Then you should have removed the sign first," Sasuke dryly remarks while looking at the said sign.

Rosemary and Thyme

The best brothel in Novigrad!

"Ah, that…" Dandelion trails off as he laughs awkwardly, "I can't really remove the name until I submitted the necessary documents, and well that cost a lot of Crowns. Not to worry though as I am close to the amount required for the name change."

She sighs as she glances at Sasuke, who was giving her that impassive stare again.

"Alright, let's head inside," she replies while glancing at the sky, "It's about to be dark soon and I want to rest already."

Dandelion nods his head as he opens the door and gestures for her and Sasuke to enter the building.

Looking around the room, she took note of the empty spaces and the lack of decoration in the room. Her eyebrows raise while looking at the bland-looking room, a far cry from Dandelion's artistic mind.

"You recently got this building, didn't you?" she asks.

"Mhm, just last week," Dandelion replies, "I wrote a letter to Zoltan so we can fix this place but as you can see he hasn't arrived yet. Make yourselves at home, there are multiple rooms on the second floor, you can pick whichever you want…" he trails off a smirk appearing on his face as he glances at her and Sasuke, "Or would you prefer a shared room for the two of you?"

"Dandelion!" she yells at him, as she raises her fist.

"Just a jest Ciri! Just a jest!" Dandelion replies while raising both of his hands in the air.

She sighs as she lowers her hand and continues the conversation.

"After we're done settling in, what happens next?"

"There is a room on the top floor, meet me there and we can continue our conversation inside,"

She nods her head as she heads to the second floor with Sasuke trailing behind her, she chooses a random room and begins to store some of her things inside a drawer as she sat on the bed trying to control her anxiety and worries.

'I already made it this far,' she thought to herself, 'I just hope Dandelion at least knows some information on the whereabouts of Triss.'

Once she was finished arranging her things she opens her door and headed straight to the upper floor and noticed that Sasuke was already there waiting for her.

"I know what you're thinking," she said while looking at the door.

"…"

"Look, I know the first impression you got from him is… incompetent," she replies while looking at Sasuke who gave her his most unimpressed face, "Okay, more than that. However, he still helped us right? I mean look we have a place to stay and-"

"Cirilla," Sasuke suddenly replies interrupting her, "I already told you I'm willing to listen to what he has to say."

A smile appears on her face as she looks at Sasuke.

"Thank you," she replies, "Now shall we enter?"

Sasuke nodded his head as he knocks on the door, hearing a voice telling them to enter the room, Sasuke opens the door letting her walk into the room first.

Looking around the room, there wasn't anything on it yet, a few paintings here, a large bed at the center of the room, and a table that was placed near the window.

"Good you two are here! Come and sit!" Dandelion exclaims as he gestures to the two empty chairs in front of the table, "I have some wine for refreshments."

She glances at the cups and wine that were placed on the table, she raises an eyebrow as Dandelion sits on the rather expensive-looking chair.

"Is this going to be your office? Once you rename this place into your brothel house?" she asks.

"What? No, of course not! I will not be opening a brothel house!" Dandelion exclaims as he looks at her with slight disgust, "I will be reopening it as a cabaret and tavern, of course. My artistic brilliance will transform this building into something grand."

"If you say so…" she replies before continuing, "Dandelion, do you perchance know where Triss is? She might be able to help me undo a curse that was placed on my other friend."

"Oh no…" Dandelion mumbles, "It's a good thing that you suggested we go here before asking me that while in the inn."

She sighs as she told him about the poster that she saw.

"I read a wanted poster just outside of Novigrad," she replies as she looks around the room with nervousness, "I was thinking that you might know where she is? Or at the very least know what is happening around here?"

"Ciri…" Dandelion trails off as he looks at her, "King Radovid decides to wage war against all mages regardless of whether or not they are innocent," he sighs as he looks at the window, "His Excellency, Hierarch Hemmelfart the leader of Novigrad followed the King's decision and declares that any practitioners of magic and alchemy will be branded as heretics against the Church of Eternal Fire and be considered as treasonous against the crown." he shook his head as he glances back at her, "As of right now more than thirty people have been burned at the stake, and from the rumors that I heard, many more will soon follow."

Silence graces the room as she begins to process the information that Dandelion gave.

"That's it then…" she sighs heavily as she looks down at the floorboards, "What am I supposed to do now?"

Avallac'h her friend that was cursed is the main reason how she manages to escape the clutches of the Wild Hunt. Additionally, being an Aen Elle himself he has deep knowledge of the inner rankings of the Wild Hunt, from foot soldiers to lieutenants to the very leader of the group Eredin.

And right now she needed all the help she can get if she wants to defeat the Wild Hunt, and that wasn't even including the prophecy about her regarding the world-ending calamity called the White Frost which is said to freeze entire worlds and dimensions.

"Perhaps…" Sasuke began speaking, "We should call this a night, this has been a stressful evening for some of us here. I think we should rest, clear our heads first and look for a possible solution tomorrow."

Dandelion nods his head and agreement.

"Ciri, he's right, we can deal with this tomorrow, right now you need rest."

She looks between the two of them before sighing again as she stood up and heads straight to her room.


AN: Dandelion finally enters the story! After an awkward introduction that is, lol

For those who are wondering why Sasuke is always mistaken for being a noble, it's primarily because of the clothes that he is wearing (a gray long-sleeved collared shirt over a periwinkle vest, black pants, black leather shinobi boots, and lastly a black cloak with lavender lining) all of which is considered to be luxurious items in the Witcher Universe, combine that with his height and good looks, then it's no surprise why most people assume him to be of noble birth.

With that out of the way have a nice day and enjoy reading!