When I talked about this with my friend, she first suggested the girl didn't know how to read which was actually believable when thinking the child is from peasant background. However, it sparked another idea, that I liked to include to show the problems the experimental formula can cause.

Hopefully you'll enjoy?


Letho of Gulet looked like a man who was more force than smarts. This was false presumption made by many. He is a big man that is true. The mutagens used in his trial created a mountain of muscles so that he was abnormal even among his own kind. Yet, in classical way, the Viper was more than showed outside. He was as fast as he was strong, like pythons. He was also shrewd and used his looks for his advances. Letting people think he was slow and dumb, making them speak more freely around him and revealing useful things. Though Letho had done the kings' assassinations with his brothers, he was the mind behind the plans. It had been his idea creating alliance with the Scoia'tael and also serving the Lodge, creating a supportive web for the plan back then. And despite of some hiccups and certain Wolf, the Kingslayer succeeded. He had managed to throw the North into chaos and letting Nilfgaard attack with element of surprise. It was a deed that would surely go into history of the man from the School of the Viper: Letho of Gulet had been a beast of a witcher with intelligence to shake the whole North.

Now the Viper was a guardian to a hatchling, and was without much resources nor plans. He had no school, no other witchers, mages, elves nor emperor to back him up this time. That's why he finally ended bringing the girl to Chameleon, where he knew the bard Dandelion and the veteran Zoltan owned the place. The two men were friends of Geralt of Rivia who Letho wanted to contact about the witcher child. As the truth is, Letho of Gulet had no idea what he was doing with the kid.

For now he had found a save place for her to stay at. Dandelion had sent a letter to Geralt. So what was the Viper gonna do next? He would eventually need funds for the growing debts. Owing the tavern owners as also the sorceress, Triss Merigold. Not to mention the expenses that raising a child demanded. He would need to find work without leaving Novigrad and not get recognized as the supposed dead Kingslayer. He also couldn't present himself as a Viper for obvious reasons. He couldn't leave the girl alone either for long time, as he didn't entirely trust the bard and the dwarf with her and she likely wouldn't like the idea too. Things probably would had been much, much, simpler if he hadn't done the deal with Nilfgaard's leader in the past. It had been doomed quest from the start, demanding the lives of his brothers and it all had been for nothing. Seemed like he was paying for it all now, driven himself into tight spot... But as Letho was many things, brittle wasn't one of them. For a witcher loosing their nerves had never helped, when facing most dangerous beings of the realm. The Viper would take one problem at a time, one step after another and day after day. He and the child weren't in hurry and she clearly liked it in Chameleon. Even now she was eagerly playing Gwent with Zoltan. She still struggled with the cards as how to play them. However, by now being familiar with few, she had managed to give the man some challenge. Looking at the two from the counter, Letho brought his attention back to a paper he had written on.
The first problem he would tackle down would be giving a name for the child. She had the silly thought of demanding him instead of choosing on her own. It was uncomfortable task for the witcher, who had given up resisting and was now pondering options carefully. He knew the girl would probably take any name he would give her. She trusted him. It didn't help that others were pressuring him to do it already, as they all were finding it odd and inconvenient to call her just the girl, child or kid. He was just finding it a bit difficult to settle to one. Letho wanted it to be a good name for her, something she liked and something she would proudly make her own. Staring at the list of names he had chosen so far, the witcher frowned. He could just choose something and be done with it.

While the serpent struggled, Dandelion appeared and snatched the paper. Ignoring the look he received for this, the bard read through the list with curiosity. "Hmm, not bad actually," the man in vivid clothes commented, not caring how the glaring witcher slowly stood. He had traveled with Geralt and faced many dangers through years. Another papa witcher wasn't enough to shake him. "Some pretty names here too. Daniela, Nadia... Most of these are short though? Kaska, Ewa..." Letho took the paper back and despite of unfriendly look, he explained: "She isn't some haughty noble. Short name is fine for her." Dandelion gave critical brow lift. Then he explained the importance of woman having a fine name and how such things affect how others will receive her. Letho was very aware of this fact. That's why this was so hard. "The only time I named anything was a pig that I ended up killing." This time Dandelion raise both of eyebrows. The witcher glanced over the paper. "It was the last trial. Take care of a pet, then kill it to finish your training." Simple thing. Nothing to be talked more about. Yet after long stare, Dandelion raised his hands and walked away, muttering: "The kid is never gonna get a pet."

"No, not like that," Zoltan said and took the card which the girl had placed onto the table. "This one is a spy card, ye place it onto your opponent's row, not yours!" The girl listened with raised shoulders, flinching when the dwarf gave the card back: "Ye need to read the text before playin', girly. Don't ye read?" She didn't look at him while mumbling: "I can read..." Letho then called from the counter: "Girl, come on here." Placing her cards down she rushed to the witcher and climbed to a chair next to him. Leaning against the man's arm she smiled. "Having fun with the cards? Being good sport and letting Zoltan win for a change?" She shrugged and avoided the eye contact. Deciding to figure that out later, Letho gave her the paper. She took it and stared at it before looking at him. "Those are the names I came up with. For you. Choose whatever you like." Smiling she quickly looked at the list, then gave it back: "You choose!" He didn't take the paper however, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "Nah, you'll choose. I just gave you options." Uncertainly she looked at the names, up and down, till she pointed at one.
"This one?"
"Rena?"
"Oh... That's how it's said?"
The man tilted his head, realizing what Zoltan had suspect already. "You can't read, can you?" The girl's cheeks reddened, she saying she can read. Yellow eyes squinted Letho questioned this. He asked Zoltan to bring one of the cards, as those have written explanations in them of how each one worked in the game. The girl was given one and asked to read it out loud. She held the card and stared at it, aware that the adults waited. She can read, she thought and looked at the letters. She can! "I don't wanna read it," she threw the card to the counter and crossed her arms, mimicking Letho. All adults, as Dandelion had noticed the situation, looked at the girl in mild confusion. She felt it, making her more frustrated. "There ain't shame at not knowin' how to read," Zoltan comforted. Letho nodded and add: "We'll just-" "I can read!" she snapped, tears starting to form and her gaze tightly on her lap. "I can," she whimpered, now feeling bad for yelling and not wanting to see their faces. "I can read," she repeated and started sobbing. Letho picked the little one up. She tried to hide herself against him. The witcher and the dwarf were utterly puzzled, glancing at each other with no idea why she was acting like this all of sudden. Dandelion was thoughtful however, head tilted to aside and thinking. He came closer behind the counter, elbows on the table and watched for a moment as Letho calmed the child.
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry, nobody is mad."

The bard picked up the card and looked at it, then at the kid in witcher's arms. Tapping the card against his bearded chin, Dandelion started: "You know, I have worked for many people as a teacher." He met the girl's peeking eye, nodding. "For many, from different classes. Mostly about playing instruments and singing. Though there's so much even I can do to make someone sing better than a crow with a frog stuck in their throat. My talents and looks may be magical, but I'm still not a sorceress." Letho chuckled, the kid mirroring the sound. Smile playing on his lips, the bard continued: "And I have come across a fair amount of people, who have difficulties with letters sometimes. Saying the letters either dance around or some different words look the same." The girl continued listening and watching. He waved the card in his hand, made some little tricks while flipping it between his fingers. Zoltan didn't say anything about it, for now, though he did give annoyed look. "But it doesn't mean they can't read or that they are stupid. They can be very skilled at other things. They just need a bit more effort and time at understanding the prankish words." He gave the card back to his dwarf friend, who checked its condition.
"I can read," the girl insisted, plucking fuzz from the witcher's shirt: "The letters just, they... They are stupid."
Dandelion nodded with understanding: "I know. I dislike some letters too, especially C. It always makes me sick."
She didn't get it. Letho snickered. Zoltan was disappointed.

The witcher was impressed by the bard but also worried of the kid, more than before. He hadn't heard of a witcher having difficulties at reading. In the school of the Viper everyone was taught to read and write, having access to a wide variety of literature. He couldn't but wonder was the girl's disorder caused by the experimental formula or did she already have it before the trial.

Dandelion and Zoltan left the witcher and the girl alone, Letho still holding her on his lap. He glanced at the name list, picking it up and noticed her interest. "How about I read the names for you?" She looked hesitant and then nodded. Clearing his throat, the Viper read out loud in soft tone with his other hand pointing at each name. The child followed and repeated along, tasting them. It wasn't that many names, just under ten. After she had heard how they sounded, she asked: "How did you get your name, Letho?" He hadn't expected the question, but answered in unconcerned way: "Can't remember." This caused the girl frown with apprehension, that he wasn't going to correct. Not now at least. "So, anything you like?" She still wasn't letting him go, asking what he liked the most. Sighing, eyes on the list, he picked two if just to make this easier. "Ewa or Irene."

She quietly repeated the names, and for some reason also his, then pondered. She finally made the decision, though still looking at him for approval: "Irene." He liked it, smiling and nodding, putting away the paper. "Irene it is." The girl, Irene, giggled happily and repeated the name. She slide down to go tell others. She proclaimed separately to Dandelion and Zoltan her name, though they both heard it just fine in the same room. They still congratulated nonetheless.
"Well it is a pleasure to meet you, miss Irene."
"Good name, has a nice ring to it. Glad to know ye, Irene."
She came back to Letho, leaning against his knee and with a big smile told: "My name is Irene, I like it a lot!"

The Viper, feeling like his heart was threatening to melt, did something of pure impulse. He was a witcher, he really didn't do things from sudden urge. But it felt somehow natural to pick the girl up, sat her onto his thigh and gently touch her forehead with his. Smiling with contentment as she giggled and nuzzled back, he said: "Happy to hear that, Irene." He was happy with the choice she had made. He hoped, that the name would give her what it meant, life of peace.