Chapter 10: Yennefer
Loud screams and the feeling of being shaken woke Ciri. Jolting upright, she saw Geralt leaning over her, his armour and gear on and all ready to go. "What's going on?" Ciri asked, the sleep wearing off quickly as the smell of smoke filled her nostrils.
"Nilfgaard," Geralt hissed, pulling her up from the bed. "We need to move Jaskier!"
Ciri's head flung around to see Jaskier rising from the floor, where he must have crashed for the night. "On it Geralt. I'll get Lara." The Bard disappeared out the bedroom door, but his voice rapidly shouted: "Geralt! We have a problem!"
Ciri followed Geralt as he darted after Jaskier, and she felt bile rise up in her throat. The house was on fire, arrows flying through the door and one had clearly hit Lara, who lay with the arrow jutting out of her throat. "Fuck," Geralt cussed, grabbing Ciri's arm and pulling her outside towards the horses.
"Tack them up Jaskier," Geralt shouted, as the three horses pranced up, nostrils flaring nervously at the burning arrows and smoke that filled the air. Ciri coughed into her robes, looking around. To her horror, Lars was lying next to the horse pen, arrows sticking out of her chest. Geralt pushed her towards the horses, as Jaskier worked to catch the three so they could be tacked up. "Don't look."
Something suddenly flashed in Ciri's memory, and she shrieked, tugging back from Geralt and running back into the house. "Ciri! Dammit!"
"I'll be right back," Ciri shouted back, as she bolted through the front door, spluttering from all the black smoke. The sound of swords clashing echoed, and Ciri stiffened when she heard Geralt yell before the swords met again.
Baby cries met her ears, and Ciri exhaled as she moved over to the bassinet quickly. Reaching inside, she pulled the baby up carefully, placing him on her shoulder and keeping his face in her hair as she went to run back towards the door. Before she could reach the opening, the roof partially caved in, flames shooting out from the increased oxygen.
Ciri let out a loud scream as embers kissed her skin, charring her flesh as she shot backwards. The baby was wrapped up, and she hoped that he hadn't gotten burned. Moving towards the hallway, she realized that she was at a dead end. There was no other exit to the house. "No, no, no," Ciri muttered, looking around desperately, more coughs coming out as the thick black smoke burned her lungs.
Luck seemed to be her on her side, when the thin wall got shoved through by a large hulking frame. The white haired man instantly soothed her worries. "Geralt," she breathed.
"You stupid, reckless girl," Geralt snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling her from the house. "You don't run into fire!"
"I had to," Ciri coughed out, spluttering a bit. Moving her other arm, she showed the baby, live and well to Geralt. His eyes softened slightly, and he shook his head in awe. Of course she'd gone back for the baby. He couldn't believe that in the rush, he'd even forgotten its existence.
Moving over to where the three horses were tacked and tied, Geralt hoisted Ciri up onto Aspen. "I- I can't ride with a baby," Ciri shouted over the roaring flames, that now engulfed the house.
Geralt looked at the baby and cussed, before taking it from Ciri's arms and cradling it in the crook of his arm, as he threw himself onto Roach. Jaskier was already on Beast, waiting impatiently. A couple dead Nilfgaard soldiers lay on the ground, bloodied and sliced apart from Geralt's sword. Ciri looked away, wishing she would never see another dead body again.
The sounds of men's roars and more arrows flying met their ears. "Shit, run!" Geralt hollered, as they kicked their horses up to a full gallop, heading as fast as they could away from the small village. There were no survivors, other than the little baby.
Ciri was almost numb as they rode on, leaving the smoke and fire and death behind in their wake. The only sound she made was the slight cough, as the sun rose and the hours passed. Geralt pushed them hard, wanting to put as much distance between the Nilfgaard and themselves as possible. He was relieved that the baby in his arms was quiet and slept the majority of the ride.
They stopped after noon, moving off the pathway and into the tree coverage to stop for a breather and to let the horses rest and eat. Ciri slid off Aspen, not meeting Geralt's eyes as she reached out to take the baby from him. The girl was silent as she moved over to sit leaning against a tree, as she rocked the baby. No emotion crossed Ciri's face, and Geralt looked at Jaskier nervously. The bard merely shrugged, unsure of what to say about the kid's behaviour.
Geralt moved towards Ciri, looking down at her as she stared at the ground in front of her. After a long moment, she finally dragged her gaze up to meet his golden one. "We should have never been there," Ciri said, her voice hoarse from the smoke. "It's my fault they are dead."
"It is most definitely not your fault," Jaskier piped up, moving to stand next to Geralt. "The only ones to blame are the Nilfgaard."
"If we hadn't been there, they might still be alive… this baby might not be an orphan," Ciri murmured, looking down at the sleeping baby. "We don't even know his name."
Geralt sighed heavily. "You do not know that. The Nilfgaard may have still attacked them. There's nothing that could have been done for them, it was the hand they were dealt."
"So, you found her, Geralt," a feminine voice said from the trees. Their heads all flung around to look in the direction of the voice. A beautiful woman, young with gorgeous tan skin and black luscious curls walked towards them, her purple eyes staring at Ciri with curiosity. The power and strength that radiated from her left Ciri awe-struck. She instantly knew who the woman was, even before Geralt said her name.
"Yennefer," Geralt breathed, turning to face the woman. "How? Why are you here?"
"I've been looking for you Geralt," she smiled. "When I saw the village in flames, I had a feeling you were close by. Luckily I found you, and your child-of-surprise."
Ciri stood up, moving towards Yennefer with wide eyes. "You're Yennefer," Ciri whispered hoarsely.
"What is your name, little girl?" the mage asked, but not unkindly. Her purple eyes shifted to look at the sleeping baby in her arms. "And who is this?"
"My name is Cirilla. We saved him from the fire… we do not know his name."
Yennefer's hand came up to brush the burns along Ciri's face, making the girl wince slightly. "You haven't kept her safe Geralt."
"She's a hard child to keep under control," Geralt snapped, looking at Ciri with his brow raised, but his lip was also curled up in a smirk. "Firey and determined. Much like yourself."
A warm feeling came from Yennefer's fingers against her skin, and Ciri felt her shoulders relax as the stinging in her face and lungs disappeared. The mage had healed her. "Thank you," Ciri said in awe.
"May I hold him?" Yennefer inquired, indicating to the baby.
"Of course," Ciri smiled, passing the baby carefully to the mage. She watched as the mage cooed down at the waking baby, which smiled a gummy grin up at the woman, before reaching up and coiling his fingers in the black locks. "He's the happiest and quietest baby I've ever seen."
Geralt watched Ciri and Yennefer with curiosity, while Jaskier purposely ignored the mage's presence, choosing to speak to Beast instead. Yennefer looked up at Geralt, her eyes intrigued. "What do you intend to do with the baby?"
Ciri's wide blue eyes turned to look at Geralt, and his immediate answer got stuck on his tongue. Would the girl hate him if they dropped the babe off at the next available village? When she looked up at him with sorrow in his eyes as she guessed what he was going to say, he felt his stomach knot. No, he couldn't live with himself if Ciri was upset with him.
"You always wanted one Yen," he quirked a brow at her. The mage's eyes went wide as she looked down at the happy baby.
Ciri looked curiously up at Yennefer. "You'll keep him?"
Purple eyes met her blue ones, looking almost excited as she glanced back down at the baby. "I… I guess I will," Yennefer murmured, as she pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead. Her gaze suddenly went serious as she turned to Geralt. "We need to get moving, the Nilfgaard are on their way. I will portal us out of here."
"Even the horses?" Geralt inquired, looking at the three horses munching away on grass.
"Of course." Ciri's eyes went wide when Yennefer held out a hand and a portal appeared, distorting the world around it, right in front of them. "Grab you horses, we're going to my home."
Ciri grabbed Aspen, and watched as Jaskier stepped through the portal, having to almost drag beast into the opening. Tentatively, she walked up and looked back at Geralt. He nodded at her, eyes blank as she stood in front of the portal. With a deep breath, she led Aspen through. Luckily for her, the mare put up no fight.
When her foot hit the ground next, she and her horse were standing outside a huge castle, standing by itself on a sandy beach, the waves of the ocean crashing against the rocks behind her.