Chapter 22: To Find Her

"When will she wake?" a male voice asked, his voice angry. Ciri couldn't open her eyes, but she could hear footsteps on the other side of her, opposite of the man. She tried to peel open her eyes, worried about what was happening, but was unable to. They were still so heavy.

The footsteps stopped. "Her wound is healed, so she should wake at any moment," a female answered, her voice low and proud. The voices seemed familiar to Ciri, and she tried to remember where she had heard them before. She couldn't remember much. They were in Kaer Morhen, but where was she now? What wound did she have?

Her fingers twitched when she tried to move, but that was a bad idea. "Look, she's moving. I wouldn't be surprised if she could hear us now," the female stated, footsteps moving closer to her.

The man shifted. "Princess Cirilla of Cintra, the fallen city," the voice murmured, sounding like their was a grin behind the words. Ciri's stomach twisted at the sound of his voice. She recognized it, and not in a good way. "Welcome to the Nilfgaardian Empire."

The voice… it made sense. It belonged to Cahir, that malevolent Nilfgaard soldier. The magical outburst. Geralt deciding to leave. Waking up at the castle. The army storming the fortress. Getting shot by the arrow. Yennefer attacking Fringilla. Cahir approaching… It all rushed back to her and her eyes flew open.

Sitting up in a flash, she looked straight at Cahir, her eyes glaring at him coldly. "Where's Yennefer?" Ciri asked, her jaw tight.

A smile, only to be described as wicked, appeared on the dark knight's face. "We left her alive," was all he said. He moved closer to her, and Ciri felt like she was the prey and he was the hunter. Her body stiffened as she reached for her magic, only to find nothing there. Confusion must have shown on her face, because he spoke again, the smile still in place. "You cannot use any powers in here. This room has been designed to contain you and all your powers. Consider this your new home."

He waved his arms around dramatically, indicating to the small room. There was a bed, a fire place, a barred window, and a small wardrobe. "Why have you taken me as prisoner? Surely you just need to kill me to ensure the thrown of Cintra goes to your king," Ciri said, trying not to panic at being utterly defenseless. Her eyes scanned around the room, looking for anything that could be used for a weapon, but there was nothing.

Cahir leaned against the bed frame, looking down at her with a glint in his eyes. "Our king has deemed it a better option to keep you alive. You are to be his queen and the mother of his sons."

Ciri's stomach dropped, as she looked up at the man in shock. How revolting… she was being kept alive to be wed and impregnated. The taste of acid rose in the back if her throat, and she had to swallow to keep the bile down. "I would rather die," she spat.

"You will not be allowed to die," Fringilla said from beside her. "You will be kept alive until the day you wed, on your 18th birthday. The King deems it inappropriate to wed a child, so when you have finished your growth, you will marry the King and you will not get any say in the matter. You and the King will rule Cintra and the Nilfgaardian Empire. You should feel honored and blessed."

"You're going to keep me locked in here, for four more years?" she rasped, looking around at the room. She would find a way to escape, if that was the case, or end her own life if there was no way out. Her stomach flipped in another wave of nausea. She would not marry an old king and be used for a baby-producer.

"That's the plan for right now," the dark knight stated. He moved toward the door, Fringilla following him. "Enjoy your stay Princess."

The door slammed behind them as they left, and Ciri could hear the door being bolted; she was locked in. The emotions caught up to her. No magic, no weapon and she was all alone. Her tears came quickly and she broke down into sobs, her sorrows and fear taking over.

./././././

Geralt and Jaskier were sitting in an inn, drinking ale after Dandelion's last performance. It had been three weeks since they had departed Kaer Morhen, and they had already taken a few jobs disposing of various monsters. Their latest kill had gotten them a necrophage, and an award of enough coin to spend a couple nights at an inn with warm beds and bellies full of mead.

Their peace was quickly destroyed, when the front doors of the inn slammed open, and a loud, female voice screamed out: "Geralt! Gods damn you Geralt, I finally found you."

The Witcher's head whipped around at the same time as Jaskiers'. Yennefer was storming toward them, her hair wild and unkept, her dress dirty, and her face angry. They immediately got to their feet. "What is it Yen? What's wrong? Where's Ciri?" Geralt questioned, his arm grabbing Yen's arm to steady her as she came to a quick halt in front of them. Obviously something was really wrong, if she had sought them out and looked so panicked.

"Nilfgaard," Yennefer growled. "They stormed the castle right after we got back. It's taken me three whole fucking weeks to find you Geralt. They've had Ciri this whole time."

Geralt's face darkened as he cussed, and Jaskier grew worried. "They kept her alive?" Jaskier asked quietly, almost scared to know the answer.

Yen turned to look at him, her purple eyes pained. "She was felled by an arrow. I do not know if she lives, but I do not see why they would've taken her if they wanted her dead."

"She's alive," Geralt stated. He would feel it if the girl had died, he thought. He had to believe that she still breathed. His mind raced around, trying to figure out the likely places they might have her being held. He never should have left her alone. He had spent the last three weeks worried about her and his fears had been correct. The Princess was only safe when she was at his side. How many times would destiny have to shove that fact in his face?

Growling, he stalked out of the inn, Jaskier and Yennefer at his heels. "Where are you going Geralt?" Yennefer asked. "We have no idea where she is being held. We are also ill-prepared to take on the Nilfgaardian army. We will need back-up."

"We cannot leave her with them!" Geralt whirled on her, his expression angry. "They could be torturing her, raping her! She could be dead already." His breathing was coming out in harsh, ragged gasps. His heart hurt and his mind was fuzzy from the emotion. Never before had he felt such a feeling, and he did not like it.

"We have to get help first," Yennefer reasoned. "If we march in blind, we could end up dead and then no one will be able to help her."

"Well, then what do you suggest we do?" Geralt snarled, moving to untie Roach from where she stood.

"Let us return to my fortress, and we will make up a proper plan. We have allies and those who owe us favors. We will get her Geralt. But we need to do this the smart way, or we could lose everything."

"We should do as she says, Geralt," Jaskier stated, surprising the pair, as he rarely agreed with anything the mage ever said. "Ciri's safety is the most important thing. We can't risk failing in our rescue."

A long moment passed as Geralt starred at the two of them. "Very well," he finally said through gritted teeth. He swung up onto Roach, while Jaskier grabbed Beast.

Yennefer nodded, turning and opening a portal, ignoring the onlookers who watched in awe at the display of magic. They all passed through the portal, heading to Yennefer's fortress, the three set on their new mission of rescuing the Princess of Cintra.