Chapter 24: The King

Yennefer fought hard through the waves of the Nilfgaards that poured through the halls. Her magic, chaotic and powered by her rage, blasted out of her in a wild inferno. The opposition was scorched before her, burning to ash beneath the blaze from her palms. Her eyes searched through the bodies, hoping to land on either Geralt or Jaskier, wondering if either had found Cirilla yet.

So much time had passed; four years of planning and following dead ends. The Nilfgaards had hid their Princess well, but finally they had found her. They had planned the siege on the chosen "wedding day", knowing that the army would be caught unawares by their attack. Yet, they were still a powerful foe. Many of her recruits fell under the Nilfgaard's blades. It was only thanks to the help of their Golden Dragon friend, and her mage community that she was able to rally up enough soldiers to fight and win this battle; but there would be many casualties. She just hoped not of her friends paid that price.

She finally caught sight of Jaskier, dressed in armour for once, rather than his colorful outfits. He had just struck down a knight, as she cleared the path to get towards him. "Any sight of Cirilla yet?" Yennefer shouted so that he would hear her over the screams and chaos.

Jaskier looked towards her, frowning. "No, Geralt ran ahead to look for her," Jaskier yelled back. The two moved forwards together, having to step over dead bodies, and avoid slipping in the pools of blood and vomit that covered the stone ground. The battle was far from over yet, and Yen sighed when she saw more Nilfgaards pouring in through the side entrance. Glancing back, she saw her mages heading in their direction, and she knew that they could handle it.

All of the thick smoke and ash in the air made it hard to breathe, as they slowly trudged towards the front of the room. They had to pause intermittently to strike down any opponent, before continuing on. It was a slow process until Jaskier finally shouted: "There! Over there, Geralt has her!"

Yennefer's head whirled in the direction the bard pointed, and smiled despite the grim situation, when she saw Geralt helped Ciri to her feet. She didn't notice, until too late, when the King Emhyr var Emreis of Nilgaard, snuck out from behind the pillars and drove his blade through Geralt's back, which went clean through him and stuck out of his chest.

"NO!" Yennefer screamed. Jaskier yelled out in shock, and they both moved to step forward, as Geralt fell to his knees. Before they could get close, a blast shot out, throwing everyone in the room flat against the walls or ground, pinning them helplessly. Yennefer and Jaskier struggled against the force, which struck them again hard, keeping them down.

Cirilla was floating before them, Geralt beside her. Her mouth was moving rapidly in an incantation. Her hair billowed out behind her, like rays of sunlight. In her white dress, she looked like some sort of holy being, cast down to rid the world of evil. The blue of her eyes seemed to shine, the pupils nearly gone, as she whisked her hand forward towards the King. The chanting came to a stop, but everyone, Nilfgaards and Yennefer's army alike, was kept bound down, unable to do more than watch what was about to unfold.

"Damn you," Ciri screamed, her voice higher pitch and loud, booming throughout the room. "I shall kill you for what you have done."

Her hand shot out, and the King slammed down into the floor, the air forced from his lungs. He rolled onto his stomach, gasping for a few moments, unable to draw breath. "You… you are just like your mother," he managed to rasp out, looking up at Ciri in awe.

Yennefer's brows drew together. What would the King of Nilfgaard know of Cirilla's mother?

Ciri used her powers to bring the King forwards, so that he floated directly in front of her. "What would you know of my mother?"

"She was my wife," the King stated. "My Queen, Pavetta."

The walls shook hard as Ciri screamed. "You lie! My father is dead. Drowned long ago with my mother."

"NO!" the King shouted back at her, seemingly unafraid of Cirilla's powers. "I lived that day. I had you brought here to be my new Queen. You and I shall be the ruler of the New World."

"That cannot be," Ciri retorted. Yennefer noticed Geralt was now conscious, watching all this with furrowed brows from where he was pinned against the wall. She also noticed that his wounds were healing, probably Ciri's doing. The girl's power was remarkable.

The King grinned at her. "Saving King Roegner, enacting the Law of Surprise and being bound to Pavetta. It was all part of the plan. We were wed, and you were created, for the single purpose of binding the Nilfgaardian Empire with that of Cintra. You are the sole heir and with your powers, we will be an invincible Empire."

"You are mad!" Ciri shrieked, launching the King back into the walls. He slammed into them hard, letting out a grunt in pain. Yennefer's mind whirled with this new information. How had they not known that this man was Ciri's father? The Nilfgaard, it turns out, was rather skilled at keeping secrets.

Yennefer was powerless to do more than watch, as Cirilla slowly shredded her father in her anger. Plucking his limbs off one by one with her magic, and finally ripping the heart right out of his chest. It was a sight that turned the mage's stomach. "For Geralt, and for Pavetta," Cirilla spat, coming to land back on the ground away from the body of the now dead king.

Yennefer watched as the girl stepped back, looking towards where Geralt lay, still forced down by her magic. "Release us now Cirilla," Geralt grunted, still struggling against the invisible force.

"I must ensure the Nilfgaards are dead," Ciri replied, her voice sounding so unlike her own. Yennefer wondered if Ciri was even conscious of her actions in this moment. Geralt seemed to feel the same way, because with an unbelievable amount of strength, he lifted his fingers up in a sign, and blasted Cirilla with the power he had left.

A look of betrayal crossed her features, just as her eyes rocked back into her head, where she saw no more.