I do not own Witcher or any of the characters.

Tourney

Eldin looked up as he was finishing donning the armor he was required to wear in the tourney. He'd managed to acquire the saliva of a Spotted Wight found by Regis's ravens. It wasn't a true wight, which was how it was alive, but the victim of a curse. A woman who'd refused a beggar food and had been cursed in return. To break the curse, he'd been forced to willingly ingest its toxic stew and both to eat without a spoon. Fortunately, as a Witcher, he'd been able to survive the poison, some of which he'd taken to draw the Wight's saliva from, and once the curse had been lifted and left the Wight as a frail, starved woman well above a hundred years old, he'd taken her to Corvo Bianco for his estate's Majordomo, Barnabas-Basil Foulty, to nurse back to health while renovations and improvements were being undertaken for the estate. Then, while Regis was brewing Resonance and extracting the saliva, Eldin had checked in on Guillaume and had been asked to take part in the tourney in order to help find out if Vivienne, the pretty blonde Guillaume was in love with who was overseeing the Tourney, was cursed.

"There you are," Anna Henrietta said as she walked into the tent with Damien, Aralyn, and Renfri. "Aralyn and Renfri told me you wished to speak with me?"

"Yeah," Eldin nodded, slinging his sword across his back, as opposed to at his side like he normally did. "Before you ask, I have a lead stewing to try and find the Beast, but it'll take a couple of days so I'm using it to take part in the tourney and to help out a friend with a personal matter. In the mean time, I believe you would like to know what happened after I chased the Beast."

"Indeed, we would," Anna nodded.

"I caught up to it in an old warehouse," Eldin explained. "Fought it. I now know exactly what type of monster has been killing people, and exactly how serious the situation is."

"But, it's a good thing you know what it is, is it not?" Damien asked.

"No," Eldin shook his head. "The Beast of Beauclair isn't a normal monster. I was right that it could reason like any human, but it's worse than that. It's a Higher Vampire."

"A vampire?" Anna asked.

"This is no problem," Damien scoffed. "Any soldier knows how to deal with vampires. "Arm yourself with abundant amounts of garlic and drive a wooden stake through their heart."

Eldin rolled his eyes. "The most you'll do with the garlic is make it sneeze, if you're lucky, and wooden stakes are worthless. And that's assuming you even survive long enough to use either as a weapon. Higher Vampires are nothing like your fairy tales. They're among the most dangerous monsters in existence. They can take the form of smoke and kill while still in that form. They can move faster than the eye can perceive. They can plot, plan, and reason like any human, allowing them to strategize for a fight if it, by some miracle, poses a threat to them, and above all, they can't be killed by humans, or any other kind of monster."

"Excuse me?" Damien asked.

"A Higher Vampire can only be killed by another Higher Vampire," Aralyn said. "If lucky enough, a human or other kind of monster could theoretically defeat a Higher Vampire, but it wouldn't die. It could very easily return again later, once its' regenerated. On the other hand, if a Higher Vampire strikes a killing blow, the death is permanent."

"Then, you're saying there's nothing you can do?" Anna asked.

"Not exactly," Eldin said. "This particular vampire seems to be acting on a grudge against the four previous victims, and whoever ordered them to do whatever caused the grudge. I know you won't be willing to accept this option, but the vampire said there's only one more target, so we could, legitimately, allow the vampire to claim the last victim and call it a day. Alternatively, we may be able to reason with the vampire once we find him, find a peaceful solution. That'd be the best outcome. If we have to resort to violence, then the battle would be difficult beyond anything I've ever faced, to start with, and killing it myself would be impossible. However, as it happens, I know of one other Higher Vampire who's a better man than any I've met. I've reached out to him in order to see if he'd be willing to aid me in killing the Beast if it comes to it, but you need to understand that I'm going to be trying to end things peacefully first."

"I hired you to kill the Beast!" Anna snapped.

"And I'm not certain I can," Eldin replied calmly. "Understand this. If an entire army sought to face this one Higher Vampire in battle, all armed with silver swords and told exactly what this vampire was capable of, the army would be slaughtered. That is the kind of foe that we face. I understand that you wish me to kill the Beast, but if I try and fail, I will die, Renfri and Aralyn will die, and in retribution, he may turn his sights from one final victim to all of Beauclair."

Anna's gaze fell to the ground. "Very well. Try the peaceful way first, but if he refuses to stop killing, you must stop him."

"I'll do my best," Eldin promised.

"And what if this other vampire refuses to help you, or worse, decides to stop you?" Damien questioned.

"If he refuses to help, then assuming I can defeat the Beast at all, I'll incinerate his body before he can regenerate, then trap him in a container that even he can't escape and lock it away somewhere no one will ever find it," Eldin said. "And if the other vampire I know decides to aid the Beast against me, I'll be forced to kill both, hopefully in separate battles."

"Very well," Anna nodded. "We will await news of your progress at the palace, then."

Eldin nodded, and Anna and Damien took their leave.

"Can we win?" Aralyn asked.

"Maybe," Eldin nodded. "I'll just have to be careful to prepare for a battle with a Higher Vampire this time, instead of using only an elixir and hoping for the best."

Aralyn nodded. "Your armor's finished." She slipped it into his satchel for him. "And the smith is using the hide of that Albino Basilisk to forge Renfri some better armor that I'll magically reinforce afterward. He's also forging her a new pair of swords."

Eldin nodded. "Good. Did he say how long it'll take?"

"He said it would take about three days in all," Renfri said.

"Okay," Eldin sighed. "I really don't feel like taking part in this tourney. But I agreed to help, and this is the best way."

"Wish I could compete," Renfri sulked.

"You'll live," Eldin chuckled. "Besides, they might have a riddle that you'd have to solve, and we all know how bad you are at those."

"Hey!" Renfri laughed. "It's not my fault! 'I begin with a groan, hollowed out with ease, then end like a mouse with a head of hard cheese'? It's totally talking about sex with a traveler who hasn't showered in a few days!"

"You are disgusting," Aralyn smirked, shaking her head.

"And perverted," Eldin smirked. "Speaking of, I saw you swoon with Anna Henreitta spoke to us in the arena."

"Oh please!" Renfri snorted. "You know her voice is sexy!"

Eldin and Aralyn laughed.

"Besides, it's not like I'm actually expecting to get to bed her," Renfri added. "I'm you two's property, so I'm not allowed to sleep with anyone else."

"When did we say that?" Aralyn asked.

"Huh?" Renfri blinked in confusion.

"Renfri, all we told you was that we're in love with each other, but that we both care about you as well and are happy to include you in our bed," Aralyn said. "That doesn't mean you can't hop in someone else's bed if you want to from time to time. And if they're sufficiently attractive, we might not mind if you brought them into our bed, either."

"Say what now?" Eldin asked. "You'd be willing to bring in random strangers?"

Aralyn shrugged. "As long as all of us agree to it, why not? And about Anna's accent," she adopted a perfect, sultry, Toussaint accent, "it's really not that hard to do."

Renfri groaned loudly, wrapping her arms around Aralyn from behind, Aralyn laughing.

Eldin sighed. "Couldn't you have waited until we were somewhere private and I wasn't in armor that's impossible to get off before doing that?"

Aralyn smiled knowingly. "Well, maybe once you've finished this tourney I'll use the accent again to say goodnight at our new vineyard."

"We're definitely not going to be sleeping," Renfri promised, hands sliding up to massage Aralyn's breasts, Aralyn letting out a heavy breath before stopping her, giving her a kiss before stepping away.

"Anyway," Eldin said. "I should get going. If I'm late I'll be disqualified."

He gave both a kiss, and they wished him luck before he got his and Aralyn's horse and led it to where they were told to gather for the first event, an archery competition. He'd have to shoot all of his targets, either red or blue, before the opponent could shoot all of theirs. The other events included a timed horse race where time was added if they slashed a straw dummy as they passed or shot a hanging target with a crossbow or regular bow, and single combat. Eldin had a dulled sword for that event, so as to avoid killing anyone, and had borrowed Guillaume's crossbow for the rest of the events.

"Eldin!" Palmerin called out as Eldin reached the archery range. "Well, I'll be! Have you decided to turn knight errant?"

"Here to do Guillaume a favor," Eldin said.

"And here I thought you had to be knighted for the tourney," Palmerin said.

"Technically, I was," Eldin said. "Though, I didn't earn it. After doing a job for a princess, once, a long time ago, she invited me for a drink, then after a few of them invited me for something a bit less wholesome. Apparently, when she made a joke during the act that she was knighting me for my...excellent service, the chancellery happened to be passing by and thought she was serious, so he made it official."

Palmerin, who'd been taking a drink, sprayed wine out of his nose, then coughed and quickly wiped the wine from his face and armor. "You jest!"

"I don't," Eldin shook his head. "This was before I met Aralyn and Renfri, of course, but yeah. Accidental knighthood."

"How did the princess's parents react?" Palmerin asked.

"She pretended it had been an extra reward for hunting down the monster they'd hired me for," Eldin said. "They were never the wiser."

Palmerin shook his head. "Definitely not the most chivalrous beginning to a knight's tale I've ever heard, but definitely the most entertaining. And fitting, for a knighted Witcher, if I'm to be honest."

Eldin smirked, taking a drink of wine and nodding. "You in the tourney?"

"Am I?" Palmerin snorted. "Hah! I shall square off against Rainfarn of Attre. I saw him just moments ago, a nervous wreck. Stuffing his nose with fisstech, no less. As if that will aid his determination!"

"Guessing that's against the rules," Eldin assumed.

Palmerin nodded. "But who's to tell a Nilfgaardian what to do? Listen, Eldin, I've a tip for you. The timing of your marksmanship duel is such that you shall have the sun in your eyes."

Eldin shrugged. "Won't stop me from competing."

"Nor will it give you any pleasure," Palmerin countered. "Since it seems we both must wait anyway, play me in a round of Gwent. Should you beat me, I shall swap with you. To me, a southerner, the sun is no hinderance."

"I'll play you," Eldin said, settling into a seat across from Palmerin. "But not swap, win or lose. My pride could never accept it."

Palmerin nodded. "Very honorable. Very well. For fun, then."

Eldin nodded and they pulled out their cards, beginning the game. A couple rounds later, Eldin sighed as Palmerin beat him by one point, both having used every last card.

"That was a good game," Palmerin smiled. "Another?"

"Sure," Eldin nodded, both shuffling each other's cards before passing them back and beginning again.

"Fair knights, I salute you!" Vivienne called out to initiate the first match. "The honor and duty of tourney patron have fallen to me this year. Fight honorably, so that I may bestow upon one of your number the tourney's grand prize. You have sworn your vows. You have readied body and soul. The time has come to test them!"

As she sat, a crier stepped forward, blowing a horn in fanfare before announcing the competitors of the match. He did the same for each match, each time he spoke doing so in rhyme. Finally, as Eldin thought his ears might start bleeding from the way the crier spoke, it was his turn. Again, the fanfare blared.

"Behold Horm Akerspaark of the Maechtian royal line!" the crier introduced Eldin's opponent, who held a normal bow instead of a crossbow and who wore only thigh armor and boots, otherwise wearing a nice doublet and pants. "His name's quite the mouthful, a true challenge to rhyme! His targets to be hit, centrally and true...are the ones in blue!"

The audience cheered and applauded.

"Against him, new blood, a knight unknown till now," the crier continued. "Sir Eldin the Unkillable, give us a bow!"

Eldin bowed as the crowd cheered.

"The targets he must with his quarrels thread are red!" the crier finished.

"May the better man win!" Horm said as they walked to the firing line.

"You probably will," Eldin admitted, pulling his crossbow off his back. "I hate crossbows."

Horm smirked. Then, once the signal was given to go, both opened fire. Despite Eldin's assurance that he would probably lose, he quickly outpaced Horm. Horm was slow to load his bow, and had a harder time aiming than Eldin did with his Witcher senses. Within a minute, Eldin had struck all of his targets and the match was called.

"I thought you hate them," Horm glared at him.

"I do," Eldin said. "So uncivilized."

Horm sighed, shaking his head, as Vivienne walked over, holding a crossbow with the emblem Eldin had been told was his coat of arms on the top of it. Eldin restrained the urge to grimace. He didn't want a crossbow, especially not one with that crest stuck on it. His coat of arms, apparently, had been made by the princess who'd accidentally gotten him knighted, but was just as much a joke as his knighthood itself was. The crest consisted of a yellow background with a woman sitting sideways astride a griffin, the same creature he'd been contracted to kill at the time. The griffin's folded up wing reached up to partially cover the woman, which was fortunate because what it covered were her bare breasts and the axis of her thighs, both of which would otherwise be on full display. The woman bore a striking resemblance to the princess who'd created the crest, even after having been copied by hand, and the woman held above her a silver sword, complete with the "Y" shaped handle that was so common among Witchers' silver blades, and the end of the hilt that extended from the other side of her hand had, in the coat of arms, been replaced by a cock. Eldin could tell at a glance that Vivienne had noticed all of this already, and as he accepted the crossbow, he saw that, like the coat of arms blatantly on display on his own chest, much to his ire, the crest emblazoned on the three-inch disk atop the crossbow bore all the same details as the original artwork, even in such tiny detail. Whoever painted it was incredible, and had officially earned Eldin's dislike. The only part of the crossbow he actually somewhat liked was the serpent curled into a circle to form the border of the disk, eating its own tail where it connected.

"Your prize, sir," Vivienne said. "A crossbow adorned with your...interesting crest. I congratulate you."

"Thank you," Eldin bowed slightly just as his medallion vibrated. "Hm. You've set off my medallion. I don't suppose you wear charmed jewelry?"

"Jewelry, no, but the explanation is even more disappointing," Vivienne said. "The fragrance I'm wearing is mixed by a sorceress."

"I see," Eldin nodded. "Thank you again."

Vivienne nodded, walking away. Eldin glanced off to the side, where Guillaume was watching from a railing, and nodded. He walked over to him and Guillaume smiled.

"Good work," Guillaume said. "Ini the interim, I managed to learn which tent was Vivienne's. Perhaps you could find a clue within it."

"You might be right," Eldin said. "Vivienne may be cursed. My medallion certainly recognized magic."

Guillaume nodded. "This way."

He led Eldin to a tent a bit fancier than the others and promised to act as a lookout while Eldin searched. Eldin nodded and stepped inside, frowning instantly. Off to one side, there was a wardrobe bearing claw marks on its side, the claws about head height and a forearm's length, meaning whatever left it was large. Probably the size of a human. And a little further on, there was a long feather, about size inches of length. He picked it up, humming thoughtfully.

"Oriole feather," Eldin mused, looking around carefully but seeing nothing else. "Big one, too. Too big to be a normal bird. And my medallion's reacting to it. Interesting."

"Someone approaches!" Guillaume warned. "Quickly!"

Eldin walked out of the tent in a couple of fast strides. "You were supposed to hoot."

"We shall speak later," Guillaume said. "We must return to the tourney now, it's...it's time for the second contest."

"Right," Eldin nodded.

"Sirs!" a woman off to one side called out. "What seek you in my lady's tent? Inspiration? Be gone!"

"Apologies," Eldin bowed slightly. "My friend here was hoping to have a word with Lady Vivienne, but it seems we'll have to catch her at another time."

Eldin quickly headed for the next event, the race. The other competitors were already lined up with their horses, and Aralyn was waiting with their horse a short way from the other competitors. Eldin gave her a quick kiss before taking the horse, and Aralyn went to sit in the stands with Renfri. The crier announced all of the competitors, and Vivienne wished them all fortune, then advised Geralt to devote his efforts to the competition, and only it, giving an ever-so-subtle hint that she knew he was investigating her. Eldin went first, mounting his horse and spurring it into a sprint instantly. The path he was to take for the race was relatively easy, no sharp corners or forks where someone wasn't there to direct him along the correct path, and each time he passed a target or straw dummy, he struck it with whichever weapon he was required to for the extra time. When he finished, he waited off to the side for the other competitors to run the race. After the final scores were counted, Eldin had wone above Palmerin by a handful of seconds. As a reward, he was given a saddle that included armor for his horse's flank and rear, once again with his crest proudly emblazoned on it, larger than the crossbow's. He sighed, glaring at the crest.

"Many thanks," Eldin said. "Don't suppose you have any black paint so I can cover up that crest?"

"I do not," Vivienne said. "By the way, my maid saw a man with a strange medallion outside his yellow and black armor sneak out of my tent. Would you know who it might have been?"

"I had a question to ask and thought you might have returned to your tent between competitions," Eldin lied. "Sadly, I was wrong. I had no intention of intruding, nor being accused of sneaking."

"And what question might that have been?" Vivienne humored him.

"I was told the reward for defeating last year's champion was a sword," Eldin said. "Happen to know who forged it?"

"Cornelius of Assengard," Vivienne said.

"Ah, I see," Eldin nodded. "My thanks."

Vivienne narrowed her eyes at him, then turned and walked away. Eldin walked over to where Guillaume was waiting with Renfri and Aralyn, and greeted both of his lovers with a kiss, Guillaume clearing his throat and looking away.

"Don't judge," Renfri chided.

"I do not," Guillaume said. "At any rate, we should head to the feast. We can wait for Vivienne there."

Eldin nodded, and the four of them headed to where the feast would be taking place.

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