I do not own Witcher or any of the characters.


Identity

Eldin narrowed his eyes as he stared at Dun Tynne. Damien's men were going to make a frontal assault in order to draw the attention of everyone inside of Dun Tynne. While they were, Eldin, Aralyn, and Renfri were going to sneak in and fight their way up to the tower where Syanna and the blackmailer were likely located. Finally, after nearly an hour of waiting, warning bells finally began to toll.

"We're on," Renfri said, drawing her sword.

Eldin nodded, drawing his normal sword, and all of them hurried forward, climbing over the castle's wall.

"Quick!" a soldier nearby urged another in a hushed voice. "We grab Roderick's horses and we bolt!"

"We won't bolt far if the boys out front don't-" the other began, only for Eldin to slice off his head smoothly, Aralyn and Renfri both slashing the other, splitting his torso into four sections.

"Let's make this quick," Eldin growled. "Roderick's trying to escape."

They nodded and hurried along the road past the guard houses, heading toward the tower. They passed a pair of guards scouting the path, and Eldin blasted them both with Aard, sending them sailing out into the open air and plummeting to the bottom of the seventy foot fall from the raised fortress. A couple hundred feet later, they reached a cart where a half-dozen soldiers were loading valuables to try and escape with as much as possible.

"Shit!" a guard swore as he saw them approaching. "They're here! They must have breached the back gate!"

The guards all charged, but within seconds, Eldin and the others had slaughtered them. All that was left was Roderick. He stumbled away from the trio, falling to the ground and scrambling backward.

"Mercy!" he begged. "Mercy! I did no wrong!"

"That's not why we're here," Eldin said.

"Where are the Cintrian's men?" Renfri asked.

Roderick growled in annoyance. "I knew I shouldn't have let them under my roof!"

"We're also looking for a woman, potentially a hostage," Aralyn said.

"W...What..." Roderick stared at them in confusion. "What do you mean? I know nothing about a hostage! Must...Must be the handiwork of my 'guests.'"

"Where are they?" Eldin asked.

"In the keep," Roderick said. "Readying their escape."

"Is there a woman named Syanna with them?" Renfri asked.

"Of course," Roderick said. "She convinced me to let them in."

"Seems like she brought some trouble with her," Aralyn commented.

"Is she in the keep, too?" Eldin asked.

"Yes," Roderick nodded. "She's packing. We were to leave together. An old fool. I'd have done anything for her."

"She seduced you?" Aralyn asked.

Roderick stared at the ground. "Her chamber is the top floor of the tower."

Eldin nodded, standing and turning away.

"What will become of me?" Roderick asked.

Aralyn turned, her sword sweeping down and around, severing the muscles of his outer thigh, crippling him without causing a life-threatening wound. "Feel free to run away. You're the Ducal Guard's problem now."

Renfri cut the cart's horses free, slapping it on the hindquarters to get it running away from the cart, leaving Roderick to drag himself. Then, the three of them headed for the tower.

"Syanna is Rhenawedd," Aralyn stated.

"And is the head of the crew in the tower," Renfri added. "She's in the same place I was. Maybe further."

"I'll leave how we deal with her to you," Eldin said. "But bear in mind, it also affects how we deal with Dettlaff, if he can't forgive her."

"He won't," Renfri said. "He understands humanity less than I do, and I wouldn't. That said...I want to save her, if we can."

Eldin nodded just as a trio of guards rushed to stop them, one of them towering over the other two like Sir Gregoir. All three continued to walk calmly forward, and as the shorter two moved to stop them. As the reached guards reached them, however, Aralyn's sword swept out smoothly, splitting her opponent across the torso as Renfri twirled around her opponent, then continued walking as the opponent collapsed with a fresh gash across his spine, only Eldin and Aralyn having actually seen her strike. As the huge guard roared in rage and lunged, Eldin pushed off with his back foot to dart forward, his sword separating the larger opponent across the chest cleanly. They took a walkway toward the tower's courtyard and a group of guards rushed to stop them, using the walkway's narrow space to try and limit Eldin and the other's options. Instead, Aralyn darted forward, ducking under the first soldier's blade before spinning and dancing through the guards' ranks, her sword twirling and flashing as she slaughtered all of them before Eldin and the others had even reached the first guard. All but the first guard collapsed on the spot, but the first remained stubbornly on his feet, eyes wide with surprise. Eldin calmly pushed him aside, and the guard's upper half toppled over the railing, his body separated at an odd angle across the ribs. As they stepped into the courtyard outside the tower, the last of the guards turned to them, drawing swords and crossbows.

"Last chance to yield," Eldin warned.

"That damn harlot got us into this!" the lieutenant commanding the group snarled. "Kill them! Attack!"

Before any of the guards could move, however, the three lower-ranked guards suddenly fell to the ground, dragged by the ankles into the shadows. A moment later, there was a sound like a breath of wind, and the lieutenant let out a wheezing gasp, staggered forward a few steps, and collapsed, blood rapidly pooling from several large gashes in his abdomen. A second later, Dettlaff and Regis emerged from the shadows, retracting their claws.

"We're heading for the keep," Eldin reported.

"They will pay!" Dettlaff snarled. "For everything!"

As they headed for the keep, a swarm of dozens of guards and thugs charged them. Eldin and the others charged as well, but Dettlaff and Regis shot forward in a pair of blurs, seeming to teleport as they shredded their enemies. A handful managed to get past them and charged Eldin and the others, only to die as they approached in groups of one and two. A large group charged from the left, but Eldin sent a massive Igni blast into the group, killing them all. As he turned back to the rest of the group, Dettlaff was just ripping the last thug's head off, his spine coming out with it.

"I wasn't expecting to see you two here," Eldin admitted.

"We thought you could use our help, so-" Regis began.

"Witcher, this is no time to explain," Dettlaff interrupted. "Where is Rhena?"

"Rhena, as well as a lot of answers we've been looking for, should be inside," Eldin said. "Now that it's come to this, do you remember what I asked about betrayal?"

Dettlaff growled. "I promise nothing."

Eldin nodded, making eye contact with Renfri, who nodded subtly.

"Let's go," Dettlaff decided.

They all hurried into the keep, and up the tower stairs. At the top, there was a single guard, but as soon as he saw Dettlaff, Dettlaff all but teleported to him, driving his entire arm through him from behind. Then, Dettlaff turned, opening the door and walking inside.

"Rhena!" Dettlaff said, rushing to a young girl inside, turning her head this way and that to check for injuries. "Are you...Are you hurt? If any of them..."

"You know me," the girl smiled. "I'd never let them hurt me. I just waited for you to come." She hugged him tightly.

"I...I didn't know where to look," Dettlaff said bitterly. "They threatened to kill you. I...Forgive me. I failed you."

Eldin stepped into the room, looking around, but the only person in the room was Rhenawedd. She wore a blue brigandine with intricate, silver pauldrons, elbow-length, leather gloves with decorated, silver bands around the middle, a white blouse with gold highlights, the tail of which hung about an inch below her brigandine and sword belt, black pants, and knee-high leather boots. Her face bore a clear resemblance to Anna Henrietta, but her hair was as black as onyx and parted on the left with her bangs swept to the right and the rest tied into a bun.

"Now we need only find Anna Henrietta's sister," Regis noted. "Where should we look?" He looked to Eldin. "Do you know?"

"I do," Eldin said, picking up a bottle of wine from the floor, pulling the cork and sniffing it. "Mm. Sangreal."

Regis's eyes narrowed slightly as he instantly realized the wine's significance.

"We ran into the lord of Dun Tynne earlier," Eldin continued. "He said that Syanna would be in the highest room of the keep's tower."

"Would you like to fess up, or should we say it?" Aralyn asked.

"Say what?" Syanna asked.

"Have it your way," Eldin sighed. "Rhenawedd's real name is Sylvia Anna, elder sister to Anna Henrietta. She was falsely accused of being cursed and was banished from the Duchy, so she harbored a deep-seated grudge against Anna Henrietta and the four knights who escorted her out, and probably beat her in the process. When she plotted her revenge, she sent a blackmail letter to you, Dettlaff, in order to trick you into killing the knights she wanted revenge against. She was jealous of her sister for being the favorite child and the Duchess while she herself remained banished, so she orchestrated a theft of Sangreal, wine made exclusively for the ducal family, and orchestrated an attempt at stealing back an heirloom jewel belonging to her family, one she'd gotten from her father as a child, but then sold while still young, probably out of necessity."

"Witcher, what is this?" Dettlaff asked.

"My friend, please," Regis implored Dettlaff. "You must listen to what the Witcher has to say."

"I'm sorry, Dettlaff," Eldin said. "She's been lying to you and manipulating you. I don't know if it was all manipulation from the time you met, but she's been the one blackmailing you. She wasn't kidnapped, she left. And then she used you to enact her revenge. She's the one who betrayed you."

Dettlaff walked to the window, staring out of it, as Syanna scrambled to think of a lie or an excuse to save herself, knowing what Dettlaff's wrath would entail. As she did, Eldin silently pulled a pair of decoctions from his satchel, keeping them in his hand in case Dettlaff either decided he was lying or else lost himself to his rage. Finally, Syanna reached out to him, only for him to spin, grabbing her by the throat, only for Regis to stop Eldin from moving to defend her, or drinking his decoctions. After a moment, Dettlaff released her, stepping back.

"You will come to Tesham Mutna and explain all," Dettlaff growled. "If you do not..." he turned his gaze to Eldin, "I will raze Beauclair to the ground. This I promise you. You have three days." Dettlaff growled, turning to the window, only to stop again. "Witcher, I still hope for a peaceful solution. If she arrives by then, I will...attempt to see things your way. If she does not...I do not make hollow threats. I understand what that will mean. The choice is yours."

"Give us one week," Eldin requested. "Long enough for me to convince Anna Henrietta to allow Syanna to meet with you."

Dettlaff turned his head slightly, regarding Eldin in silence for a moment. "Five."

Eldin nodded.

"I shall be waiting," Dettlaff promised, then transformed into smoke, passing out through the window and disappearing.

Eldin sighed, turning to Regis and pulling out a decoction bottle, this one ready to make a new decoction but needing a monster's blood or flesh first. "May I?"

"Ah, yes," Regis nodded. "Blood, is it?"

He slit his own palm, squeezing a bit of blood into the bottle, Eldin immediately beginning to chant and shake the bottle. Syanna watched them all standing silently, then turned to try and escape, only for Aralyn to hold her sword to Syanna's throat.

"No you don't," Aralyn said calmly.

"It's time for you to go home, Syanna," Renfri said.

Syanna swallowed hard as Eldin examined his new decoction, then smelled it.

"How'd it come out?" Aralyn asked.

"General physical enhancements," Eldin said. "Strength, speed, stamina, reaction time."

Regis smiled. "I'll be glad if it is useful."

"I'll be glad if we don't need it," Eldin countered. "Come on. Let's get Syanna home to her sister."

The others nodded, and they all led Syanna outside to the front gate, only to stop as they found Anna Henrietta had arrived.

"Syanna!" Anna gasped, hurrying forward. "It's true! It's you! Sister, dear...what have you gotten yourself into?"

"So concerned," Syanna said sarcastically. "I'm surprised." Her tone turned harsh and accusitory. "Is there an ounce of truth to it?"

"You...You feel resentment," Anna Henrietta said. "I understand. But I promise...promise we shall work through all the unfortunate matters of the past. We will discuss them later. Captain, escort Syanna to the palace. I shall meet with her as soon as we return."

"As you wish, Your Grace!" Damien answered.

As Damien led Syanna away, Anna's face fell and she turned to Eldin and the others. "And you all, you have my thanks. I cannot believe my sister was so near the whole time. Roderick of Dun Tynne shall answer for treason and blackmail."

"He's not the blackmailer," Eldin said. "He was another pawn. Seduced in order to secure a place to hide."

"Seduced?" Anna Henrietta. "Who by?"

"Your sister," Renfri said. "She convinced Roderick to let the bandits into his home."

"We've discovered Syanna blackmailed the vampire," Regis explained. "Ordered him to kill those men."

"What?" Anna asked. "What nonsense is this?!"

"It's the truth," Renfri said. "Anna, you need to understand how Syanna feels. Not as the Dutchess of Toussaint, but as her sister, and as a human. She was disowned by her family, banished from her home. Those men, when they escorted her out, believed in the Curse of Black Sun. They thought she was a monster, so they treated her as such. They didn't behave nobly. She was abused when they escorted her, and they most likely left her for dead. It's the same thing that happened to me. She's lived her whole life with that pain and resentment festering into hatred."

"She is his missing lover," Regis explained. "Staged her own abduction to force him to do her bidding."

"She's been feeling nothing but betrayal and the pain of her own family treating her like a monster for her entire life," Renfri said. "She needs her sister to show her that she loves her. No propper court etiquette, no pardon or condemnation from the Dutchess. She needs her sister."

"But before that, we need Syanna," Eldin said. "The vampire knows she betrayed him, and wants her to explain herself. He's agreed to try and accept the way things are, and to stop killing, but he wants answers, the same as any human."

"Once I have had time to help Syanna, she can go," Anna nodded.

"We don't have that time," Aralyn said. "He's given us five days to reach the meeting point."

"And if she doesn't meet with him?" Anna asked.

"Then Dettlaff will allow himself to behave as a monster, rather than a person," Regis warned her. "He'll destroy all of Beauclair to fine her."

"Dettlaff?" Anna asked, incredulous. "The same who so recently sat at my table and told me of Nazair?"

"I'm afraid so," Eldin nodded. "The only way-"

"Is there anything else you've neglected to mention?" Anna snapped. "A dragon under Mount Gorgon perhaps? Is anyone else here a vampire?"

Everyone remained silent for a moment.

"Your Grace," Renfri spoke up. "The only way to settle things peacefully is for Syanna to meet with Dettlaff. I swear to you, we will protect her, but it's the only way. If we don't, countless innocents will die."

"No!" Anna snapped. "He dares to threaten us! You have five days to bring me his head! No more secrets, no more helping vampires! I want what I am paying for! The head of the Beast!"

Eldin swallowed hard as Regis's head fell. Finally, Eldin nodded. "We'll search for him, but I've got one request."

"And what is that?" Anna asked.

"I'd like Aralyn and Renfri to remain in your palace, for both you and Syanna's protection, as well as for their safety," Eldin said. "Niether of them would last more than a minute against Dettlaff, but if his plan to destroy Beauclair involves using lesser vampires, as I'm guessing it will, they can protect you."

"What makes you think he'll use lesser vampires?" Anna asked.

"Because a single High Vampire would take a long time to destroy Beauclair, and people would be able to escape," Eldin reasoned. "None of your guards would be able to stop him, but it would take too much time, during which time Syanna could escape. Using an army of lesser vampires would free him up to be able to search for her while the destruction happened, or better yet, they could bring her to him."

Anna considered for a long while before nodding. "Very well. You shall search for Dettlaff, and your companions shall remain at my palace."

Eldin bowed. "Thank you, Your Grace."

Anna nodded and turned, walking away. Aralyn and Renfri both kissed him, wishing him luck, then followed after Anna. Eldin turned to Regis.

"If we can find him, do you think you could convince him to wait until we can smuggle her out of Beauclair to him?" Eldin asked. "Or until we can sneak him into it in order to meet with her there?"

"It's possible," Regis nodded. "That's now the sole chance for a peaceful resolution. But what if we succeed, and we don't bring her his head?"

Eldin sighed. "My reputation will get dragged through the mud, she may try to arrest us, and I won't get payed. All eventualities I can live with for doing the right thing."

Regis nodded, smiling. "You are a good man, Eldin. Thank you for all you've done to try and save my friend."

"Of course," Eldin smiled. "Come on. We should start at Tesham Mutna."


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