A Song of Ice, Fire and the Dead
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Chapter 35: Sweet Nithings
Riding down to the harbour town, Saeko looked around for where the Witcher Geralt might be. Making an educated guess, Saeko led the others to the tavern. Dismounting their horses and tying them to the post, the four passed by a circle of men and women where two men were going at each in a brawl of fisticuffs. Entering the tavern where they were greeted with the din of laughing and singing, as well as the smell of roasting meats, spilled mead and ale and woodsmoke hanging thick in the air.
Saeko looked around trying to find a head of pure white hair and sure enough, there was a head of white hair near the bar. Leading her friends over, she soon saw the Witcher conversing with the innkeeper.
"Geralt?"
The Witcher turned around and gave a ghost of a smile as he looked at Saeko and her companions. "Well, well, you look better than I thought you might've," he remarked in his dry raspy voice. "How's the armour?" he asked.
"Fits like a glove," Saeko replied. "So, what are we doing first?" she then asked getting down to brass tacks.
"Asking the innkeeper some questions about Hjalmar and who he recruited for his quest to slay the frost giant," Geralt said. "Jarl Crach has asked me to assist his son and daughter in their endeavours," he explained.
"Does Crach not think his children are capable?" Saeko enquired.
"Hjalmar, no, but it's been some time since he left for his quest. And Cerys? Crach is a little worried and is wondering what's gotten into her head when she declared she would lift the curse on Jarl Udalryk when there mightn't be any," Geralt replied as he slid some coins over to the innkeeper who swept them up into his palm before taking an clay jug in which sloshed some liquid and poured the Witcher of honeyed mead into a cow-horn tankard and handed it to Geralt who took a deep draft of the alcohol.
"And what about Yennefer?" Saeko then asked.
"Yeah, Yen's asked me for some help in finding Ciri and she has an idea where to look," Geralt replied.
"And where is it Lady Yennefer intends to search?" Aegon spoke up.
"There was a whole stretch along the coastline where the forest was destroyed by a magical explosion," Geralt said in answer to Aegon's inquiry. "Yen believes it's related to Ciri's reappearance and wants to examine, but Ermion refuses to let her examine the woods," he added.
"We gathered that Yennefer and Ermion don't get along with each other," Saeko remarked calmly.
"That they don't," Geralt said in agreement as he took another gulp of his mead. "It may also be to do with how Yen wants to examine the woods," he added grimly.
"How does she intend to use?" Saya asked quizzically.
"An artefact called the Mask of Orobos that will allow those who wear it see into the past," Geralt told them. "And something Yen stole just last night," he then said as afterthought.
"Did you help her steal it?" Aegon asked the Witcher who glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "You did, didn't you?" Aegon then deadpanned.
"Yeah… another one of Yennefer's schemes," Geralt muttered darkly. "But, since it's Ciri's life in question, I'll have to trust Yen's judgement on the matter," he said.
"Well, it's not our place to judge. We're simply here to help," Saeko said kindly.
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Geralt murmured as he finished off his drink. "But since I'm guessing Yen and Ermion will be arguing for the next few hours, I do have a couple of jobs that I could use your help with," he then said as he stood up straight, nearly towering over the group.
"Whatever you need, we're here to help," Aegon said proudly.
"Good," Geralt said with a stern look. "We'll start off with a simple job. Got a contract that says a man's son has fallen ill because of a curse and he needs someone to lift it," he explained. "It's only half an hour's journey from here, so we'll start off with that one and see how you handle yourselves."
Leaving the tavern and mounting their horses, they left the harbour town at a canter. "Giddyap, Roach!" Geralt commanded his horse.
"Roach? You call your horse Roach?" Saya asked the Witcher who looked at her and said, "It's what I call all my horses."
"But why Roach?" Saya asked.
A brief frown crossed the Witcher's countenance before he said, "It's personal. What do you call your horse?" he asked Saya.
"I hadn't thought of a name for my horse," Saya admitted, looking quite embarrassed. "I didn't think I would have a horse for very long," she said.
"It's bad luck to not name your horse, or so I've heard," Aegon quipped. "Helps make the horse your own and set it apart from others," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well, what have you named yours, then, smartass?" Saya snapped at him.
Aegon thought about it for a moment before smiling and saying, "Thunder, after Ser Duncan the Tall's horse." Looking at Saeko, he asked her, "What have you named your horse?"
Saeko gave a playful smile and replied "Ama no Fuchigoma."
"The horse of legend in Japan?" Saya asked.
"Mhm." Saeko nodded and said, "The horse ridden by the Shinto god Susanoo."
"What have you decided to name your horse then, Saya?" Aegon prompted the pinkette.
Saya thought about it for a long while before she smiled softly on a name she thought appropriate. "Yuriko," she said quietly.
"After your mother?" Saeko asked kindly and Saya nodded, a tear forming in the corner of her orange eyes.
"Yeah, that way I can carry her with me everywhere I go."
"That's a good name. It fits," Aegon said gently. "Well, now that we've decided on names for our horses, time we kept going," he added.
Geralt nodded and clicked his tongue urging his mare into a gentle gallop with the others doing the same. Travelling along the beaten road, they passed by patrols of Skellige warriors that patrolled the road. After half an hour of riding, they soon came to a coastal village. Geralt and dismounted and asked after the contract giver. A villager gave the Witcher the name and address. The Witcher then led the group up a small pathway and came up to a house, or rather something more along the lines of a cabin where sitting outside with a worried frown was a bald man wearing a blue vest, short sleeved tunic, trousers and leather shoes. The man looked up and saw the Witcher and his companions approaching.
"What business have ye here?" he asked them. "Can't ya see I have enough troubles as it is?" he complained.
"We came here to help. I'm a Witcher," Geralt informed the man who looked surprised and relieved and he asked, "And your companions? Are they your shield brothers?"
"Of the sort," Geralt replied. "You Lothar?" he then asked.
"Aye, that I am."
"So, what is it that troubles you, Mr Lothar?" Saeko asked briskly.
"That!" Lothar pointed over to a nearby fence where fixed to a wooden pole was a horse's skull.
"A horse's skull? What's so bad about that?" Aegon asked.
"It's a curse! Me boy is dying of it! If I don't do anything, he'll die!" Lothar cursed.
"A Nithing then," Geralt remarked. "As I recall, that kind of curse is cast upon those who have wronged someone," he said.
"Aye, but I've not done anyone wrong!" Lothar protested. "I've spoken with the village elders and they've said I've not disgraced myself in battle in any way, but I don't know who would want to curse me boy!" he lamented.
"Can you think of no-one?" Saeko asked Lothar who shook his head in despair.
"Help me, Master Witcher! Is there any way to lift the curse off me family?" Lothar then asked the Witcher who pursed his lips and replied, "There are two ways. First is to convince the caster to renounce the curse. The second is to carve the name of the caster onto the Nithing and turn it back on them."
"but I don't know who would cast a curse on me!" Lothar argued.
"I'll take a look at the Nithing and see if I can find anything that might tell me who cast the curse," Geralt assured the man before nodding at the group and they then left Lothar to tend his ill son.
Walking over to the Nithing, Saeko spoke, "So curses like this Nithing a real thing?" she asked the Witcher who nodded and said, "Yeah. Curses can very tricky and complex and multi-layered which makes it hard to lift." Examining the Nithing, the Witcher spoke aloud his observastions.
"Standard wooden pole and horse skull, pointed directly at Lothar's home. Pretty standard as curses go and a nasty one at that."
The Witcher examined the curse more closely before shaking his head, saying, "Nothing that can tell me who cast the curse." Looking at everyone else, he said to them, "Have a look around for signs that someone was here recently. Must be something that can give us an idea who cast the curse."
Spreading around, the group looked around. After a few minutes, Saya gave a cry, "I've found something!" she hollered.
"What did you find?" Geralt came jogging over. Saya held up a piece of gauzy fabric and replied, "This. It looks like a shawl and it hasn't been damaged in the weather recently. Think you can work with this?" she asked the Witcher who took the cloth and his nostrils flared as he breathed in deeply.
"Perfume. A woman's," he spoke his observations. "Fairly fresh. Yeah, I can work with this," he said. "Nice work," he congratulated Saya who nodded, smiling bashfully.
"You can track people's scent?" Saeko asked the Witcher who nodded and said, "Yeah. The mutations I was given heighten my senses beyond human ability. Pretty useful when tracking monsters to their lairs, and will be useful in tracking the caster of the Nithing down."
With the Witcher leading them, the group followed the monster slayer whose keen sense of smell led them towards the village where upon entering the village, Geralt gave a grunt and said, "Scent's all muddled from everything in the village. Gotta ask around who owns the shawl."
"I suppose such a keen nose has its drawbacks," Saya pontificated.
"It does, but I have other tricks I can rely on," Geralt told the pinkette. "Let's ask around about the shawl. Have to be someone who knows about it," he said.
They soon came to one of the village women. "Excuse me, my lady. But does this shawl belong to you, perchance?" Aegon asked the woman who replied, "Nay, ain't mine. It's too fine for me."
"Do you know anyone who does own this shawl then?" Aegon enquired.
"Can't say that I do, I'm afraid," the village woman said with a regretful shake of her head.
"Thank you for your time," Aegon quickly said. "No luck," he told his companions.
"We'll keep asking around," Geralt told him. "Village like this, everyone knows everyone. Bound to be someone who's seen this shawl and who owns it," he said.
Saeko then stopped another village woman and asked, "Does this shawl belong to you?"
"Sorry, it's not mine," came the kind reply.
"Do you know whom it belongs to then?" Saeko then asked.
"Hm. Now that I think on it, I think I've seen Jonna our herbalist wear something like it," the villager replied putting a hand to her chin in thought. "Maybe it's hers?" she offered thoughtfully.
"Anything you can tell us about this Jonna?" Saeko questioned.
"She and Lothar were together for almost ten years, now that I recall," the villager replied. "but then one day, Lothar left her for another woman and had his son. She's been bitter about it ever since," she said in a gossipy way.
Saeko looked at her companions and nodded at them knowingly. "Thank you for your time, miss. Have a lovely day," Saeko then said to the villager with a bow of her head.
"So, a jilted ex-lover cast the curse," Geralt remarked with a grim look on his face. "Guess we should've guessed sooner," he then said dryly.
"Lothar might've told us about his past lover in the first place," Saya muttered darkly. "Save us a lot of trouble if he did," she added.
"Well, now we just have to ask Jonna if she's willing to lift the curse then," Aegon said.
"Doubt it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Geralt quoted. "I should know," he said with a bitter smile.
Making an inquiry as to where the herbalist's hut was, they found the hut where a pretty young woman with dark hair and a blue dress and a bear skin scarf. She looked up at them with a quizzical air and asked, "Yes? Can I help you? Do you need some herbs?"
"Does this shawl belong to you?" Geralt asked holding up the shawl. The herbalist's hazel green eyes widened and she said, "My shawl! Where did you find it?"
"Near the Nithing cast upon Lothar's hut," Aegon said to her pointedly.
"I… don't know what you're talking about," Jonna said defensively.
"Cut the crap, sweetheart! We know you were Lothar's lover for ten years but then he left you for another woman," Saya said scathingly to the herbalist. "Must really ticked you off, seeing Lothar, a man you loved for ten years, be with another woman and have a son with her!" she added.
The herbalist frowned angrily and replied, "Alright, I cast the Nithing! Ten years. Ten years! I loved Lothar ever since we were young 'uns! Then he left me! So I cast the curse on his son to teach him a lesson to never cross me!" she declared. "Everyone laughed at me when Lothar left me! Talking about how I'd been had! Well, I showed them!" she said with a laugh.
Geralt glared at the woman and asked, "What will it take for to lift the curse off Lothar's son?"
Jonna smiled wickedly and replied, "Lothar is to leave his wife and denounce his son and come back to me."
"That it?" Geralt asked. "No crown or throne for you to sit upon when or if Lothar comes back to you?" he mocked.
"I only want Lothar back in my arms!" Jonna spat. "Now leave me be!" She then stormed into her hut slamming the door behind her.
"What do we do now?" Saeko asked the Witcher who replied, "We go tell Lothar Jonna's demands and go from there."
"Surely you can't be entertaining the idea of letting a wife and child be forced to live in poverty?" Aegon asked looking horrified at the implications of what the Witcher alluded to.
"Never said we would," the Witcher replied. "Like I said, curses are complex and not just the curse themselves, but the people who cast them can also be complex too," he said.
"But what do we tell Lothar?" Saeko asked.
The Witcher did not say anything as he led the group back to Lothar's hut. Lothar came out to greet them. "Have you found out who cast the nithing?" the bald man asked them urgently.
"We have," Geralt said.
"Well, who is it?" Lothar demanded angrily. "I want to know who it is that left my son ill and on his deathbed!" he swore.
"Does the name Jonna ring any bells?" Saya asked him.
Lothar had a surprised look on his face as he said, "Jonna? She cast the curse?" An angry look was on his face as he declared, "Shoulda know that bitch cast that hex on my son!"
"She's willing to lift the curse on your son, but on one condition," Saeko informed Lothar who asked, "Which is?"
"She wants you to leave your wife, denounce your son and come back to her," Geralt told him.
"Leave my wife and son? Leave them to a life of poverty?!" Lothar looked horrified. "She can't be convinced otherwise?" he asked desperately.
"Didn't seem like she could," Saeko said grimly.
"Isn't there another way to lift the curse?" Lothar asked the Witcher who nodded and replied, "Mhm. We carve Jonna's name on the Nithing and let the curse do its work."
"Yes, do that! I won't leave my wife and son impoverished to go back to Jonna!" Lothar said in relief.
"But why did you leave Jonna in the first place?" Saya then asked him. "You were together for ten years from what we heard," she pointed out.
"Aye… we were," Lothar confirmed. "but ten years is a long time. I did love Jonna since we were children, but over the years, my love for her began to wane and I did not wish to stay with a woman I no longer loved," he said sadly.
"Love is a funny thing. It's not so cut and dried," Geralt said sympathetically.
"So, will ye do what needs done?" Lothar asked.
"That's up to you, Lothar. What do you want to do?" the Witcher asked him.
Lothar looked at his home before looking at the Witcher and said to him, "Turn the curse back onto Jonna. And may it be quick and painless for her."
Geralt nodded and with everyone else, he headed for the Nithing. Taking out his knife, the Witcher carved Jonna's name onto the pole. "There, let's hope it's quick and painless," he muttered before heading back to Lothar's hut.
"Is it done?" the bald man asked.
"It is," the Witcher confirmed.
Lothar breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank ye all. Now my boy can hopefully become strong and healthy again." Taking out from his belt was a purse which jingled with the promise of coin. "Your reward," he told them as he handed the purse to Geralt who took the purse and nodded his thanks.
"Would ye like to come in for some supper?" Lothar offered them. "Wouldn't be right to not offer ye some hospitality for helping me," he explained.
"No thank you, we have to keep going. Thanks all the same," Geralt replied politely.
"I see. Good luck to ye all, may the gods watch over ye," Lothar then said to them.
Leaving Lothar's home, and heading back to their horses, Saeko sighed deeply and said, "Well, I suppose we did the best we could." Her tone was contemplative as she spoke the words.
"We did all we could," Geralt said to the samurai. "Curses, people, aren't as simple as we like them to be. Many have reasons for what they do, however horrible they might be," he added.
"Been through your share of it?" Saeko asked the Witcher who had a remorseful look on his face and said, "More times than I care to count…"
"Well, where to now?" Saya asked the Witcher who replied, "Got another contract, here in this village. A missing person's contract. Should hopefully not be too dangerous, but that's never been the case for me. You in?" he asked looking at them.
"Try and stop us," Saeko said with a dangerous smile.
Geralt gave another ghost of a smile and said, "Let's see if you'll say that afterwards."
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! After a few months of leaving this alone, I'm back! I hope this chapter was enough to satisfy and I started off with the simple Nithing contract for the group to start with, but next chapter we'll be doing the Morvudd/Missing Son contract where there'll be some action in which Aegon and Saeko cut their teeth fighting a Fiend alongside the White Wolf himself, so keep an eye out for that.
In other news, I've got another story crossover idea on the brain; this time an Elder Scrolls/Black Cat (Marvel Spider-Man) crossover in which everyone's favourite cat burglar and the Dragonborn join forces on an adventure on some far flung world. For the idea I've set up a poll on my profile of what the setting could be, so feel free to cast your vote and maybe when the number of voters gets up to ten or fifteen, I'll use the highest voted choice as the setting.
And apart from that, that's all I have so I'll leave this here and catch you all later.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.