Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of the witcher. Those are property of Mr Sapkowski and I using Netflix series canon mixed with the books and my twisted version of the lore.

Warnings : Nothing ^^'

Notes : Sorry for the delay.

This is a transitional chapter but it has some keys in it. Not very discreet keys hehehe

Destiny - part 4

Old friends

###

The druid network was very slow in comparison to everything else and having to wait that long in the same place was beginning to make Geralt anxious. His nights were more agitated as the time went by. Dreams he had avoided for many weeks were crawling back in his mind. They involved Yennefer mostly. Love was still there, as much as he wanted to ignore the feeling. But soon his dreams were shaped in those weird sort of premonitions, or there was something quite prophetic about them.

He was seeing the sorceress in a battle - at least he thought it was one - and the tree with the little girl. He knew now that she was his Child Surprise : Cirilla of Cintra. All of this was sort of telling him that the clock was ticking and that maybe he should try more actively to get to her. But at the same time Geralt knew that without the help of Mousesack he wouldn't reach her.

###

The days were almost the same. He was going back to the tree and was mixing up a little bit with the refugees, just enough to get some more news of the world. He was avoiding almost all forms of celebration and gathering, because there was music and he still couldn't handle the memories of his old friend very well, and unfortunately his songs were popular here.

This was also a sort of protection. The White Wolf was too well known. He didn't want his current location being spread over social medias. There were too many eyes and phones here - even if they didn't work properly, surrounded by so many chaos users.

The evenings were equally similar. He was working on his map and his memories. This was probably the rational cause of his agitated nights.

That day, it had been a full week he was there and he had a terrible dream the night before. He decided to get news from Elrik himself. He crossed the whole camp, looking left and right and feeling particularly uncomfortable. There were news faces. Some others had disappeared. There were too many mouvements.

He passed several groups of Lost Ones. Geralt realized that he hadn't seen Toruviel much after that long conversation they had. She seemed to prefer staying in her bubble too and the fact that they kind of made peace with the past was a sort of closure.

Elrik was speaking with some pure elves when he found him. A simple shared look was all that was needed. Geralt waited a bit afar until the druid finished and the man joined him just a few minutes later.

- "I know why you are here, Gwynbleidd. We should have news very soon. Be patient. Mousesack is very hard to contact, due to his position of counselor for the throne, and… you're not welcomed, if I might remind you."

Geralt sighed.

- "Alright but…"

- "My contact should come tonight or tomorrow. I assure you."

- "Fine. I'll wait."

###

The contact did come indeed, early on the next day and this was a very weird experience for Geralt.

Triss Merigold was the one that would make the connection with Mousesack. This was suddenly making sense to him. He wasn't surprised when Elrik explained what they would do.

He was hired as personal guard for Lady Triss in visit for diplomatic affairs in Cintra. They required a witcher for the trip. There were some werewolves resurgence near the city, which was true. Mousesack was warned and would arrange the personal meeting with Queen Calanthe under cover. He would simply enter with everyone else and would be taken away by the druid and some men for security procedures, due to his history with the crown. Then they would slip away. The exit with the princess was under Mousesack's supervision too if everything was fine. And it would lead them away from Triss' congregation.

This was a risky plan but they had official paperwork and a good reason for his presence. This could work.

- "Friends of witchers, friends of druids. I should have known." Said Geralt to the sorceress when they had some time to talk privately.

He knew her long before he met Jaskier and Yennefer. He knew that she had feelings for him at some point and he could still see the spark in her eyes when she smiled at him. She hadn't change much - but he had. He could see how beautiful she was now. Her curled brown hair had reddish nuances that were matching the autumn colors around. Her makeup was done in a certain way to emphase her chestnut iris and plump lips without taking away that she was naturally charming.

- "Well that wasn't an easy job. Cintra is very reluctant to have contact with the other kingdoms, but war is nursing and they are checking for potential alliances. I hope that your mission is as important as I believe it is."

- "Yeah it is. You know that I wouldn't play these kinds of games if it wasn't. I mean me and politics..." She chuckled.

- "Yeah. You hate castle people. I remember that."

- "Well… I only had problems with them. Still have." He smiled.

They had a few hours before the first part of the plan, so they walked a little bit around the camp, speaking of old times. Geralt was a bit happy about that, but when he was looking at Triss, Yennefer's name was on his lips. He wanted to ask if she was back at Aretuza, if she was ok, what she was doing ? But he kept it quiet. It was already too painful to have these parasitizing thoughts.

The nice thing about Triss was that she didn't ask too many questions and respected his closed doors. For the means of his mission she didn't ask either. But this was more strategic. The less she knew the best she could lie if things turned bad.

The most revealing conversation happened at the feet of the Great Oak though. Geralt was sitting on one of its gigantic roots and the sorceress on another. His medallion was suddenly vibrating near the tree. It didn't do that before. It was like it was reacting to her.

- "Is this tree a vector of chaos ?" He asked. Triss smiled.

- "Why are you asking that ?"

- "Maybe you are gonna find me crazy but… from quite some time now I have witnessed some weird things happening around some places with chaos users. I made a map of the most intense experiences I had."

- "Your medallion is enchanted to feel that, right ?"

- "Yeah and he just began to react. It didn't before."

- "But there are many chaos users here." She stated.

- "Many but you are the most powerful around." Triss blushed slightly. "And it is strangely not reacting to druids."

- "Well, you should return to Nenneke and learn the difference back." She giggled. "Druids don't use chaos magic, much like witchers only know sign magic. Maybe you are right and I am the strongest chaos user here, although I am more of a druid than a sorceress you know. I always had a stronger affinity with natural forces. The balance is less destructive."

Interesting choice of words he thought.

- "Yeah… But what about the tree then ?"

Triss touched the root and closed her eyes for a moment. She looked back at him.

- "I can feel it. Yeah the tree is a vector. That doesn't surprise me much. This one is weak though."

- "But it is just a tree."

- "On the Continent, there are so few living creatures from the past. The sacred trees were there before the Conjunction of the Spheres. They have seen everything. Those trees are the living force of the forests and they are magical. They have a form of conscience and yes they are using Chaos. They learned. Or at least this is what the Dryads say. Today, only a few of them are still alive and the only one fully active is hidden in the heart of the Brokilon forest. The last bastion of the Dryads. They are protecting it ferociously. The Great Tree of Bleobheris is not dead but it is kind of dormant. Druids are taking great care of it, I am sure, but it certainly needs more to thrive." Triss smiled at him. "Your medallion is very sensitive to catch that thin flow of chaos."

- "Well, feeling the chaos mouvement helps us to find the monsters, so..."

- "I see..."

There was a form of silent judgment in the sorceress' response to him, like she was a bit sad that he focused on the killing part. This put some distance between them, even if she was still showing some interest in him.

###

The departure was a bit hard. He had to give Elrik his Roach and leave most of his equipment behind. Triss' mission was purely diplomatic and all men would be checked. He was authorized only his sword and potions. He should not carry any sign that could show a wishing or a possibility to leave. His phone was authorized but he was warned that the device would be taken to the duration of their stay in the castle. He was given a Temerian brassard to fix of his arm, to make it like he was actually under their jurisdiction. He didn't like it but any deviation to the protocol could blow everything about this delicate meeting between kingdoms, that was Triss' real mission.

The biggest problem for him was that it was forcing him to return to the Great Oak with Cirilla afterwards, even for a short time to get his belongings back. This was stressing him a lot. This was a major fault in this plan. He could be tracked down easily. He had no choice though, so he accepted.

Also, leaving this place was strange. He didn't mix with people a lot but he felt welcome. A feeling he wasn't sure to find out of this sanctuary.

###

The trip was silent and quite fast in comparison to his long journey with Roach. This change of pacing felt weird.

The convoy was composed of several diplomatic cars, going at a fast pace on the roads that bikes were opening for them. He was briefed by one of the guards, in the car he shared with Triss, to be sure he understood every protocol he had to follow. He did as he was told.

###

Everything went fine and according to the plan for the first part when they arrived. As expected he was separated from the group. He explained what he was told to say about his presence here. He added some grit to his answers, saying that he wasn't stupid enough to come back here for anything that wasn't scheduled under the known circumstances. They took his sword, potions and phone but let him pass.

When he saw Mousesack, Geralt couldn't help but feel relieved. The druid was older than what he remembered. He had gray in his beard, and some wrinkles. His eyes seemed older too. The man probably lived a lot of things on his side.

They quitted the security check and as soon as they could, his old friend took a secret passage. They were now walking in dark passages under the castle.

- "Remember the way, old friend, you will have to take this path alone in the end."

- "You won't help me with Cirilla ?" Geralt was surprised. This was not part of the plan.

The druid stopped and turned toward him. He was visibly angry.

- "You have no idea how complicated the situation is, Geralt. Letting you in after your very bad impression on King Eist a few weeks ago is already very risky. I am loyal to the royal family. What I am doing could be seen as high treason. And they are not very forgiving."

- "So why are you helping me ?"

The anger changed to sadness.

- "Because you are right, Geralt." He sighed. "As much as I love them, Calanthe is too stubborn to see the hurt she is doing right now. This is not a black and white situation but she is sending the whole country in a very dark place. Cirilla is a brilliant girl. She is not spoiled by blind hatred and complicated politics, yet… She needs to be saved from what is coming. I trust you to protect her in the best way. Also Destiny plays a part. It always had. He are linked to her by the law of Surprise, so I know this is the right thing to do."

- "What is coming ?" Asked the witcher, trying to focus on the side informations.

- "Nilfgaard and war…"

- "Do you think Cintra can lose ?"

- "Calanthe has been preparing for it for years now but I have a very bad feeling about that."

There was a long silence. Gears were moving fast in Geralt's mind. There was still a moral dilemma he had to resolve.

- "You said the girl is not spoiled but she is educated by Calanthe and I have seen what she is doing, and what she is inspiring in the other countries too. The other druids try to save the victims of this world. Is serving the throne part of your oaths. I know I doing things for some reasons that escape my comprehension but you are there for more than fifty years..."

- "Don't judge me, Geralt. You don't have the right." Mousesack was deadly serious. "If you had listened we wouldn't be there sending each other morality checks. I know what Calanthe does. Am I ok with it ? Not much. My druids oaths are one thing. My loyalty is another. And I am telling you, I will protect this family with my life. I know you are here to help and it goes with my vision of the future for this country and this little girl I love. Everything can be destroyed but ad long as she lives, there is hope for better days. I am convinced of that. And that impending future fulfil my oaths."

Mousesack had almost tears in his eyes and his intensity touched the witcher who didn't know what to say. He didn't understand the feeling that was burning in his old friend. Everything was illogical, emotional and yet he knew that for the druid it made sense.

- "You will have to take that path on your own, is that clear ?"

- "Yes." Geralt replied a bit dryly.

- "I will find a way to give your belongings back to you via Triss. The phone won't be a problem. The castle has nothing connected to the network to detect it properly. They are too afraid of the control of Aretuza over the technology. Forget about your potions. The sword would be harder but I have my idea."

Suddenly his medallion vibrated and Mousesack looked in the direction they were coming from. He felt it also.

- "What is it ?" He asked.

- "I don't know. I feel that kind of surge of chaos from time to time for a few months now. But I don't know what it is. This one was intense to reach us underground."

- "Indeed."

Geralt wasn't very surprised when Jaskier's form emerged from the dark a few seconds later.

- "You should run away, buddy. They know you are here. They are coming for you and this won't be pretty."

The ghost usually said underlying thoughts of his. This time it was a bit more than that and this was scaring him.

- "Can you see him ?" He asked Mousesack, clenching his jaws.

- "Who ?"

Geralt didn't need more than that to understand that his hallucinations were just that. But the link with Cintra was obvious. He experienced some vivid memories of Jaskier, haunting him in daylight since he left the mountains for many reasons but, here in Cintra and around, the hallucination was like a projection of his mind in the shape of his friend. And now it was warning him properly of potential things to come.

- "Clever boy." Said the ghost as if he read his mind. "Now you should have taken this time to flee, when I told you so. But why would you listen to me after all ? Julian is not worth it."

Geralt tried to ignore the guild stabbing him in the heart and realized suddenly that he could hear something approaching. Footsteps rushing toward them and closing. His witcher senses were sharper than Mousesack's, so they had just a few seconds to react.

- "Soldiers are coming our way." He said distractingly to the druid.

Jaskier winked at him and walked away. The witcher felt slightly dizzy.

- "I am not responsible for that, I swear." Replied Mousesack, terribly nervous. He was hearing them too now.

- "Responsible for what ?"

- "Something must have happened. They are coming for you and I can't do anything. We are screwed. The only way this can work is if we can come back to the castle."

- "This is too late, I am afraid." Said Geralt.

He grabbed Mousesack by the throat and locked him in a submissive position. The druid understood what he was doing instantly, and as the guards were emerging from the shadows, he whispered:

- "I am so sorry. You will need to force your way out of here if you wanna live."

- "I know." Geralt growled.

They didn't have to wait long. The guards were circling them. He didn't resist the arrest and showed no emotion when demetrium shackles were put at his wrists. The connection to the world seemed to fade away as the chaos couldn't reach him.

The figure of Jaskier standing in the shadows vanished. Geralt frowned. Everything was linked to this place in a way or another.

No words were exchanged with anyone. He was led through the castle in darker environments, to the jails. It smelled like pain and death in here, even if he felt no-one left in the boxes. They pushed him in a very old fashioned cell. The shackles were removed but he still couldn't feel chaos around. This was a mage cell made to contain any powers. But maybe not every power…

He sat on the ground, on the thing that was supposed to be his bed and closed his eyes. He tried to take every second that was given to him to think of how he could escape, with or without the princess he was coming for.

In the back of his head, he hoped that Triss wasn't targeted by all this and that she could get away safely. Mousesack wasn't out of the woods yet. He would have to lie to save his position. While he, Geralt, was already condemned to a very difficult time. He was at the right place, in the worst situation possible.

I hope that fast pace forward was ok. Next time, Cintra falls...

See you soon.