[Chapter Size: 2500 Words.]
Third Person POV
Ellander.
...
...
Nenneke was praying before the goddess. Melitele was presented with three statues, but all of them represented the same goddess; in one, Melitele appeared as the Young Woman, in another as the Mother, and in the last as the Elder. They were three different aspects of the great goddess worshiped by the northern kingdoms.
Nenneke's routine was the same every day even before breakfast. Although she had no fixed schedule, she spent several hours of the day dedicated to praying to Melitele, fulfilling her duty as the high priestess.
She did not know how it began, but her thoughts returned to a certain witcher she had met many years ago who had basically become like a son to her, even if he never called her mother because he was emotionally withdrawn, or even if he displeased her by sleeping with one of her girls while recovering at the temple.
Nenneke grimaced at the thought. It had been years since he last showed up. Thinking of him in the middle of a prayer—would that not be a sign?
She could not help wondering what he might be doing at that moment, while the Continent was disturbed by strange rumors happening all the time and a certain political tension, bordering on war, was beginning again...
She had even heard that a certain witcher from the Wolf School was involved in some of those rumors; Nenneke could not help wondering if it was really Geralt.
What she did not imagine was that she was closer to the truth than she supposed, and that she had received an unconscious sign of it.
She continued praying — even for that witcher — and when she finally finished, she noticed one of her girls waiting for her, looking uneasy. That made Nenneke raise an eyebrow and approach her.
"Any problem?" she immediately asked as she approached Lola.
"Lady Nenneke… it's better if you see this," the young woman said.
"And what exactly would that be?" the woman asked, although she had already taken her first steps outside, following her girl.
"A group of people has just arrived at the temple; they are quite discreet... They want to speak specifically with you and refuse to say who they are," the girl murmured.
Nenneke raised an eyebrow, wondering who it could be. And given the frightened look on her girl's face, it seemed to be trouble.
"Tell me… what troubles you so much?" she asked the girl, seeing her so uneasy.
"They are… a bit unusual, even wearing cloaks. Just seeing them gives you chills," the young woman murmured. "Besides, there was a witcher among them. I saw his eyes… yellow like a cat's. I think it's him..." she admitted. Lola had had an affair with Geralt many years ago, so she was nervous about meeting him.
That made Nenneke simply sigh before saying: "Let's go."
"Yes, Lady Nenneke," the young woman replied, hurrying to accompany the high priestess, who was already ahead of her at that moment.
The young woman, though surprised, simply continued following her to the temple entrance. They were not in the main area, but at the side after Lola spoke. Meanwhile, Nenneke approached carefully, seeing six hooded people with their horses beside them.
A clearly suspicious group, which made her wonder how they had passed through the city guards. Knowing the guards as she did, that group should have been stopped immediately, without question.
Regardless of how they had managed to get past the guards without being stopped in their current state, Nenneke approached, searching for the tallest man. Without a doubt, the posture belonged to someone she remembered very well — the one she had been thinking about just moments earlier.
"Geralt?" she said immediately, while the one called by name looked at her with his golden eyes.
"You… you're here," she whispered, despite it being obvious.
"It's been a while, Nenneke," the witcher said with a certain caution, perhaps a bit worried, thinking about how he had not appeared at the temple in years. And, judging by Nenneke's expression, he would certainly be reprimanded. She even seemed ready to say something like 'How could you not visit even once after so many years?'
She looked and also stared at the visitors. She recognized the sorceress's violet gaze and could not help but frown; she did not like her, did not like how she manipulated Geralt, and now she was here with him...
"I would very much like you to be here because you missed me… but that does not seem to be the case. So let's go inside. Let us understand why you're here. What your reasons are, and who these people are," she said.
Geralt simply nodded, while Nenneke began to head inside, dismissing Lola and instructing her to keep their arrival secret. After the witcher told the others to follow, they entered the temple. Some of the young priestesses cast glances at the peculiar group as they walked through the temple corridors, still wearing cloaks to hide themselves.
Upon reaching a private room, everyone lowered their hoods, and Nenneke analyzed each one. Two rather exotic young people — and a couple, from what she could see, with the girl practically clinging to the young man's shoulder. A dwarf, a man who looked like a bard, and Yennefer.
"It seems you have quite a story this time, Geralt… and since we're here, I would like to hear it," Nenneke said bluntly.
Geralt took the initiative to explain exactly what was happening, and Nenneke could not help but furrow her brow, staring mainly at the two young people. How would anyone react upon discovering that the two most wanted individuals on the Continent — or at least they used to be — were right there in front of her, while kings and powerful organizations would give gold, all kinds of benefits, and even their daughters for any accurate information about them?
The marriage between the new generation of Cintra's royal family had not gone unnoticed. Travelers had commented on it; it was spoken of in various palaces across the Continent. Kings and courts murmured, maids told common citizens, merchants spread the news from city to city like fire in dry straw. Many believed a new war would break out, and that Cintra would rise again allied with Skellige, especially with King Bran's favoritism.
"You're telling me that an evil and powerful being is after them… and since the girl is pregnant, she needs a place to stay, while the boy — who would make any king piss his pants — will be traveling after this creature?" Nenneke summarized what she had just heard.
"He's a demon, if you want to know. The only one that may exist in this world… but he is still a demon," Madara said, his words making Nenneke shiver.
"By the goddess… is that true?" she murmured, chilled, asking Geralt for clarification.
Geralt only sighed after hearing Madara and seeing Nenneke's reaction. "I've never encountered this being… but Madara has faced him and met him several times. And I've never had any reason to doubt his word."
"It's true," Ciri said beside Madara. "When we were fleeing Cintra many years ago, we met him for the first time. I thought he was just a talkative man, but when I saw Madara's serious expression, I knew he wasn't. He disappeared before I even realized it. It was the first time I ever saw my husband so serious against someone, even though he has faced all kinds of monsters and men..." she murmured, remembering the occasion.
"Anyway, he tried to make a deal with me in Skellige, and I ended up destroying his main body when he attacked me. But that wasn't enough to stop him. I need to know where he's hiding. I feel he's still in this world, recovering, and he will return with vengeful strength. More than trying to make a deal… he now sees me as a threat. That's why I must destroy him, and I cannot risk Ciri and the baby being pursued by him," Madara said.
And no one disagreed with his words. If someone like him stated something like that, Nenneke could see that his word within that group was final — and no one would question him.
"Geralt, I understand you're dealing with a serious problem. And I also understand why you help this girl… you see her as your daughter, don't you?" Nenneke gave a sweet smile. "...But you must understand that this is not only about you and the girl. It also concerns the Temple. Sheltering a pregnant princess whom an entire empire — and perhaps many kings — wants to see dead could be a great problem for me and for the others under my wings," she said carefully. She truly did not know the whole situation regarding Madara and Ciri in relation to the powers of the world, but it was logical to think that way.
That child could be a threat to many greedy people; some saw it as a threat to the future of Calanthe's lineage.
"Nenneke… we came to ask for your help," Geralt said, appearing hurt — which was already rare enough an expression for a witcher. But before he could continue, Nenneke raised her hand. She could also see Yennefer expressing her displeasure.
"I also did not say that I won't help. I cannot give you an answer now; I need guidance. I cannot accept this immediately. But I promise I will think about it. I will try to pray to the goddess, and if she gives me a sign, I will help. For now, you may stay in the temple — just don't cause trouble," she said.
She could have complained about Geralt regarding the other priestesses, but the witcher seemed to be kept on a leash by the sorceress, so there was no need. The extremely handsome and exotic-looking young man was with his pregnant wife — nothing less than a future queen — so she did not need to worry about him either.
The dwarf also didn't seem like someone who caused trouble. However, the bard gave her a bad feeling about future actions. He had the face of an uncontrollable womanizer.
"For now, you will stay in a separate wing. I would like you not to make contact with anyone, anyone besides me, because we must keep your arrival secret after all the effort you went through to get here. I hope you understand that," she said, while Geralt nodded.
"Perfectly understood, Nenneke," he said as if a son stood before a mother's command, even making the sorceress stare at him in surprise.
After that, they were relocated to the place by Nenneke herself, who showed them the rooms.
The first thing Nenneke did was go directly to the statue of the goddess. She remained there for two hours, seated, focused, kneeling before the statue, asking for guidance. She did not want to refuse help to Geralt, but she also had to consider the safety of the temple and the dangers this would bring to everyone there.
It was in that moment that she realized she was no longer in the temple; everything was dark, her eyes unable to open, which made her shiver almost in panic, but something changed that in the next moment...
"Let them stay."
The voice sounded like a gentle melody in Nenneke's mind. It made her tremble immediately. The goddess had answered her prayers as she never had before.
"The girl is important. The child she carries is also important. Important for the future of this world," said the goddess.
"My goddess… is this what you want me to do? Should I keep the girl in the temple?" Nenneke murmured only in her mind, moved by hearing the divine voice speaking to her so directly as it had never happened before.
Usually, the goddess gave her signs or inspirations, even thoughts, but had never spoken with such clarity.
"I also want you to bring the boy here. I need to speak with him," said the goddess.
In the next moment, Nenneke blinked and was back to herself, kneeling in the same place inside the temple. She let a few tears escape as she opened her eyes and looked at the statue — which did not do her goddess justice in the slightest, not compared to her voice.
"My goddess… thank you for your guidance. I will do exactly as you asked," Nenneke said, still emotional.
Somewhere else in the temple.
Ciri was lying on the bed with Eira, swinging her legs off the mattress, while Madara leaned against the window with his arms crossed, watching his clones fly over the rooftops as they scanned not only the temple but the entire city. He wanted to map everything and identify any possible dangers for Ciri while she stayed here.
"This place is really calm, but at the same time boring. I'm going to have to stay here for months…" she murmured, a little discouraged. It wasn't because of the lack of action and adventure in recent years, but because of the absence of her husband. Just thinking about the coming months already made her miss him terribly, simply at the idea of Madara leaving.
"For a while, yes. But you'll survive," Madara said.
She pouted at his answer. "Stop saying that and hurry up and learn that technique you're developing. Be here every night. Otherwise, I'll start teleporting to you, wherever you are," she threatened.
Madara simply looked at her, raising an eyebrow, but said nothing more. His eyes then turned toward the door, sensing a presence approaching, unsurprised by the knock that followed.
"It's the high priestess," Madara said.
Ciri raised an eyebrow. "You're not even using the Sharingan. How do you know?"
"A shinobi doesn't base everything on his dōjutsu or, rather, on my special eyes. We base things on facts. I identified the way she walks, the shadow, and the way she touched the wooden door. It's very delicate, which makes me recognize the high priestess herself after seeing her earlier," Madara explained.
Ciri couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her husband's comments, but she soon got out of the bed and followed him curiously as he approached the door.
When Madara opened it, he found Nenneke on the other side, looking a little different — still cautious, but now determined.
"The goddess has given me an answer. She asks that I take care of the girl… but she also wants to speak with you. Could you accompany me to the main area of the temple?" she said.
Nenneke didn't seem to have spoken to Ciri beforehand. Madara looked at his wife, they exchanged a brief glance, and then he turned back to the priestess, nodding.
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