To Thaw A Frozen Heart

~ chapter 9 ~

I knew we were being escorted out the gates by two guards, but I couldn't help but feel bad for the miners that we had met. Surely Geralt didn't just plan on walking away? It wouldn't be like him - but then again, maybe I don't know him at all.
We rode our horses just in front of the guards, and I desperately whispered;
"Geralt, we're not seriously just going to leave them are we?"
He didn't look at me, but answered, "I have a plan."
Well, how bloody fucking mysterious. Care to share, O wise one? He was getting on my last nerve. I turned to snap at him when I heard two thinks behind us. Nox came to a halt and I turned to see the two guards falling from their horses.
"This part of the plan?" I said smugly.
I dismounted Nox as Geralt gave me a look of uncertainty, assuming he didn't know this was going to happen. He followed my action and we unsheathed our weapons, my tiny dagger looked very menacing compared to the sword he was holding, I must say.

"Witcher." a soft voice spoke, the word surrounding us.

A clocked figure appeared in from of them, and I stepped closer to Geralt - just because he had the big, scary weapon.
"Geralt..." I whispered and tugged on his shirt.

"You can put down your weapons. I'm not here to hurt you." the voice spoke again. It was a woman's voice. It was calming.

"Says the witch hiding in the woods." Geralt almost snarled. The way he said 'witch' made my heart twinge. He sounded like he really hated us, although i'm not sure i'd count myself as a witch...

"Sorceress." She corrected, approaching us.

"Witch." Geralt countered once more.

As she came closer, she pulled down her hood, revealing bushy copper hair and a kind face.
"Truss Merigold. I serve King Foltest."

"So, he makes a show of kicking us out and then sends his errand girl to slip me some coin so we can kill his monster." Geralt deducted as the woman - Triss, came closer. He stepped in front of me. What the hell?

"It's my plan." She told us, "My coin. And I don't want you to kill the beast - I want you to help me save it."

We followed the witch into her home as she explained her situation to us.

"Six years ago, stable hands started vanishing at the castle above the city. Before long, citizens were disappearing throughout Temeria. Foltest's royal guard soon realised the creature was coming from the crypt where the king's sister Adda is buried. Rumour has it that she was having an affair with a young man in town when she died."

I walked around as Triss spoke, observing the books on the shelves, and the herbs hanging from the ceiling.

"Was she pregnant?" Geralt asked.

I snapped my head up at him. What kind of a question was that?

"Well, if she were, that would make her child the sole heir to the throne, as Foltest never married. The king fled to his castle, ignoring the rising death toll." she explained. "After Nilfgaard overtook their king, the Brotherhood couldn't risk it happening again-so they sent me here three months ago to cure the creature."

"Vukodlaks are freak mutations, they can't be cured." Geralt stated matter of factly.

I suddenly felt very useless in this conversation. A vuka-what? How did they know about these things? Is it common knowledge? Have I been living under a rock?
'No' I thought to myself. 'You're just normal.'
A snicker escaped from my lips but a quick glare from Geralt silenced me.

Triss motioned for us to follow her, and she led us to a room in which there was a body lying in a box. Um - ew?

I walked in, looking around before my eyes landed on the corpse. I gasped. The man's eyes were scratched out of his head, and his internal bowels were, well, not internal anymore...
That wasn't the only thing that stood out. There, in the middle of his chest, lay a medallion, scarily similar to Geralt's.

"Geralt?" I picked up the medallion and showed it to him.

He picked it up and glared at Triss.
"Didn't want people to know that it bested a Witcher. And you let them believe that he fled with their coin."
Geralt detached the medallion from the body and put it in his pocket.

I gagged as he put his hand into the mans body, digging around.
Triss made a dry joke about them not being very well acquainted, and I gave her a small smile. She was funny. She met my smile with one of her own, before looking very shocked and turned her head away. What, did I have blood on my face?

Geralt mumbled something about his heart and liver being missing, and came to the conclusion that the beast was a striga - whatever that is. Apparently they're very rare and only created through a curse.
Triss and he discussed the possibilities of someone wanting Adda dead, but the curse accidentally passed onto her child - a girl - a princess.
Geralt looked angry. He had that weird void look going on, before declaring that it was time to pay King Foltest a visit - and I'm sure it wasn't just to catch up with an old friend.