The Heart of Winter || The Witcher

Chapter One

Author's Note: This story takes place within the realm of the Witcher 3 and references certain side events that take place, but without any of the main storyline in existence. Also, I imagined Ciri to be pretty young in this story—naïve and rash and just a bit lost in her purpose, as if she's just old enough to be out on her own. I like to think of it as though these experiences would have helped shape her into the women she is in the Witcher 3. And I flubbed a little with the geography of Velen (pretty sure there aren't mountains right there), and with the layout of the Chameleon a bit, but I don't think anything is so much as to be world-breaking. I will be posting a chapter a week, probably on Fridays. Please let me know what you guys think in the comments! I hope you enjoy!

Prologue

"Don't do this, Ciri," Zoltan cautioned as he followed Ciri down the stairs of the Chameleon. "I don't like this. Not at all."

Once on the landing, Ciri purposefully strode around the room, gathering supplies and stuffing them into a large pack. "You know a storm is coming," Ciri answered without turning from what she was doing. "I don't have a choice. The village won't stand a chance otherwise."

"Join one of the deployments to the other villages if you must. To think you can protect one on your own is folly."

"There are too many villages for the soldiers alone to protect, you know that as well as I do. And you know I'm a better fighter than any of them. I can hold a small settlement on my own. Besides, the villagers will take up arms if attacked. They just need someone to rally behind." Ciri bundled up in her fur-lined overcoat, pulling on her thick gloves, and stuffing a wool hat over her head just before slinging her bulging pack on her back. Striding to the door, she snatched up her sword and added it as a final accoutrement.

Zoltan reached out and spun Ciri around by the elbow just as she reached for the door handle. "Cirilla, stop!"

Ciri set her feet impatiently, a look of exasperation clouding her eyes.

Zoltan seemed to fight with himself for a moment, struggling to find the right words.

Ciri filled the silence, hardness settling into her eyes, her tone. "There's nothing you can say that will stop me. I can't leave them defenseless. I won't."

The silence stretched on a moment longer until, heaving a solemn sigh, Zoltan met Ciri's eye. "Please be careful."

Face softening a bit, Ciri relaxed her stance and nodded. "I will."

Giving Zoltan one last reassuring glance, Ciri pulled open the door and stepped out into the frigid air.

~~~

Ciri headed east on Kelpie, a fine if somewhat cantankerous grey mare she had acquired a few years back. A settlement a day's ride from Novigrad was her destination. It was deep in the heart of winter on the Continent. A foot of snow was ever present on the ground, a biting chill lingering in the air. The conditions weren't great for riding. The icy roads could be treacherous to a less experienced rider with a horse likely to slip and break a leg, but Ciri knew to stay to the edges of the paths, where the snow was less packed and gave more traction. She would need as much help as she could get. She would have to ride hard to reach the settlement by nightfall. If she didn't, it might be too late for its inhabitants.

A dangerous group of bandits was stirring to the East, growing ever larger, ever bolder, emerging from the mountains' forests to raid villages on the very outskirts of Novigrad before slinking away without a trace. The Guard's men had been deployed to help, but the raiders struck multiple locations seemingly randomly and there were so many settlements that there weren't nearly enough men to protect them all even with measly three or four men squads spread out randomly amongst the villages. At best they could cover half the settlements and that was stretching it. Ciri had been working closely with them, offering her services whenever she could. The men had come to respect her, even the Captain acknowledging her prowess and thankful for any help they could get.