Toss A Coin | Geralt of Rivia X OC | The Witcher FF

Chapter 47 - Banquet in Cintra, part two -

3rd person pov

"All rise for her Majesty, the Lioness." a man spoke after the fanfare ended. A woman, known as the Lioness of Cintra, Queen Calanthe, entered the room in golden armour covered in blood and so was her face. Her helmet, she held under her arm. "Queen Calanthe of Cintra!" The man announced her real title.

She threw her helmet into the hands of one of her servants. She went over to a table and grabbed a mug. "Beer!" she yelled and everyone cheered at that. Jaskier and a few other bards went onto a stage to entertain the Queen with some music. "Apologies, noble sirs. A few upstart townships in the south needed reminding who was Queen." At that, the cheering continued. She was the Queen, at what she said everyone had to cheer.

"Ready you suitors tales of glory, good lords. My daughter is eager to have this over with. As am I. Bard, music." she demanded at last. Jaskier and the group bowed and started playing a tune that sounded boring, not suited for such an occasion. "No, no, no! A jig! You can save your bloody maudlin nonsense for my funeral." she complained about the music and they quickly changed the tune into something more cheerful. 

Geralt stood in a corner, near Jaskier to watch him. Next to him was Evelyn. She stood close to Geralt and both of them had their mugs in their hands. "Suits you. That dress." Geralt said without looking at her. She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yours too." She teased him and both of them chuckled and took a sip. "Poor girl." Evelyn said and looked over at princess Pavetta. "She's just like me, just that I refused in my duties." She sighed at the thought of the banquet at which her mother tried to convince her into marrying so she would become Queen.

Evelyns pov

Geralt and I enjoyed staying away from the crowd. Just the two of us, brooding in a corner and having our nice little chit chat. The ale was good and so was the company. Then a mug was slammed onto a table. "You lie, you little shite!" The red-haired guy growled and stood up angrily. "You've never faced so much as a bad meal in your life, never mind a manticore." The red-haired and another guy were face to face, arguing. 

"I've had manticores thrice as fat and ugly as you perish under my steel!" the other man said. "Under your bullshit more like." Crach an Craite, that was his name I guess, growled back. "How many stings has it got, then?" he continued and the answer of the other person was two. Geralt looked at me and sighed and so did I.

"Hah, go away and shite! It's five. I know, I've actually killed one." was Crach's reply. The other man grabbed his collar and they started to fight but the Queen interrupted. "Enough! We have renowned guests here tonight." All eyes got turned on Geralt and me. "Perhaps he can declare which esteemed lord is telling the truth." She asked Geralt to solve this thing and the two men who were fighting stared daggers at Geralt.

"Neither." Geralt just said and I smiled at that. That's true. "Are you calling me a liar, old man?" Crach asked and I felt my blood boil in my veins. No one is insulting my man! "The Butcher of Blaviken bleats utter nonsense." May I kill both of them? Geralt could sense my aggression and took my hand behind his back to calm me down.

Jaskier gave him a look to not ruin it since he sang songs about Geralt and it would ruin them. "Perhaps the lords encountered rare subspecies of manticore." He lied to ease the fight. The fighting men agreed and everyone got what they wanted. 

The Queen started laughing. "Perhaps our esteemed guest would like to entertain us with how he slayed the elves at the edge of the world?" she asked and everyone laughed. She was talking about Jaskiers song but I knew, and so did Geralt, that what he sang about wasn't true. "There was no slaying. I had my arse kicked by a ragged band of elves. I was about to have my throat cut when Filavandrel let me go." All of the guests groaned and laughed at what he said. "But the song!" The smaller one, from the fight, said.

"Yeah, the song." Jaskier said from the back of the whole situation. "At least when Filavandrels blade kissed my throat, I didn't shit myself. Which is all I can hope for you, good lords. At your final breath, a shitless death." he raised a cup and had a smug smirk on his face. "But I doubt it." He took a sip and I laughed quietly at what he said and drank too.

"It would have been your blade at Filavandrels throat had you been there, Your Majesty." Eist said to the Queen to charm her by complimenting her for killing elves. Disgusting. "Not that any elven bastard would crawl from their lair to meet you on the field." All men cheered at that but Calanthe wasn't impressed.

"Any man willing to paint himself in the shadow of his failure will make for far more interesting conversation this night. Come, Witcher. Take a seat by my side while I change." She offered. Geralt grunted and he didn't go with her, which surprised her. She huffed. "If no, then please take a seat at my table and take the princess of Lyria with you." she said and looked at me when she called out the princess of Lyria. 

My eyes widened and so did the eyes of many men inside this room. Dammit! How did she know that I was the fucking princess? I never told anyone in this room beneath Geralt or Jaskier and both of them wouldn't slip that information to anyone, especially not to the Queen of Cintra.

Mousesack took a sip from his cup, unimpressed. I slammed my hand against my forehead. Why have I said 'of Lyria'? Of course, he would catch the hint.