[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Skellige.
...
...
"Hey, sit next to me, kids!" Mousesack opened a playful smile as he saw Madara and Ciri heading to the table.
"We're not kids anymore, Mousesack," Ciri muttered, while the druid gave a playful smile as they settled beside him.
"Oh, no, definitely not. Well, I'm glad you've grown up," he said with a chuckle.
"Have things been peaceful with Geralt and the others at the castle?" she asked.
"Oh, yes. There was no trouble. Although... some idiots approached Yennefer only to be met by a very angry witcher," he began to declare, while Ciri found it amusing.
"Oh, I'm sure. Father is quite jealous and he's not wrong," she said.
"Besides, you know what's been hammering in my mind, Madara? Something that made me really curious when I heard you'd entered the Valley of Dragons. That is certainly far greater than facing gangs, monsters, and cyclopes like you had said before," Mousesack commented, clearly curious.
"A kingdom entirely hidden, made only by those beasts... A land of dragons, one no one has ever recorded before," said Mousesack as if he were seeing gold.
Madara nodded, he had confirmed that he had invaded that territory where no one else had ever gone. Only dragons were supposed to be there. Mousesack never imagined there could be such a place, even though dragons were considered real — although the vast majority of the world considers them a myth, due to their rarity, having never seen even one in their lives.
"If you want to see it so badly, I can show you, if you don't mind," Madara said, and Mousesack's eyes sparkled.
"Please, grant me that honor." He declared without hesitation.
Madara's abilities had already been seen in Cintra, including his ability to display memories. It would be a great gift in Mousesack's opinion, and he was quite excited for it.
Madara then activated his Sharingan and looked into the druid's eyes, as his mind was easily penetrated. He showed the images, just as he had done with Ciri, Vesemir, and Cerys while they lived through his memories — just a few minutes being enough to show everything to the druid.
"By the gods... this is..." Mousesack looked at Madara not knowing what to say, seeming very shocked by what he had just seen. "This is far beyond my comprehension. You have no idea... do you have any idea of the kind of value this knowledge holds? These memories... that such a place exists... it's certainly impossible to get close. No human could do that... after all, traveling there is practically impossible with so many mountains to cross, even for a mage. The only way to reach it is by flight and being skilled enough not to be eaten by dragons on the way."
He also knew about the ancient dragon itself, which had passed on so much information to Madara. That was far too precious to remain just a memory.
"Tell me, Madara... tell me you're planning to write a book. I would love to help you," he said, while Ciri looked on curiously. She wasn't a very academic person, and certainly that never attracted her. Despite learning magic, she hated books and reading, studying.
But Madara was different. He was certainly a smart boy, having written several articles for the druids in Cintra, as he was asked to do when he lived there.
"Well... I was thinking about doing that," Madara said. "But I'd gladly accept your help. You know..." Madara spoke, while the druid gave a satisfied smile.
King Bran had not spoken to them yet, despite being the one who invited them to the table. While Mousesack continued discussing some things with Madara and Ciri, King Bran was talking with his wife for a moment and had not yet interacted with his guests of honor.
Until he simply had to get up when he heard a man approaching to report something.
"Well, I'll have to step out for a moment here. I hope you enjoy yourselves, I'll be back. We'll talk more," the king said to the young ones beside the druid and left with the man who had spoken to him earlier.
Meanwhile, Madara looked around the party, searching for eyes on him. He found some, just like the ones that had been watching him throughout the evening, but he was looking for something specific — like an enemy. There had also been a particular gaze on him when he was at the table with Ciri and the others... He wanted to feel that gaze again to mark the person.
If someone wanted to talk to him about Vilgefortz as allies against the witcher, it was very likely that the man also had allies there to go against him.
Knowledge was certainly powerful. One of them knew that man might still have many cards to gain minions and favors.
Suddenly, the door opened and a well-dressed woman appeared at that moment. Everyone turned their attention to her. Obviously, from the look on her face: she was a sorceress. Madara narrowed his eyes.
He had an idea of who she was. It was Fringilla Vigo... And she was deeply involved with Yennefer and the other sorceresses of that circle and certainly not someone to be trusted — yet another sorceress seeking power like the others.
He knew that, from that moment on, all attention would be turned to the fact that, besides the most wanted young man on the continent being alive in Skellige, he was to marry Ciri, the crown princess of Cintra. At the same time, their union meant one thing — However, this had been inevitable ever since they announced the wedding.
The woman stepped into the center and went to one of Skellige's nobles, who seemed to be an acquaintance of hers. Madara could feel Yennefer's gaze, who had already returned to her table with Geralt after dancing, staring intently at the woman. She also returned the look and, in turn, looked back toward the main table, seeing Ciri and Madara, knowing very well that she was keeping her eyes on them more than anyone else.
"I don't like the way that woman looks," Ciri murmured beside him, while taking his hand.
"I'm afraid to say this, my princess, but it's inevitable," Mousesack said. "She won't be the first to look at him that way."
"I think I can imagine," Ciri replied, trying to understand.
"They see us as an opportunity," Madara was the one to speak, his gaze still fixed on the sorceress. "There's no point trying to do anything about her. Many others will come after. They see you as a political shift for the entire continent."
"Yes," Ciri said. "Our marriage could change the balance of all the North, as well as provoke major shifts in the Nilfgaardian Empire."
"Yes. But forget her. She's not important. If she tries anything harmful, we're strong enough to deal with it," he said.
"Yes," she replied, while Mousesack let out a small chuckle beside them.
"It's good to see you've grown," he said, and he certainly thought of Calanthe, wishing she were there.
And perhaps, because of how intently he stared at the sorceress, Madara didn't notice until someone was already approaching within five meters of them — a presence appeared in front of the table a moment later.
It was a well-dressed man. Madara looked at him and raised his eyes, a little surprised.
"Wait... he's..." Ciri recognized him too, but she was much more surprised, recognizing him from Madara's castle.
"Princess Ciri, Duke Uchiha," the man spoke with some respect, bowing to them.
Madara ended up smiling. "It's good to see you again. How have you been?" Madara asked, while the man gave him a grateful smile.
"Very well, thanks to you, my lord. I'm here to express my gratitude. I entered, but I noticed you wished to be discreet and saw that you were speaking with your friends. I finally found a moment to meet you," he said.
As Ciri had said, when they mentioned an old acquaintance, they weren't talking about Lord Vellador.
This man was the steward — or rather, the castellan of Madara's castle. He had served him for several years, and Madara had sent him directly to Skellige on a journey with gold, releasing all the servants and guards, giving them passage and money to live a new life elsewhere, already knowing very well what would happen to Cintra.
"Well, let me speak with this man for a bit," Madara said, getting up from the main table. No one objected. Ciri let him go and stayed with Mousesack for company.
"It's good to see you again, but it's surprising... I didn't even think we'd meet again," the man said, almost unable to contain himself upon seeing Madara in front of him.
"Come. I'd like to exchange a few words on the balcony," Madara said, and the man followed him.
His story was satisfying. He had come here, found a place to live with his family, and soon after opened a fishing business on the islands. Despite having some trouble with monsters like sirens and harpies, he managed to establish a prosperous business, selling seafood to all the islands around Ard Skellige.
Madara also asked about the other guards and servants, and he said that some returned to the continent, while others were living there, using the money they had to buy a house and live, supporting their families to this day. Some had passed away for various reasons, but Madara was satisfied to know that most had chosen a path away from war — they were living.
Madara thanked him and then returned to the main table, with the man saying his final words. "If you need anything, I'll always be available to help you. I owe you more than a life debt."
Madara nodded and moved on, finding Ciri still talking with Mousesack, while the queen seemed annoyed for some reason, and the king had not yet returned.
"Did something happen?" he asked Ciri as he sat beside her.
"Oh, you mean the queen trying to show off how amazing her son is? While I compared him to my future husband, who can do a thousand more things than any other living man? Then yes, something did happen," she said, giving him a kiss with a little laugh, while Mousesack remained silent, wanting to stay neutral.
The woman, after all, was still the queen — but it had been amusing, though he couldn't admit it.
The king finally returned, minutes later.
"Well, now... where were we?" he said cheerfully, ignoring his scowling wife as he returned to the two at the table.
"Now we can talk!" he said with an excited smile.
"I'd like to hear your stories. People spoke a lot about your strength as you and my brother pushed forward into battle. However, it seems you've gotten into many more since leaving Cintra. Share your stories with me."
"They say you're one of the strongest men in the world," he said, while Madara looked a bit surprised — and at the same time, the queen seemed even more sour, already having heard plenty of that when the princess began to boast about her fiancé over her own son.
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