[Chapter Size: 2500 Words.]
Third Person POV
White Orchard.
...
...
Madara and Ciri left Eira and Aren in the temple courtyard, where Toto was also lying down. The domesticated griffin quickly noticed a strong scent coming from Madara.
Madara still hadn't cleaned his clothes, which were still stained with the blood of the griffin he had killed in White Orchard. His griffin stared at him quite suspiciously.
Madara simply ignored him and turned his attention to his wife. After leaving Aren with Hilda, Geralt was with Nenneke somewhere in the temple at that moment.
"Come on. Let's settle this Nilfgaard problem once and for all," Madara said.
Ciri simply nodded. The two disappeared from the temple shortly afterward and headed toward Novigrad.
In a very secluded place, inside a massive hall where there was a large table, a group of women had already gathered. They all looked tense. It wasn't the first time they had met that day, but after confirming certain pieces of information, they decided to hold that meeting to determine their next steps.
Philippa Eilhart, Francesca Findabair, Margarita Laux-Antille, Keira Metz, Sabrina Glevissig, Sheala de Tancarville, and Assire var Anahid were present.
The topic was none other than the return of Madara Uchiha and Ciri, along with all the chaos the couple had been causing across the Continent.
"Were you able to contact her?" Philippa asked Francesca.
"No. She refuses to answer me. She also said she won't be the one to answer for Madara. That was the only response I received."
"Why is she doing this to us now?" Philippa murmured.
"As if she owed us anything. Tissaia no longer believes in us. She has refused every invitation to rejoin us... But don't worry. Ida will come to the meeting. She also informed me that Madara already knows I have her infiltrated in the Akatsuki as a spy so she can contact him as soon as he appears," another sorceress replied.
"I hope to see him soon," Margarita commented with a seductive smile. "He's causing so many problems. All the kingdoms have been contacting Aretuza, asking me to find out what's going on, as if I could know everything and also protect them from that man." She paused briefly as she looked at her 'sisters'...
"I wonder what he looks like now. He was already quite handsome and so young back in Aretuza... I'd like to see him more mature," another replied.
"Stop letting that wet vagina of yours scream over every man you see..." Keira commented with a grimace.
Margarita wasn't offended by the remark, she merely smiled, while Sabrina chuckled at it. They were sorceresses, women with liberal minds. Their conversations didn't revolve solely around manipulating the Continent. They also talked about men, beauty, relationships, and the fascination certain people could inspire.
"I'd be careful if I were you. We received Nilfgaard's report. Cirilla displayed a level of power that would make all of us look like mere ants. What they reported she was capable of doing in the middle of an army is simply surreal. It's unbelievable that someone could possess that much power. I don't want to provoke the wrath of a wife like her..." Assire var Anahid, the same sorceress who had been in Toussaint, commented.
The others frowned. Those were definitely not good news. Before, Madara alone had already been a living powerhouse. Now, they would have to deal with two. Who would have imagined that the girl Cirilla would also become so powerful?
"You saw what she was capable of before that unicorn knocked us unconscious," Sabrina said.
The others simply nodded. They had all witnessed that unicorn effortlessly bringing down every sorceress present. Even those who held the title of archmage meant absolutely nothing before the power of that creature.
It was Yennefer who woke them later and informed them that Madara and Cirilla had left that world to deal with a certain matter, with no estimate of when they would return.
Some time had passed since the incident at Aretuza. Tissaia had been declared guilty of conspiring against the Northern Kingdoms, even though there was no concrete evidence against her. Without Madara and Cirilla there to defend her, she was under immense pressure, and not even the sorceresses could help her. Yennefer tried to assist her, but her efforts were in vain.
When she was about to be captured, many believed Tissaia would take her own life. Instead, she disappeared without saying a single word.
No one knew her whereabouts for months. Nearly a year after the events at Aretuza, she reappeared wearing the Akatsuki cloak.
The Lodge of Sorceresses was also created with the goal of establishing a kingdom for sorcerers and mages, since both sorcerers and sorceresses were being hunted across the Continent, both because of the events at Aretuza and the growing distrust that kings had begun to harbor toward magic users.
One could say it was a group of women tired of being ruled by kings who wanted to create and manipulate a world governed by themselves.
The Academy of Aretuza practically survived only on its own resources, as the governments had stopped funding it. The only exceptions were Kovir and Temeria.
Kaedwen, on the other hand, continued funding Ban Ard, the school of magic for young men within its territory.
"It's a shame they killed Radovid. I wanted to do that myself," Philippa murmured.
After Dijkstra revealed his plans, as well as the fact that she had poisoned Radovid's father, Philippa believed she would be able to manipulate the young king.
The exact opposite happened. His father had still been a relatively rational ruler. Radovid, on the other hand, became a true beast.
She was blind because of him, although she used magic to see, and she longed for revenge against him. In the end, she was deeply disappointed and enraged when she learned that Radovid had been found dead, his head separated from his body upon his own throne.
They also discussed the situation of the Eternal Fire and how Novigrad had descended into chaos. Many believed that a god had descended upon the world that night.
But they all knew things were not that simple. And it was no coincidence that the king had been found dead on the same night chaos engulfed Novigrad.
"You speak as if you were actually capable of taking revenge on Radovid. He was under an entirely different level of security. Not even you could have dealt with that. Only someone like Madara Uchiha could have done it, and we witnessed that ourselves..."
"Changing the subject..." Margarita said in a more serious tone. "To think they had a child. We wasted so much time, and no one even suspected it."
"Clearly, many of us believed that Yennefer, Triss, and Tissaia knew the child. The strange part is that we didn't even know Princess Cirilla was pregnant. She appeared at the kings' meeting looking completely normal."
The sorceresses continued gossiping for a while, trying to understand how Cirilla had managed to hide her pregnancy. Before they could continue the conversation, the door opened.
An elf calmly entered the room. "Greetings, everyone." She walked over to Francesca and gave a slight bow. "Greetings, my queen."
"Rise and take a seat. We have much to discuss," Francesca said.
Ida simply nodded and took one of the seats while everyone turned their attention toward her. Her eyes swept over Philippa, Francesca, Margarita, and the others before she finally settled in.
"Let's clear up a few doubts first. I have quite a few of them," Philippa said with a faint smile, while the others nodded.
"Is it true that Madara was in Novigrad? Were they the ones responsible for the chaos that night?" Philippa immediately asked.
Ida nodded. "Yes. But to be more precise... it was the Princess of Nilfgaard. She caused something I had never seen before. It was as if all the chaos in the world could be manipulated by that woman," she replied, her voice trembling slightly.
"What? Are you saying the chaos that made people believe a god had descended upon the world was created by Princess Cirilla?" Sheala de Tancarville asked, still refusing to believe it. If it had been Madara, she would have believed it.
"That is exactly what I'm saying. She said it herself. It was as though the very world trembled with her words. She threatened all of Novigrad. The people still haven't recovered. Most of them turned against the Eternal Fire and massacred countless people just to try to ease the wrath of that supposed god."
The room fell completely silent.
"And to think we considered using that girl all these years..." Francesca murmured, not looking at anyone in particular. That possibility had been discussed many times, especially while Tissaia was still part of their meetings.
"I'm sorry to say this at a time like this, but none of us, not even all of us together, could face her. She possesses enough power to control the entire Continent by herself," Ida said with absolute seriousness, causing the others to exchange worried glances.
"Are you certain of that? Are you certain she would be capable of something like that?" Francesca asked her student.
"What I witnessed goes far beyond anything I have ever heard of. My ladies... that was raw power. A power I never imagined I would witness in my lifetime. And it was being unleashed by a girl everyone believed was merely a princess who could wield a sword at best."
"Don't say that. There are reports that Ciri hunted monsters far faster and more efficiently than the witchers..." Keira said.
"..." Everyone present.
"Regardless, her magic is more powerful than anything I have ever witnessed. She is the future of magic... of that, I am certain. And with her husband by her side, we shouldn't even think about making a move against them," Ida replied, looking directly at Francesca.
It was a sincere warning.
"Well... lucky for me, I never intended to get involved in any of this. As I've made quite clear, I already knew Madara was far too powerful. I never wanted to make him my enemy," Keira commented calmly, much more confident than the first time she had said that.
Keira even smiled. "At the same time, I have to thank him. From what I saw, Madara really did execute Caleb Menge in addition to Radovid. I can finally leave the countryside of Velen, where I've been hiding because of the witch hunters."
"Yes. It was him," Ida confirmed to the blonde sorceress, who was still hiding in the home of a local healer to escape the persecution.
"Anyway, you said you spoke with him about your true reason for joining the Akatsuki," Francesca recalled.
Ida nodded to her queen. "Yes. He figured it out the moment he looked at me. There was absolutely nothing I could do. It was as if every lie I had ever told was completely exposed before him."
"So you simply told him the truth?"
"Yes. I simply told him the truth."
"And what did he say?"
"He said that as long as I didn't harm any of the people living within the Akatsuki, he wouldn't hunt me down. He also said that he agreed with you, my lady, and that he intends to meet with you soon."
"What business do you have with Madara?" Philippa asked, frowning.
Francesca let out a long sigh. "Shortly before the Battle of Aretuza, he contacted me. I have no idea how he managed it, but with just a glance, he placed us inside some kind of space where only the two of us could speak freely."
The other sorceresses immediately paid closer attention, and Francesca continued.
"He said he was interested in taking in the elves, as long as they hadn't committed crimes in Cintra."
"Cintra belongs to Nilfgaard. That kingdom fell a long time ago," Assire var Anahid commented.
"You're saying that after Nilfgaard had its army massacred at Cintra's borders as if it were nothing. After they killed two kings who were enemies of the elves."
"There's only one reason for him to do that now..." Margarita murmured.
"Yes. It's possible that Cintra will be reclaimed soon. He practically wiped out all the Nilfgaardian soldiers in the North in a single day. Today, Sodden is allied with them. Queen Meve also shows sympathy toward them and fears them. The King of Temeria is looking for a way to contact them, even if only to ensure they do not become enemies. The King of Kaedwen is uneasy, and the King of Verden has no intention of acting against Madara and the princess after what they witnessed on the battlefield."
Nearly all opposition in the North had practically disappeared. And the display of power by Madara and Cirilla had only reinforced that fact.
"Cintra will be reclaimed sooner or later. They only need to appear in the kingdom, and no one will have the strength to stop them."
"Then we can carry out our objective in Cintra," Philippa commented.
"Wasn't that why we created the Lodge of Sorceresses?" Francesca replied immediately.
The two exchanged a long glance before nodding.
"Yes. Francesca is already arranging a meeting with them. So why don't we schedule one involving all of us?" Margarita suggested.
"And what will happen to Nilfgaard? Isn't it dangerous for someone capable of dominating the entire Continent to exist?" Assire var Anahid asked.
"Are you worried about your homeland?" Margarita asked with a faint teasing smile. "I don't believe they intend to destroy it. But honestly, I also don't think we can do anything to stop them if they decide to act. All we can do is avoid becoming their enemies... and never stand in their way."
That answer did not please some of those present, especially Philippa, who remained silent, clearly dissatisfied.
"We can get in touch with Yennefer. As far as I know, she's still in Skellige," one of the sorceresses suggested.
The others nodded.
"She would be a good opportunity for us to establish some terms."
"But if Madara finds out we tried to manipulate Yennefer, no one will be able to stop his fury. You know very well that Yennefer is extremely important to both of them," another warned.
Francesca remained silent for a few moments before making her decision.
"I'll go to Skellige and try to get in touch with Yennefer."
She then turned her gaze toward Ida.
"In the meantime, we'll continue observing the situation. Ida, please do your part and arrange a meeting with Madara."
Ida simply nodded. The other sorceresses agreed as well.
They all wanted to take part in that meeting between the elf and Madara. It was the best opportunity to define, once and for all, the relationship between the Lodge of Sorceresses, Madara, Cirilla, and the future Kingdom of Cintra.
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