Kaer Morhen
"How is she?" Yennefer asked Harry as he quietly left the room that had been fashioned for Margarita. Harry looked back at Yennefer for a moment before showing her several papers that had some of Margarita's medical charts on them.
"Well, she had several fractures in her legs, some internal wounds that were partially healed, contusions all over the right side of her body, and a mild concussion. I had partially healed some of the major wounds on her body before bringing her here." Harry explained, handing over several of the charts. Yennefer looked through several of the papers before settling on one that seemed to be an anatomically correct model of Margarita with several sections all over the body highlighted.
"Are these highlighted areas the injuries?" She asked.
"Uh, yes, the colors correspond with the type of injuries at said location." Harry said as he watched her carefully.
"… There seems to be a lot of bruising and contusions near her groin area." Yennefer said, looking up at him with suspicion. Harry sighed in exasperation.
"Your thoughts are correct and I would appreciate if you didn't spread that around. I doubt it's something she wants publicly known." Harry said quietly as he took back the medical charts from her. Yennefer looked furious.
"And those who did this?"
"Are all dead by this point because of either me or Ciri. And, as someone who is so close to death, I can promise you they are suffering wherever they are now." Harry told her.
"Not enough, I want to be the one who does it." Yennefer said through gritted teeth. Harry looked at her, but shrugged.
"Agreed. Unfortunately, that's the best I can do for you." Harry told her.
"Can't you raise people from the dead?"
"Not without knowing certain information about them. Remember, I needed Skjall's name when I raised him from the dead. Also, what do you think you are going to do to people that the rulers of the underworld can't."
"Believe me, I'll find something," She hissed.
"… I strangely believe you. Either way, it can't be done without a bunch of research." Harry explained.
"Ugh."
"You are a lot more protective of Margarita than I thought you would be. I didn't realize you were close."
"We're as close as any other member of the Lodge."
"Really, then why do you care so much?"
"Everyone likes Margarita. She's nice, not manipulative, and very pleasant to be around. Sure, she wears her heart on her sleeve, at least more than other sorceresses, but it's endearing. She doesn't deserve something like this happening to her. Even Philippa would be willing to go out of her way to give a special punishment to the men who did this to her."
"Oh dang. And she's queen of being a cold-hearted bitch."
"Exactly."
"Well, her physical wounds will be fully healed in a day or two and I will then start her on a treatment of nutritional potions to help her regain body mass. I am not sure about the mental after effects she will experience, but I am sure she will pull through." Harry finished.
"Good. Now that this has been addressed and taken care of, we can talk about Ciri." Yennefer glared. Harry was surprised she fully glared at him. He was almost positive it was the first time she had done so which was strange considering how often she did it.
"Ciri? She was fine last we talked. Did something happen to her?" He asked playing the oblivious card.
"You know what I am talking about. Why did you take her with you?"
"Because she said she wanted to come." Harry responded back easily.
"And you put her in unnecessary danger by agreeing." Yennefer pointed out. Harry couldn't tell if she was angry or not. She was glaring sure, but her voice was pretty even and she looked more like she was analyzing then berating.
"I had protections in place. As long as she didn't stray too far from me, her presence would be unnoticed by any trying to find her." Harry explained.
"Yet, you still took her into one of the most guarded prisons in the Northern Kingdom."
"Actually, it was pretty sparse. Seems the Church of the Eternal Fire and Witch Hunters have had a hard time recovering from my recent activities while we were searching for Ciri."
"Perhaps, but you didn't know that going in."
"I didn't need to. Ciri is a very skilled and powerful young woman. I trusted her to be able to handle herself and, if necessary, watch my back. Which she did." Harry fired back triumphantly. Yennefer looked at him for a moment before nodding.
"Alright." Yennefer acquiesced before backing off.
"Wait, you're not mad?"
"Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you were thinking about what you were doing and not simply letting Ciri walk all over you."
"Ciri? Walk all over me?"
"Are you joking, she clearly has you wrapped around her finger. She doesn't need a yes man pining after her, she needs someone who cares for her and is strong enough to tell her she's acting dumb and impulsive. I simply needed to know if you could do that."
"Of course, she's my friend. That's what friends do… At least where I come from." He responded.
"Still stuck on this whole friend premise?" She asked rhetorically.
"What's wrong with being her friend?"
"Nothing. But there is something wrong with being this much in denial about something."
"I am not in denial."
"So, you can look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you have no intention of courting Ciri?"
"Look… I am going through a lot of… emotions right now. And truthfully this is not the time for me to be worrying about that. Once we've dealt with this whole Wild Hunt situation and Ciri can breathe free air without looking over her shoulder, then I can start reevaluating how I feel. Until then, all that goes on the back burner."
"What's a back burner?"
"It's… Never mind. I just mean everything else isn't a priority."
"I understand. Though I do want you to know you have my approval." Yennefer said. Harry gave her a queer glance.
"Really? Why?"
"You're a good match and from what Ciri tells me, you have had similar life experiences so you can understand her in ways others can't. Plus, she obviously means a great deal to you which is comforting. There are also the political ramifications. If she marries you, it would mean an alliance between the Avalonian Empire and the Nlifgaardian Empire, maybe even a merger. It's a win-win situation for all parties." Yennefer explained.
"I… don't even want to think about that so I am just going to ask that we move on. I assume Philippa hasn't responded so I am going to go ahead and go get her."
"If you believe that to be wise. I did receive another message from Ida on behalf of Emhyr. His forces will be at your borders in two days along with Fringilla Vigo who he says is yours to do with what you please."
"Weird phrasing, but fine. The forces and Fringilla will be under your direct command. If they have a problem with that, they can come deal with me instead." Harry told her sternly. She smiled at that.
"As you wish. What about Kiera?"
"I don't have time to argue with this woman. She can deal with you or she can reject our help and continue staying in Velen. It is her choice." Harry shot back.
"So, that leaves us with me, Triss, Shaela, Fringilla, possibly Kiera, possibly Margarita, and possibly Philippa. That's four of us guaranteed and seven as a max. Your forces arrive in two days, and Emhyr's forces arrive in a week. The Sabbath is still a couple of weeks out and I am still unsure where Imlerith will be."
"Let's not focus on that. Taking out his generals would help us, but not so much we should prioritize them over other matters. Now… what has the elf sage been doing?" Harry asked her quietly. She leaned instinctively.
"He is mostly speaking with Ciri and Geralt. When I try and speak with him, he dances around my question. I still do not know for what reason he is aiding us." Yennefer admitted. Harry frowned at that. Of course, he knew what Avallach was up to at this point, but he doubted it was his place to tell. Ciri didn't want any to worry and since Harry was convinced he would not let her die, he was fine with that.
"Hmm. Well, I suppose we should leave him alone for now. Ciri trusts him and if he does betray her, we get to be the first in line to watch him burn." Harry said back with a clear venom in his voice.
"What a pleasant image."
"It is for me." Harry said as he turned and looked at the Elven sage who approached near silently.
"Is eavesdropping also one of your many hidden talents then Avallach?" Yennefer asked sarcastically.
"No, I only just arrived and simply caught the tail end of your discussion."
"Convenient." Yennefer muttered.
"He's telling the truth. I sensed him approach." Harry admitted.
"Yet, you did not make an effort to change the topic of conversation?" Avallach questioned curiously.
"Why would I? I think it's important for you to understand the lengths I will go if you do end up betraying Ciri. I may not have her talent of jumping worlds with ease, but I have already ensured that should you indeed betray her, I can find you anywhere, in any world. I will hunt you down and tear everything you love and want away from you. And when you are at your lowest, I will put a blade slowly in your intestines and drag it all the way up, all while never breaking eye contact. I want to see the exact moment where you truly regret having crossed me more than any other decision you have ever made." Harry explained in extreme and graphic detail as he eyed the sage in an eerily calm manner.
"… I am sure it will not come to that. I have no desire to betray Cirilla." Avallach said as he took a small step away from Harry.
"Yet, your motives for helping her are questionable to say the least and the way you hide it only tells me that I cannot trust you."
"Cirilla trusts me."
"Which is the only reason I haven't strapped you to a chair and magically dissected your mind." Harry shot back. Avallach drew back even further at that. He seemed to be thinking about what to say next.
"I think that will do. Obviously, short of doing a mind dissection were not going to get anywhere since you will not tell us your goals. Why don't we move past this conversation and get to what you needed Avallach?" Yennefer calmed as she placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry would argue he already was rather calm, but he did take a step back himself to show he wasn't about to do anything to the sage. This seemed to calm them both down.
"I… had wished to talk with King Hadrian on a matter if he was available." Avallach said with an almost forced politeness.
"Well… I suppose I should give you two some privacy." Yennefer said as she left the room smoothly. Harry eyed the man.
"It was my understanding that Zireael had already explained my presence to you."
"She did not… I figured it out on my own." Harry said back as he looked the elf directly in the eye.
"Yet, you still claim to not trust me?" Avallach asked now that he was sure they were alone.
"Even more so now. I have experience with those so easily willing to make sacrifices as long as it is not they that have to make the sacrifice. You'll throw out phrases like 'Greater Good' and 'For the best' as you cleverly shuffle your sacrificial lamb forward." Harry said back easily without breaking eye contact.
Avallach frowned at Harry's words and once more looked like he was pondering his own carefully.
"You believe I would not sacrifice myself so willingly if I was in her shoes?" Avallach asked.
"I suppose we will never know since, at the end of the day, she is the one who will always have to make the decision, not you."
"I see. I am not sure I could convince you that I truly have no ill will and that I am doing everything I can to make sure she comes out of this alive."
"I will judge you by your actions, not by your intentions." Harry told him honestly.
"Very well. I wished to discuss a potential idea with you to get rid of a large part of Eredin's power."
"Go on."
"One of Eredin's current generals was a staunch supporter of the former King Auberon. This general was loyal to a fault. His name is Ge'els."
"Judging by that line, I assume he is not such a fan of Eredin. You wish to turn him against his King?"
"Yes."
"Not liking him is different than becoming a turncoat. Why would he turn?" Harry asked bluntly.
"Because Eredin is responsible for the death of our previous King." Avallach revealed. Harry went silent as he thought that over.
"He would never take us at our word." Harry said back.
"Not normally. I happen to have spoken to Geralt about an Oneiromancer he ran into in Novigrad while he waited for his ship to leave to Skellige."
"Corinne Tilly. I met her as well. I went to go speak to her about a possible way of leaving the city if she wished. She thanked me, but decided to stay. I believe she is currently living in an abandoned house with a Godling." Harry mentioned as he pulled a memory of Triss asking him if he would search for the woman on her behalf to see if she needed a way to leave the city.
"Excellent. I wish to use her to show him the truth of our former King's death."
"How will dreaming this prove it happened?" Harry asked him.
"Hmm. I am surprised you do not know. Onieromancer dreams can only show the truth. It can't be manipulated." Avallach explained to him. Harry frowned.
"That's convenient." He muttered.
"Indeed. I was wondering if you would wish to help me get to the man?" Avallach asked politely. Harry frowned in thought.
"You're trying to endear yourself to me." Harry noticed while trying to keep the accusation out of his voice.
"I wouldn't quite put it like that, but I did see it as a possible way to hopefully lessen the tension between us."
"Never thought I'd see the day… I must be scarier than I thought." Harry commented almost to himself.
"Hmm. So?"
"Unfortunately, I am very busy for several days. I would suggest taking Geralt with you instead. He'll likely know what to do better than I." Harry replied steadily.
"Unfortunate indeed." Avallach said with disappointment.
"Look, I was serious about what I will do to you if you betray us, but I suppose I can give you the benefit of the doubt until you prove yourself undeserving of it. Deal?"
"I would appreciate that, thank you. I did wish to ask about one other thing."
"What is it?"
"Ciri says you were exploring possible ways to maximize the chances of her safety. I was simply wondering if you had found anything yet?" Avallach asked while coming a step closer and talking quieter. Harry frowned.
"Possibly. The White Frost isn't something that can be destroyed by power alone. Taking that into account, I assume then that there is something about Ciri's position among dimensions that gives her the ability to do something about it. Reaching into an aspect of reality, one is connected to is something difficult and different for each person who does it. I have found a ritual meant to deepen one's connection with magic, but I believe that it is actually due to the fact that those who use it are only connected with that. I believe if Ciri used the ritual it would deepen her connection with time and space."
"Fascinating. I have not heard of anything like that before. I assume there are dangers or side effects?"
"Indeed. The biggest danger would be that she could possibly explode." Harry casually mentioned.
"Ah, perhaps we should avoid that."
"My thoughts exactly. I have several other things I have saved for further research when I have the time. I will inform you if I find anything." Harry told the sage.
"Thank you. That was all I wished to speak on. I wish you luck with your endeavors for today." Avallach said before walking away. Harry nodded as the elf turned and started walking away. He followed the man's retreating form closely until he was out of sight.
"Hmm."
With that, Harry decided it was time to go find the wayward sorceress in Novigrad. He closed his eyes and paused for a moment before feeling the familiar pull of himself being whisked away.
Novigrad
Harry had been tracking Philippa for near twenty minutes now in confusion as the path almost seemed to be moving erratically. It took him longer than he wished to admit to remember she could polymorh into an owl. With that in mind, he got to a higher vantage point before once more trying to track her. It would seem that she was headed in the direction of the docks. Harry apparated several times across the rooftops before noticing the tracking spell change its direction slightly away from the docks and into the direction of some small nearby warehouses.
He zeroed in on one particular warehouse before reaching out with his magical senses. He noticed several life signs from within the warehouse and one he definitely recognized as the annoyance he was currently tracking. He made his way down from the rooftops and headed towards the main door of the building. He reached it and wordlessly unlocked it before stepping in. He was immediately accosted by a man who was clearly some sort of guard for whatever was happening within.
"Hey! Who-…"
Harry didn't bother to let the man finish what he was going to say as he held up his hand and wordlessly cast a confundus on the man. His eyes immediately clouded over and he seemed to be staring off into space as if he were a thousand miles away. Harry walked past the man and headed into the warehouse. The first floor was empty, but the partial second floor had voices coming from it and he could clearly see a light source. He silently walked up the stairs and finally got a look at the men on the second floor.
"Well, well, well… what do we have here?" Harry asked calmly as he eyed the three men huddled over a table with maps, diagrams, and letters scattered all over it. They all turned to him as soon as he spoke. The one dressed in blue immediately went for a sword he had on his side. The one in the trench coat immediately backed up and instinctively went to the nearest shadows. The last was a fat man who wore nice, expensive clothing who seemed to be favoring one leg and looked to be permanently scowling. Naturally, he recognized all of them.
"Who da fuc' are you?" The one in the trench coat asked.
"It doesn't matter. If he tells anyone of what he saw were done for." The one in blue who was clearly a soldier said with a scowl as he brandished his sword ready to attack Harry. He simply rose an amused eyebrow at the man.
"Calm down Thalor. You as well Roche. Put your weapon down before the man splatters you all over my clothes." The fat one said.
"Dijkstra, you know him?" Roche asked without taking his eyes off Harry.
"We all do."
"Some more than others. I'd say it's good to see you again Dijkstra, but it's not." Harry said in an almost bored tone as he looked at the man.
"Good to see you as well… King Hadrian." Dijkstra said, even making a point to respectfully bow at him.
"Hadrian…" Roche said now with his eyes widening as comprehension entered his mind.
"You're outta your mind Sigi. What the hell would the King of the Avalonian Empire be doing here?" Thalor asked rhetorically.
"I haven't the slightest." Dijkstra answered as he looked at Harry, silently asking for an explanation, though smart enough to not demand one.
"I was in the area bird watching and simply stumbled upon the meeting by chance." Harry said to them, though the message was for the owl currently spying from the rafters on the meeting.
"Must've been some bird." Dijkstra commented, keeping his voice in check.
"She is, indeed, though I would argue she's more of an annoyance to me most of the time than anything else. Anyway, what are three men of such renown doing in a secretive place like this huddled around a table with what looks like plans of espionage?" Harry asked.
"Just getting together for a friendly get together." Roche told him. He looked at the man unsure if he was being sarcastic or actually trying to fool him considering how serious Roche always was.
"Really? Because these are incredibly detailed maps about where the front lines are, this one is a detailed map of Oxenfurt with Radovid's ship emboldened. These papers right here seem to be Redanian guard schedules, and these over here seem to be resource allocation. All that together… It almost makes it look like you're all plotting to kill Radovid."
"And… If we were?" Dijkstra asked, keeping his cool.
"I'd want in." Harry said back as he looked at Dijkstra. He took a moment to use legilimency on the man to delve into his motives for this plot. He knew him too well to assume his motives were purely because Radovid was a monster.
A quick scan confirmed his suspicions. He wanted to get rid of the man and install himself as the next ruler of Redania. He even planned on betraying the men currently aiding him. Harry had to hold back a frown. The man was truly horrid, even if her Harry wasn't necessarily surprised by the fact.
"Looking to add Redania to your growing list of territories?" Roche asked suspiciously, he turned his head away from the front man and turned to look at the soldier.
"It would admittedly be nice, yes. You can't deny that I would be a better ruler than Radovid." Harry pointed out.
"That would not be hard to accomplish." Roche said back. Harry actually smiled at that.
"True enough. Though I'd like to believe I give the kingdoms under my banner a great amount of leeway. That's something they may not get with Emhyr." Harry argued.
"Or they could simply rule themselves." Roche shot back.
"Oh, because that has been working so well for them. Let's be honest, outside of Foltest, how many recent Northern rulers are ones you actually trust to have the well-being of their people and country in mind when they make decisions. Say what you want about my Empire, but I don't have those problems. There cannot be any doubt that I try to better the lives of those under me."
"After you have conquered them."
"I assume you're speaking of Kaedwen. I did so because if I didn't then Radovid would have making him that much harder to deal with. As you have already said, I am nowhere close to as bad as that man. Would you not then say it was better to have me as the ruler there rather than him?"
"I… cannot argue that."
"Exactly. And when Radovid falls, if I don't come in then Emhyr does. If you can say honestly to me right now that you would prefer his rule over mine then I will back off. He can take Redania and I won't do anything to stop him. In truth, it will only delay me because he won't be able to stop himself from continuing to push at me and I will have to respond."
"I doubt it. Emhyr is running out of resources to keep pushing his country into war. He has a couple years at most if he can really stretch himself before he will be forced to quit." Roche revealed.
Harry frowned at that. He remembered the last reports he had said Emhyr was having a budget meeting with some of his backers. That was before he engaged in his hunt for Ciri though. He hadn't kept up with those reports since and had routed such things to Merri. She hadn't mentioned anything to him, though she only contacted about things she believed she couldn't handle herself.
"That will delay him. Emhyr is smart. Even if he's running out of steam, he's more than just a military commander. He knows how to run an economy and he will pause for a few years to regain some of his lost resources before continuing once more. The man is still relatively young." Harry argued.
"Well… you may be right about that." Roche conceded.
"Well, now that we've all made nice. Why don't we move back for a moment? No offense your majesty, but how exactly do you think you can help us in this. Our problem isn't necessarily resources, but luring Radovid out of his ship."
"I can think of a few ways, lighting the ship on fire comes to mind." Harry pointed out.
"We'd never get close enough." Roche pointed out.
"Plus, the good ole king had patrols all over that area to keep an eye out for trouble." Thalor finally chimed in.
"Use the rooftops." Harry said with a shrug.
"They'd never be able to escape. Radovid's men would converge on them as soon as they revealed their position and they would be trapped.
"Spread the archers out in several areas. Make the patrols spread themselves into a wide net to look for them. Certain houses have basements that can probably access the sewers. Clear out the sewers in preparation and then have your men use them as an escape route." Harry told him.
"Easier said than done. Perhaps if we had a Witcher to lead the men in the sewer to deal with the drowners… Shame Geralt left town so quickly, we could have used his help." Roche said.
"I am in contact with Geralt. We're currently working on something, but I can perhaps bring him down for a few days to aid you." Harry claimed. He was sure he could convince Geralt to help.
"Well… Perhaps we can work something out." Roche finally said. Harry smiled.
"Wonderful, now, if you will excuse me. Philippa, outside, now!" Harry called out to seemingly no one as he pivoted in place and walked away from the table and the various men surrounding it.
"Wait, how will we get into contact with you."
"You won't. I will with you." Harry called back.
"Philippa…" He heard Dijkstra mutter in a dark, questioning tone. He ignored the man and continued walking down the stairs. He passed the still confounded man on the first floor and walked right out the door. He paused as he exited the building and took a deep breath as he closed his eyes for a moment.
"That could have gone better."
"It could have gone worse." Harry responded. He opened his eye and saw the woman who he had been tracking standing directly in front of him. He felt his eyes squint a little as he gave her a small glare.
"You know there are easier ways to get to Radovid, if someone were to reveal I was in the city to him…"
"You would take advantage of the situation to kill him yourself. Yes, I am aware." Harry cut her off. Philippa stopped and frowned at her words.
"Does it matter who kills him?"
"No, it just bothers me when you pretend to do things for altruistic means. It's like watching a wolf pretend to be a sheep."
"I worry about the opinion you seem to have developed about me." Philippa commented.
They both went silent at that. If nothing else, harry could respect the sorceresses in front of him. Despite the fact that a mage she knew could kill her in a second was mad at her, she showed no fear and Harry could tell she genuinely felt none. It was impressive.
"Walk with me." Harry commanded as he moved past her. She followed and easily stepped into pace next to him.
"It would seem you have come searching me out. Can I take it, then you have come to remove the rune on me?"
"Ugh. I suppose I did agree to that. Yennefer has been trying to contact you for days. Why have you not answered?" He asked, getting to the point.
"I have not procured another megascope yet. Several weeks ago, almost all of Novigrads mage population seemed to decide to get up and leave. Tends to make it hard to get magical items." She said back with a mix of sarcasm and genuine annoyance. Harry snorted at that.
"Alright, fair enough. Yennefer has requested aid from the Lodge to help with dealing with the Wild Hunt. All have responded in some manner except for you." Harry told her.
"So, you found her then? Good." Philippa said. Harry frowned. For some reason, he didn't like how she said that.
"Does that mean you will help?" Harry questioned.
"That depends, what will I get out of it?" Philippa asked.
"An interesting question. Well, let's see. It is likely that either Emhyr or I will be the ones ruling Redania within the year, making us the last two rulers left on this side of the continent. Ciri is a close friend to me and a daughter to Emhyr. I am not going to force you to help but I guarantee that both of us will have a good memory of who did and DIDN'T help us." Harry told her. He said it in a nonchalant tone, but he was sure Philippa recognized it for what it was, a threat.
"I had figured that, but knowing both of you, helping will not get me into your good graces either. You're essentially asking me to help for nothing." Philippa responded. She still seemed unconcerned about the way the conversation was going.
"For conversation's sake, then, tell me what you wish to gain."
"I want the Lodge to be officially re-sanctioned for one. I also wish to have an advising position in your court."
"I can agree to your first request on the condition that Lodge agrees to not plot against my Empire. If they have a problem with it, they may do what others to by constructing a reasonable argument and bringing it before me. If I find the concerns valid, I will find a way to deal with the problem. Agreed?"
"I will have to ask my sisters before I can agree to that."
"Fair enough. As for your second request, why would I want you within my inner circle. I only allow those I implicitly trust to have my ear in such a way and I think it's rather obvious how I feel about you."
"I don't know why you have such issue with me. As far as I am aware, I have done nothing directly against you." Philippa commented though he could tell she was actually curious if she had indeed done something specific to antagonize him.
"You haven't done anything to me specifically. That being said, I judge you on the actions I have seen you take and the facets of your personality that I have had the pleasure to be exposed to." Harry told her sarcastically.
"What's wrong with my personality? I thought you of all people wouldn't be intimidated by a confident, powerful, woman."
"If I was, I wouldn't be friends with Ciri." Harry shot back with some annoyance.
"Then?"
"You think yourself above others. Whether you are or not is irrelevant. Because you believe this, you treat others like their thoughts and opinions are worth less than your own. It makes you appear both unrelatable and cold. I personally don't like that, not to mention it goes against the very essence of what my empire is. My goal is to have those under me raise their fellow men and women up, not ignore them or further push them down." Harry explained with cold efficiency.
"That seems rather hypocritical considering you consider yourself above everyone as well."
"From a certain point of view, I am. From others, I am not. Either way, that doesn't give me the right to treat others any way I want. I treat those around me the way they often deserve to be treated. Had you shown yourself capable of caring for something besides yourself, I would treat you with the respect of someone more deserving."
"Despite the way you feel, you cannot argue that my experience and skills lend well to aiding in ruling." Philippa tried.
"Maybe. But while I may disagree on his methods and temperament, let's not pretend that Radovid didn't have a legitimate reason for being angry with you. You tried to take over and have him simply be a puppet. You pushed him into a corner not because you thought he was a bad ruler, but because you desired the power for yourself. So, clearly, advising isn't enough for you."
"I admit that was a blunder, but it was one I learned from. I have become better because I now understand what happens when one overreaches." Philippa tried. Harry stopped and looked at her. She looked back at him… sort of.
"I don't get you sorcerers and sorceresses. You have all this power, skill, and knowledge. You have the ability to be free and lead whatever life you want. Instead, you become obsessed with gaining political power and ruling over others with it. Some of you are good at it and others less so. But it just never made sense to me."
"It… is all we know how to do." Philippa admitted. Harry wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he could've sworn for a moment that he could hear a bit of vulnerability enter the powerful sorceresses voice. Just for a moment, Harry paused and actually considered her words.
Mages like Philippa were taken at a young age and trained harshly in the ways of magic. They were also trained in politics to a degree that surpassed even some rulers which is why they were so heavily pushed into the roles they had. Harry supposed that if you taught a man to fish all his life and then one day told him to stop, he wouldn't be happy. Even if he didn't like fishing, he knew he could do it and he was comfortable with it. People always wanted to fall back onto what they knew when they felt vulnerable. Harry thought about the rest of the Lodge. Many were in similar positions to Philippa though some had adjusted better than others.
Philippa however, couldn't simply move on the way others had. Triss for example, had a charisma that allowed her to endear herself to others. She could use her magic to help people. Yennefer had long since gotten used to no longer being in positions next to a ruler. Philippa wouldn't be able to. She didn't have the same charisma or outside experience like Triss and Yen had.
"I can give you a chance. You're not jumping into my inner circle, but I will start you somewhere and if you do good, I will move you up. You can work your way up to a position that matched what you were once used to. If you prove yourself unworthy, however you can forget about it and learn to fend for yourself like everyone else." Harry told her.
"That would be acceptable." Philippa instantly latched onto his words.
"Let me be clear, your jobs will be around learning to help those around you first. This is not a way for you to suddenly start herding personal power. Do you understand?" Harry asked.
"Yes. Then we have a deal. We're going to Kaer Morhen then. Don't want to walk around too much longer. Radovid will take notice." Philippa said as she 'looked' around. Harry frowned as he contemplated how much she could actually perceive around them through her blindfold.
"I have never been there."
"Then we will have to apparate."
"What's apparate?"
Harry looked at the woman and slowly gave her an evil grin.