Kaer Morhen
1 Week Later
"So… What do you want to call this?"
Harry looked down at Ciri whose head was lying on his chest. Today was the official last day of his recovery period thanks to Margarita and nutrition potions. For the last week, Ciri had been the one who had somewhat nursed him back to health with both potions and her company. They had also been growing closer physically with each other. It had certainly been the best nursing experience Harry had to date.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… we've kissed. And I mean like a real one. You've also declared you're undying love for me."
"Did I say it was undying?"
"You literally died at one point for me." Ciri pointed out with a frown. She still wasn't exactly pleased about that, but they had spoken and moved past that in the last week.
"Fair. So, my undying love… continue."
"And now, well, we've been interacting further, and seemingly growing more intimate."
"Is… cuddling more intimate?"
"In a bed like this where I sometimes wear very little clothing, it is."
"Again, fair."
"So… we're obviously something. My question is what."
"Well, in my world we call this dating. In this one, I guess you would call it courting. The period where two people allow their relationship to grow until they are sure they wish to get married." Harry told her in an almost clinical manner which caused Ciri to playfully slap at him. He chuckled as he dodged his head out of the way.
"So, courting then?"
"If you wish to put a name to it, that is as good as any."
"Do you plan to make it official?" Ciri asked. Harry gave her a quizzical look.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you are the ruler of an Empire. Didn't you need to get married to secure an alliance with someone or something?"
"I don't, but even if I did, you do remember that you would fit that criteria by being the daughter of Emhyr right?"
"I suppose you're right. Though that means I will have to officially go back and be recognized as his daughter." Ciri said with a tone he couldn't place.
"If you don't want to then you don't have to. As I said, who I court is my business alone." Harry told her. She smiled up at him, but then frowned again.
"No, I want to go meet with my father. I should at least see what he has to say. He did show he cared when he sent men to come and protect me after all."
"I would argue that protecting their child is pretty close to the minimum a father should be doing." Harry groused.
"And you're going to have to figure out a way to get along with him when WE go speak with him," Ciri told him giving him a look that showed there would be no arguing on this point. He looked at her but said nothing for a moment.
"… Fine."
"Good boy."
"Mmm. Anything else?"
"Nope, I suppose not. So, what do you have planned next?"
"Well, I have to deal with Radovid. He's growing more out of control and killing more people again. You want to help?" Harry asked.
"Is that what normal boyfriends ask their girlfriends to do with them? Help them to destabilize countries?"
"I mean, maybe. If they're the rulers of a country and their girlfriend has abilities that could lend some aid." Harry guessed. Ciri just giggled for a moment before going silent in thought.
"I suppose I could give some aid… You know, I had betrothal with Radovid once?"
"Well, now he's definitely got to die," Harry said more seriously.
"Mmm, jealous?"
"Of Radovid? No. I just have to purge every connection he had with you." Harry said back.
"Whatever. What did you have in mind to deal with him?"
"Well, I don't want it being revealed that I had a hand in his death so I was hoping to get some other people to do it for me. I was also thinking of possibly involving Philippa." Harry said as he ran his hand in Ciri's soft hair idly. She didn't seem to mind it.
"I'm sure she would like that. But I thought you didn't trust her."
"I don't. But I owe her, she's the reason that you guys saved me after all and she didn't even try to take advantage of the situation. That's the exact kind of thing I asked her to do when she joined us and when she had the perfect opportunity not too, she still did. She's bought herself something for that." Harry explained. Ciri nodded.
"If that's what you think is best, I don't see anything wrong with it," Ciri said.
"So, this is my last day confined to this bed for a set amount of time. You want to do anything special?" Harry asked as he looked down at her. She looked at him in thought for a moment.
"Cuddle and make out?"
"You're a genius."
Vizima, A Day Later
"Enter."
Harry walked in and Emhyr's gaze immediately fell on him and he frowned.
"So, you lived."
"Great to see you too. For the record, I am just here for moral support." Harry said with a roll of his eyes as he stepped to the side and showed Ciri standing behind him looking nervous. Emhyr's face immediately slackened and he couldn't keep the surprise off his face. He immediately stood up from his desk and moved closer.
"Ciri…" He said as if he couldn't believe he was finally seeing her.
"Hello… father." Ciri said. It had sounded like she hadn't known what exactly to call him for a moment. Emhyr got closer and looked at her.
"Is it truly you?"
"It is."
Harry simply moved over to the side of the room and summoned a chair for him to sit on. He wasn't here to contribute to anything besides giving Ciri the mental courage to finally face her birth father again.
"… You've grown. You look beautiful." Emhyr said with a small smile which was a pretty big deal for him. Harry still frowned, though considering this was coming from the man who at one point wanted to marry her. Ciri didn't seem to mind though, as she simply smiled weakly at the comment.
"You look old." She joked, taking in his salt and pepper hair. Emhyr chuckled softly at that.
"I am so glad you have decided to come back to me. I worried that I would never get to see you again." Emhyr admitted. Ciri simply shrugged.
"You might not have; it was a close thing. Luckily I had some people who cared about me enough to watch my back." Ciri said back with a smile while glancing at him. Harry rose an eyebrow. Was this not the person who dislocated his jaw for doing just that a week ago. Emhyr, on the other hand, seemed to frown as he followed her gaze.
"Yes, I was quite surprised when I learned you had a relationship with the King of a foreign power. Especially this one." Emhyr commented showing he wanted some sort of explanation. Harry had suspected he might at some point and told Ciri it was up to her how much she would reveal to her father and he would stand by her choice. Ciri for her part simply smiled at the unease her father showed.
"Yeah, it's kind of complicated. I met him in a different world when he was a lot younger." Ciri admitted. Harry didn't say anything. He didn't mind Emhyr knowing, being from another world was less of a big deal here. Emhyr scrunched his face in thought.
"I see."
"He saved my life when we first met and then nursed me back to health. He then helped to hide me from the Wild Hunt for a time. After a while, though I decided to leave and he gave me supplies. Then there's a whole thing with him coming to our world, but time has passed all different and now he's really fucking old and…"
"Ciri!"
"Cirilla!"
Harry and Emhyr looked at each other after both scolding her at the same time. Harry frowned at Emhyr and he frowned right back. Ciri just started laughing at the two of them.
"Just move on," Harry said to her with a glare.
"Anyway, he's here now and met up with me and then helped with the Wild Hunt."
"He's been here a lot longer than that though."
"Yeah, he arrived a century and a half early and decided to use the time to do a bunch of stuff," Ciri admitted.
"This is what you consider to be passing the time?" Emhyr asked with an accusing tone. Harry just glared back.
"At least I don't go to other countries and subjugate people for fun and then try to convince them it was for their own good." Harry shot right back. Technically, only attacked once he was attacked. He only moved into Kaedwen to prevent Emhyr or Radovid from taking it and even Lady Cassandra admitted later it was the right choice. Emhyr made to say something back, but Ciri interrupted.
"Enough. I didn't bring Harry to argue with him. This is supposed to be about us reconnecting. Not your little feud. If you're going to snap at each other the whole time, I shall leave." Ciri said, glaring between them both. Harry frowned.
"Fine."
"Very well."
"Good. Now, why don't you tell me what's been going on in your life since I last saw you?" Ciri suggested.
Harry sat quietly for the most part as he watched Ciri and Emhyr talk to each other and tell each other about the parts of their lives the other wasn't there for. Honestly, except for the part of disliking Emhyr, it was sweet to see a father and his daughter reconnect.
Emhyr seemed to genuinely enjoy his daughters' company even with being a lot stricter and tightly wound than Ciri was. That being said, he could see some resemblance. Ciri had always had an untamed wild look to her in Harry's opinion. Seeing her next to her father, they did have some resemblances. Ciri had some hints of the same aristocratic features in both her jaw and cheekbones like Emhyr. They were less pronounced, but they were certainly there. Personality-wise, they were rather different with Ciri clearly taking more after her mom's side and than being influenced by being raised by Geralt and also Yennefer. Though he had a feeling her stubbornness came all from Emhyr.
The time passed rather slowly, though, Ciri seemed to enjoy it. He doubted she would ever have the relationship she had with Geralt with Emhyr. Still, he was sure she could make something new.
He was disturbed from his thoughts when a knock sounded at the door. His eyes moved over to it and Emhyr and Ciri both cut their conversation off. Emhyr stood and almost immediately shifted into his Emperor persona. It was almost seamless. He called for the person to enter and it was the man who had led Geralt and him to this office the first time he had come. He frowned when he saw Ciri and him in the room.
"Apologies your imperial majesty, I did not know you had guests with you, do you wish me to come back another time?" The man asked with utter politeness.
"It's fine. What did you need?" Emhyr pressed.
"You have a meeting with the bank. The representative will be here in ten minutes. If you wish, I can tell him the meeting will be pushed back." The man suggested. Emhyr frowned and Harry knew why. Emhyr was still struggling with finances and was being heavily pressured to end his campaign to subjugate the Northern Kingdoms. As powerful as he was, he couldn't afford to miss a meeting with a bank official.
"No, it is fine. We will wrap this up." Emhyr said though one could tell he wasn't happy about this. The man nodded before bowing and exiting the room. Emhyr looked back at Ciri with some sadness.
"I apologize to have to cut this short Cirilla but this meeting cannot be delayed," Emhyr said to her. Ciri smiled and nodded.
"It's fine, I understand." She said as stood and looked at him.
"Cirilla… I have thought a lot about it and I know it would be wrong of me to ask but… I just want you to know that if you ever wish it… You could come here and take your place as my heir. I will always have a place open for you." Emhyr said the words, though it looked difficult for him to say. Harry was surprised he did so in the first place.
"Thank you, but that's actually something I wished to speak to you about before I left," Ciri said, turning serious. Emhyr looked surprised but nodded.
"Go on." He replied.
"Hadrian and I… have decided to court each other. And I was hoping you could use this to broker an alliance with him." Ciri said. Harry watches Emhyr, it had been a long time since he had seen someone go through so many emotions in such a short amount of time. He sat on what he wanted to say for a while before speaking.
"Are you sure that this is what you want Ciri? I mean the age difference alone…"
"Physically speaking, I am actually older than Hadrian. He stopped when he was in his early twenties." Ciri argued. Harry frowned in confusion. Hadn't she shot that argument down when had first made it to her and then called him an old man?
"I don't know if that truly matters…"
"Father… This is what I want and while I am happy to reconnect, I am not asking for permission. I am telling you we WILL be courting each other and I was simply willing to have you take advantage of the situation to bring peace between you and Hadrian." Ciri told him seriously. Emhyr went silent for a moment before he turned and eyed Hadrian.
"Was this your idea?" He asked seriously. Harry scoffed.
"Not at all. I even told Ciri we didn't have to announce our courtship to make sure she didn't face outside pressure for courting me." Harry back with annoyance as he looked at Ciri who just smiled right back at him.
"And you are okay with this? Creating an alliance with Nilfgaard after what you said the last time we met?" Emhyr asked disbelievingly.
"I can count the things that can make me go back on my word on one hand and have fingers to spare. Ciri, luckily for you, is one of them." Harry answered.
"I see. Well, I suppose I would be open to the idea. But what about Redania?"
"I plan to take it very soon. Radovid is a mad dog who has gone too far." Harry replied. Emhyr frowned and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Let's not pretend you are ready to take Redania, Emhyr. I am well aware of why you are having the meeting after this. While I won't take advantage of the knowledge, we both now I am in a much better position to take Redania than you are. Besides, we both know the real prizes within it are Oxenfurt and Novigrad, both of which are not the jewels they once were. They will need a lot of investment to bring them back up to speed and I am in a much better position financially to do that than you are." Harry said to the man.
Emhyr frowned at his words but didn't deny them. Harry simply looked back, unafraid of the proud Emperor. They stayed quiet as the eyed each other only to be interrupted by a knock on the door of his office once more.
"Enter," Emhyr said without breaking Harry's gaze. Harry did the same, not even bothering to look at the man who entered.
"Ah, your Imperial Majesty. I hope I am not interrupting. Your servant told me I could enter." A balding and slightly overweight man in opulent clothing said as he entered.
"Not at all. King Hadrian and I were simply speaking on a possible alliance as well as a possible betrothal contract with my only daughter." Emhyr said. Harry rose an eyebrow at his words, but couldn't hold back the smirk at the words of the proud man. The bank representative lets out a yelp in surprise at the emperor's words.
"This is King Hadrian? Apologies your majesty, I did not recognize you." The representative said, bowing to Hadrian. He looked and nodded at the man politely.
"It is fine. Your emperor was correct. We were just finalizing some possible points on the alliance as well as a possible trade deal. Are we agreed on a 22 percent discount for the first ten years on Nilfgaardian imports then?" Harry asked, throwing the man a bone. That was a major thing for Emhyr considering it was a whole new market as well as starting a huge discount… It would most likely immediately get his bank representatives off his back.
"Indeed, I think we did," Emhyr said with a small smile at Harry's words. For the first time, Harry didn't see something negative in Emhyr's eyes as he looked at him. The man even gave him a small, almost imperceivably nod of both thanks and respect.
"And in return, I promise to love and provide your daughter with her every want and need while she is with me. I will never hurt or betray her; you have my word on this." Harry said back as he held out his hand to shake. Emhyr looked at him seriously before taking the hand.
"I will hold you to that King Hadrian," Emhyr said as he shook the extended hand. Harry then felt a smile break out on his face.
"Excellent. Well, we should get going, I will have the official documents sent over soon for you and your advisors to look over, within the next few days. In the meantime, I have a mad king to go and deal with."
"It was good to see you both. I hope you will visit again soon Cirilla and I wish you luck in your endeavor, King Hadrian." Emhyr replied as Harry made his way to the door and Ciri joined him.
"Goodbye, Father. I will reach out to speak with you soon. I promise." Ciri told the man with a smile. Harry took her hand softly and the walked out of the man's office together. As soon as they went behind the door, Ciri breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, that went a lot better than I thought," Ciri told him.
"Agreed. I didn't think your father would be so amicable to the idea. He seemed to take what I said to him seriously." Harry replied.
"I'm glad… Well, shall we go?"
"My ladies wish is my command."
Novigrad
5 Days Later
"Are you clear on what we're doing?"
"Well, given that you have explained it twice and I am not a complete imbecile, yes. I think I have it." Philippa shot at him. Harry frowned.
"Don't take it personally Philippa. It's not that he thinks your dumb, he is just overly cautious in things like this. It's like the defense of Kaer Morhen all over again." Ciri pointed out. Philippa seemed to frown before nodding at that.
"You're right, dear. Speaking of caution, did you give any thought to what we offered you?" Philippa asked. Harry groaned in annoyance at the turn of the conversation. Recently Philippa, with the approval of the rest of the Lodge, had offered Ciri a chance to join the Lodge. Harry didn't like the idea of Ciri associated with some of the other members but refrained from giving his opinion on what she should do in that regard. That didn't mean he liked hearing the reminder about it.
"Joining the Lodge would be a good opportunity for her King Hadrian. It opens up resources that may have been shut to her originally." Philippa argued. Harry just rolled his eyes.
"I am staying out of voicing my opinion on this matter, Philippa. Don't ask more of me than that."
"Your opinion becomes known when you make such displays." Philippa accused with a frown.
"Then don't discuss it in front of me. Simple." Harry shot back. Philippa frowned but said nothing more to him. Instead, she turned to Ciri who simply frowned.
"I have… I am not saying no but I don't think now is the right time to join. I mean my actual magical education still has much left to be desired. Perhaps in a few years after some more training, I think I would feel more comfortable deciding." Ciri told Philippa after a moment. Philippa said nothing at that, but she did look at Ciri with a tilted head as if debating on whether or not the decision was smart or stupid in her head.
"I see… You know this opportunity may not come again at the time you want it, correct?" Philippa asked. Harry snorted at that. Ciri was the most powerful native of this entire planet. The Lodge needed her a lot more than she needed them. Ciri ignored him though and it seemed Philippa did as well.
"I am sure. I thank you for the opportunity, but I will have to decline at this time." Ciri said. Harry smiled at that. He liked watching Ciri stand up for herself.
"Now that the matter has been settled. I think it's safe to assume Radovid will know you to be within the city, Philippa." Harry commented.
"Are you sure you were right to ignore Roche and Dijkstra's help. I may not like the man, but his influence in this city is almost unparalleled."
"Except by the other crime bosses that rule alongside him. That's not the issue, though. Sigismund is a lot like you in that he doesn't do things for the most part unless they directly benefit him. So, he wanting Radovid out of the way is only because it presents an opportunity for him to jump on, not because he cares about the horridness of the man. We will deal with him ourselves." Harry explained.
"How? I was under the impression you did not wish to be known as part of this." Philippa questioned.
"Simple, I just so happen to have a couple of hundred magical refugees that were willing to work with me to set an ambush within this very city. They are being led but some of our more promising members of my Magic Corp division. No one will question Radovid being killed by some angry mages."
"Perhaps not, but it would make the distrust of mages within Redania widen, which will make it harder for you to control it in the long run."
"I had considered that, but Radovid's supporters will most likely cause a large amount of chaos no matter what. Which is why I decided to have Redania become a police state for a while." Harry replied seriously.
"I am not familiar."
"It means Redania will be under complete control and have a police force both in the open and in secret to watch and regulate civilian interactions and activities. Any step out of line will be dealt with more harshly than it might normally."
"Are you sure that is necessary?" Ciri asked distastefully. Harry nodded.
"I don't like the idea, but you need to remember these people have been gleefully burning their fellow man and woman at the stake for no other crime than being different. Do you wish to trust them to suddenly respect those people without strict, supervision?"
"Well, when you put it like that…" Ciri trailed off. She still didn't look comfortable with it and to be honest, he wasn't thrilled about it either. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long though. It just needed to last long enough that people understood, which behaviors would not be tolerated.
"It doesn't sound so bad. Many rulers use immediate executions to get the people in line. It's still a more merciful option, though it will certainly cost more resources." Philippa said after adding her own two cents.
"Resources are not something the Avalonian Empire lacks. Even with our various wars and conflicts, we have been turning a profit. Our ability to find new mines and rare gemstones is second to none after all."
"I assume it's something to do with magic?"
"Indeed. It's quite profitable if not a little tricky to learn how to do, but many find it rewarding to do such a job. Many mages try to go into such a business" Harry said. Philippa said nothing to that.
"So, Radovid will soon know I am here. Then what?"
"Patience. We are going to visit an old friend of yours, Philippa."
"I don't have many of those."
"Good point. Perhaps it would be better to say an old student instead."
"I do have a few of those… You don't mean to tell me you've brought dear little Felicia back here do you?"
"Indeed. She is one of those who volunteered to come and end Radovid's reign of terror. She is also one of the de facto leaders of the refugees after my own appointed leaders. Her medical expertise has made her very well respected from what I hear.
"A bright young girl. Was always too soft in my opinion though. Wasn't quite ready to see some of the true horrors of the world." Philippa said softly as she 'looked' up in a motion to almost signify that she was lost in thought.
"Yes, well, I'm betting she's matured in that regard quite a great deal since you last saw her."
"I'd imagine you're right considering what almost happened to her. What is she doing for you exactly?"
"Nothing too strenuous. She's just making a little bomb for me."
"A bomb? What do you plan to do with a bomb?"
"I plan to have it blow up Radovid's ship, forcing him off it."
"What does that accomplish?"
"If he lives, which he probably will, he will make for an easily defensible position such as the huge church on Temple Isle. Only one real entrance his enemies could use and then surrounded on all other sides by cliffs."
"Hmm. You're right. It would make sense for him to go there. But wouldn't that be harder for us to reach him at?"
"If he made it onto the island, then sure, but he's not going to. The bridge across will be where he dies. We'll firebomb the bridge when his host gets on" Harry finished.
"That… could work. It'll cause a lot of damage to the houses on the bridge though. I thought you would care about that."
"The fire is magical and won't spread. It will have its initial explosion, but then quickly dissipate. Perfect for close-quarters engagements with enemies while civilians may be somewhat close." Harry explained.
"Is there something, your Empire doesn't have?" Philippa questioned incredulously.
"Not if I can help it. Anyway, the real bomb to start this off is being made by your former student. She should be done with it by now, though."
As Harry finished speaking, they arrived at a locked gate door that led into the sewers of the city. Harry quickly unlocked the door and gestured for the two women with him to enter.
"You couldn't find some abandoned building to set up shop in?" Philippa asked.
"Not with the number of people we suddenly brought in. Plus, this use to be a former hideout for Whoreson Jr that I cleared up. It was easy to throw a few wards over it and repurpose it for our needs." Harry explained. Philippa sniffed in disgust but continued down into the sewer anyway. Harry smirked as he watched her discomfort. Ciri rolled her eyes and nudged him while going by in a clear signal to behave.
They didn't have to go far before they approached a door that seemed to shimmer when you looked at it from the corner of your eye. He pressed his hand against the door and watched it faintly glow blue for a second and then heard a click from the other side. With that, he pushed it open and saw a huge room with a myriad of people within it. Only those closest to the door noticed him entering and immediately started bowing.
"King Hadrian. So, glad to see you. We are already on our end." A mage came up to him and said. He had a serious look at him and appeared to be around his late twenties. His name was Kane and he was one of the ones that were from his Magic Corp sent to watch over this whole operation. He had heard good things about him from some of Merri's letters. He wished to one day be the commander of the Magic Corp division.
"Excellent. Where is dear Lady Cori?"
"On the other side of the room. She says the bomb is done, but she is putting some finishing touches on it." Kane answered. Harry nodded.
"Good work, Kane. I am glad to see you were the right man for this." Harry said to him politely. It was always good to make sure to have his more promising members be in his good graces. It kept the Empire running more smoothly.
"Thank you, sir, I am glad to have met your expectations. Shall I get ready to lead the bridge bombing team to their positions?" Kane asked. He would be taking them to some of the houses on the bridge where the mages would be dropping bombs. Several families had already been paid handsomely to vacate their homes for a few days.
"Not yet. Wait until the cover of nightfall. And remember, wait until Radovid gets near the barricade on the other side because it will give you a clearer target on his men." Harry said seriously. Kane nodded.
"Of course, your majesty. I shall not fail you."
"I believe you, but still make sure to be careful," Harry said with a confident nod at the man before walking away to where he believed Felicia was. Ciri and Philippa had already departed to her while he had been talking. He smoothly walked over but kept stopping to talk with several mages who made to greet him and express their thanks and declare their loyalty. Harry humored them of course. It's not like there were too many, especially since not all felt the need to come up to him.
He finally saw the woman he was looking for and she seemed to be having a conversation with her former master. Considering her smile, it seemed to be going well.
"… Pleased by your growth."
"Thank you, master. That… that means a lot." Felicia said with a smile.
"Well, Felicia… You are looking much better than the last time we spoke." Harry said to the woman with a smile. Felicia smiled back at him.
"I am, thanks to you, your grace. I will be forever grateful for your help." Felicia said with a small bow of gratitude. Harry waved it off.
"It was no problem. I simply took issue with burning innocent people at a stake. I only wished I could have stopped such a practice from happening earlier." Harry said as he felt his smile fade away as he thought of what Radovid had been doing in his country.
"Well, today he will get what's coming to him. The bomb has been finished, but I have limited the explosion to sink the ship with as few casualties as possible. I just needed to tinker with the ratio a little bit." Felicia said confidently. Harry smiled at that. He would prefer if Radovid didn't die on his boat. He needed there to be more certain that it was something he hadn't directly been involved with.
"I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for your help, Felicia."
"It was my genuine pleasure."
"With this, we have everything we need. Let's move.
Harry and Ciri stood alone on top of the bridge, staring off into the distance at the sails of Radovid's ship. As expected, the sighting of Philippa had caused him to send his men throughout the city looking for her. They were now spread rather thinly.
"Are you sure this will work."
"I am, and with minimal casualties. I also made emergency portkeys for all the refugees should they need a quick escape. If we're lucky, there will be no casualties." Harry said back.
"So, you saved Felicia's life?" Ciri asked. Harry frowned at the question but nodded.
"I did. It was when Geralt and I first entered Novigrad. The city was having a stake burning with Felicia as one of the people tied. I, of course, intervened and saved her. She was in bad shape because she had been tortured beforehand so I took her straight to a hospital within the borders of Kaedwen. That was the last time I saw her in person, though, I have gotten a few updates about her. She has applied to join the Magic Corp division." Harry mentioned.
"Oh… Well, she seemed very thankful."
"I imagine she was."
"She's very pretty too," Ciri commented. Harry looked at her confused before remembering that Ciri was, in fact, someone whose preferences extended to both genders.
"I don't have to worry about her stealing you away from me, do I?" Harry teased her. Ciri just looked at him strangely for a moment before she seemed to understand his implication and chuckled softly.
"That wasn't what I meant."
"Oh, then I have no idea what you meant."
"C'mon, Harry. She was clearly smitten with you."
"She was?"
"Yes, she very obviously was. The way she smiled, the way she'd sometimes thrust her chest forward, her longing to seemingly please you…"
"Huh… I didn't even notice."
"That's it?"
"… Uh, yes? Is there something else?"
"Doesn't her interest concern you?" Ciri asked him pointedly. Harry stopped for a moment in a slight panic. This was one of those trick questions that he had to think about the answer for. He hated these. Let's see, she seemed unhappy that Felicia had shown an interest in him. Further, it seemed like she wanted him to do something.
"Shall… I tell her that I am off the market?" Harry asked very slowly as he tested to see if that was the right answer.
"I don't care about that. I just wanted to know what you thought about a woman like her showing an interest in you?"
"… Ciri, are you jealous?"
Before she could answer, an explosion cuts their conversation short. He immediately looked back to Radovid's ship. There were smoke and the Sails that peaked over the rooftops that they could see where crooked showing the ship was sitting at an odd angle. He immediately heard screams and shouting coming from all over the city.
"It's started. Radovid will be here soon. You need to get to Philippa." Harry said as he turned to her. Ciri had immediately shifted into a more serious pose and nodded at his words.
"I'll make sure to keep them on their toes," Ciri said before disappearing in her telltale blue flash. Harry started watching the streets carefully under a disillusionment charm to make sure he wouldn't be seen. It didn't take long as, just as he predicted, a host of Redanian soldiers came running towards the bridge and near the front, but still behind several men, was Radovid. He looked furious, but he also looked panicked as he struggled to keep up with what was happening.
They made their way to the bridge and Harry waited patiently as the entire host finally crossed onto it. With that, he apparated down the street and immediately started conjuring scraps of wood piled up to make a barricade to deter any from going after them. He then apparated once more to the other end of the bridge where he saw Radovid approaching the barricade at this end. He looked shocked for a moment but quickly recovered as he realized this must've been a trap. He immediately told his men to start cutting at the barrier.
With that, the trap was sprung and the barricade made of various crates and barrels lit aflame from above. Radovid looked up as windows from various houses opened up and started raining down small wooden balls onto the men. A yell went out when the first bomb men off and the men started scrambling in panic as more followed.
"Pull yourselves together. Break into the houses and confront the enemy." Radovid ordered. A smart play since mages weren't nearly as good in close combat. Unfortunately, Harry had thought of this and had several protective enchantments placed on the front of the buildings. Men started trying to break down the doors or break open the windows only to meet a shocking amount of resistance. While they did this, bombs continued to rain down quickly from the upper floors of the buildings. It was going well, which is why it only made sense that something had to go wrong.
"Charge men! Take Radovid!"
Harry looked past the Redanian soldiers to see a host of Blue uniforms charging at the Redanians. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Vernon Roche leading them. He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind as he had done at the Battle of Kaer Morhen
"Kane, it is Hadrian. Can you hear me?"
"Your grace, yes, I can hear you. Another host is getting ready to engage Radovid."
"I know. Listen, you absolutely cannot harm that group, it is led by an ally who is unknowing in disrupting our plans."
"Understood."
As soon as the connection cut off, he heard a muffled yell before the bombs stopped being thrown from the houses. It wasn't a moment too soon, as Roche's men immediately clashed with the remaining Redanian soldiers. Roche would likely be able to deal with them considering he had a greater number of men.
With his men clashing, Radovid seemed to be trying to get off the main street and was pounding on the doors of some of the houses that had remained closed till this point.
"Open the door in the name of the King," Radovid yelled at one of the last houses. Harry smirked as he saw which house it was, he was banging on. It was time for Radovid to get a taste of his own medicine.
The door Radovid pounded on swung open, yet, instead of entering the home, Radovid backed away from it slowly with a face full of both horror and fury.
"You! I should have known!" He shouted. Philippa stepped slowly out of the house and walked closer to the man like a predator closing in its prey.
"Me indeed… I have been looking forward to this." Philippa said with a smile on her face. Another figure exited the house and stood behind her with a sword drawn. Ciri stood in her normal outfit though it had a hood added to it to obscure her face. She stood protectively behind Philippa.
"Men! Come and fight for your King!" Radovid yelled at his rapidly decreasing host. Five men did manage to break away and started surrounding both Ciri and Philippa. While he certainly didn't like Ciri being in a situation where her life was threatened, he knew she could handle these men with ease so he held himself back.
As soon as the men charged, Ciri disappeared. Several flashes seemed to go off consecutively in less than split-second intervals of each other as each man seemed to be cut down instantly before the next one was. Even expecting the move, Harry couldn't believe how fast Ciri could move now. Even with her limited magical ability, he doubted in a straight fight, she could be taken down by normal means. Even a Witcher would be unlikely to be able to take her on. Even Harry, unlike Calanthir, did not yet know of a method to prevent Ciri from teleporting.
Within a second, all five men who came to defend Radovid dropped to the floor dead. Some had been cut completely in half by Ciri. She was such an impressive swordswoman.
"Thank you Ciri dearest," Philippa said in an unnaturally sweet voice as she then continued her approach on Radovid.
"Stay away from me, you Witch!" Radovid sneered as he finally pulled his blade. With a quick flash, it was batted out of his hand and Ciri was once more behind Philippa.
"I have been waiting for this a long time Radovid. You blinded me, killed my fellow magic users, and then drove this country, I had worked so hard on to the brink of its destruction. You will face my wrath!" Philippa said with a fury he had not seen within the woman up until this point.
"You stay ba-ARGHHHH." Radovid was cut off when a spell left Philippa's hand and slammed right into his face, more specifically, his eyes. The man screamed as he dropped to his knees and covered his face, which was most likely in an extreme amount of pain. Philippa walked up to the man before grabbing him by the throat and, in an extremely impressive display of strength, lifted Radovid till he was near what would be eye level if either he or Philippa could see.
"Tell your father, I say hello." She commented before pulling out a dagger from a slit in her dress and stabbed it straight through the man's temple. With that, the Redanian King went limp and died instantly. Philippa dropped the body like it was a bag of trash. She then lazily wiped her bloody hand on her dress to clean it.
"That was all I wanted. Shall we go Ciri?"
"You can go back. I think I am going to stay and clean up a bit." Ciri said while looking at the remaining soldiers still fighting against the Blue Stripes.
"If you wish. I will see you back at Kaer Morhen." Philippa said before summoning a portal and walking easily through it. With her gone, Ciri seemed to build up her power for a moment before she flashed once more and kept appearing and disappearing around the battle in a way that nobody, including Harry, could possibly keep up with. The Redanian soldiers were cut down like paper in seconds and Harry briefly wondered how much more terrifying Ciri would be once she could fully control her power.
It took less than a minute before the rest of the soldiers were taken care of. Harry remembered the drawback of her amazing power as he watched Ciri finally stop flashing around and started panting as she seemed to struggle to catch her breath. So quickly and easily using her power must've taken a lot out of her. It certainly wasn't something she could yet use on huge groups of combatants, which made him glad they took precautions at the Battle of Kaer Morhen. Harry saw Roche approach her and start speaking with her. Now that the battle was over though, they no longer shouted so he could no longer hear what was being said.
He didn't worry too much though as he soon saw Roche smiling at whatever Ciri was saying. He watched as Roche's prodigy Ves also walked up and started speaking with Ciri as well. Again, he couldn't hear what was being said, but Ves was smiling at Ciri and they were soon laughing about some joke Ciri told. He wasn't surprised they would get along. Both women were similar in many ways after all. Roche soon turned serious and said something to Ciri that also caused her to become serious.
They continued this way for a moment before Ciri nodded about something and bid them farewell. She then disappeared once more in a flash. He looked around at the remains of the Battle. By now, the mages he brought, including Kane had portkeyed back to Kaedwen to make sure they couldn't be caught for happened as Harry instructed. Once he made sure everything was settled, he apparated away to the meeting point he and Ciri agreed on. It was back to the original rooftop they had stood before the battle had begun. When he arrived, he saw Ciri with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
"Now that, was amazing. You're getting good at using those powers of yours. Even watching you, I couldn't keep up with your speed. You simply were teleporting too fast." Harry complimented. Ciri smiled up at him before taking a few more breaths. Once taking in enough air, she straightened.
"That… was exhausting," Ciri said. Harry smiled before reaching into his jacket and pulled out a vial.
"Here, have a Pepper-Up potion." Harry offered. Ciri took it gratefully before chugging it down. Her face was in a grimace as she processed the flavor.
"It's still horrible."
"Well, that's the trade-off. That went rather well, even with Roche unexpectedly interfering." Harry said.
"Agreed. None of our mages got hurt though, and Roche said there were only a few casualties on his side. I introduced myself, though he seemed to know me once I revealed my name. Geralt had spoken of me in passing to the man.
"That probably got you into his good graces. What did you talk about at the end there?"
'Oh, right, he wants to meet with him and Djikstra at the theater near the center of the city. They're meeting now to talk about the battle." Ciri said. Harry narrowed his eyes at that. That didn't sound good.
"Alright, let's go. I believe I have seen the theater you are speaking of. I shall apparate us, are you ready?" Harry said, holding out his hand. Ciri nodded before grabbing onto it. Within a moment, they were gone from the rooftop.
They landed outside a doorway that had a desk next to it. Harry took a quick step back to make sure he was at the right door. When he did, he knocked on the door. He could hear someone approaching it so he waited patiently. He watched as the slot in the door opened and a pair of eyes looked at him.
"Whatchu want?"
"The Blue Commander has invited us to speak with him and your employer here," Harry said blandly at the man. The man looked at him and then Ciri before closing the slot. A moment later he heard a latch click and the door was opened.
"Right on through then." The man said as he held the door open for them. He seemed to be in the outfit that showcased him to either be a thug or a mercenary. Either way, Harry eyed him as they passed. The man seemed tense. That only supported his theory that something was not right here.
"So, I was right and you were behind this little plot," Roche said as soon as he saw Harry approach. Harry smiled and shrugged at the man.
"Indeed, I was. Though I hadn't been expecting company. I didn't even know you were still in the city. Thank you for the help, Roche. Please let me know if there is something, within reason, of course, I can do to repay you."
"There's nothing unless you know of a way to free Temaria," Roche said, looking deeply at the man.
"That I cannot do. You are probably one of the first to know this, but Emhyr and I have entered an alliance. His crawl North has stopped and I will get Redania with no issue from him. That being said, I have a feeling I could convince him to allow Temaria enough independence to govern itself in the name of Nilfgaard. It should allow life to go relatively back to normal. Would that be satisfactory?"
"I suppose that is all I could ask for. Thank you, your grace."
"Ah, none of that. With this, you can consider yourself my friend. And you Ves! I saw your swordplay ability during the battle. I believe I saw you at one point taking on three swordsmen at once and coming out victorious. You do your mentor proud. If you and Roche ever wish for a change of scenery, Avalon would love to have you within their ranks, though I can guess both of your answers." Harry offered with a smile.
"Thank you, your grace. It is an honor to be recognized by one of such esteem." Ves said with a bow to him. He could tell she had been strictly trained to respond in such a way. He laughed.
"No need to bow. As with Roche, you can consider yourself, a friend." Harry told her. Ves look surprised at this, but nodded with gratitude at his words.
"You are too kind. Though you are right. For now, I need to help Temaria rebuild. But who knows what lies in the future." Roche responded. Harry smirked at that.
"I look forward to it. Now, I believe we are missing some people. Where are Djikstra and Thalor?"
"They should be arriving at any moment," Roche said.
"Speak of the devil and I shall appear!" Thalor said proudly as he appeared from behind one of the curtains on the stage. He hopped down and approached the group. In his hand, he had a bottle of an expensive-looking mead and in the other, he carried a basket with several cups.
"Shall we have a toast in celebration?" He asked.
"Well… Why not." Roche said with a smile. Thalor smiled and then poured some alcohol for each of them. Harry smiled as he was given a cup and silently cast a charm to make sure there was nothing in the mead that shouldn't be there. It came back clear. Once all the cups were full, Roche lifted his.
"A toast, to a better future for Redania!"
"Hear Hear!" Thalor downed his drink as did the rest of them.
"A better future for Redania indeed." Said a voice from the stage. Harry turned as he saw Dijkstra finally appear and he seemed to have several men with him.
"Dijkstra, you just missed our toast," Thalor said not seeming to understand the tension that suddenly entered the theater area. Ciri, Roche, and Ves all immediately gently laid their hands on their swords without making any sudden movements. Harry decided to be the speaker of the group.
"Sigismund, I was wondering when you would show up," Harry said as he walked closer to the stage and eyed the fat, bald, man. The former spymaster looked down at him with a frown.
"Your majesty… You weren't supposed to be here."
"I had a feeling… Let me guess, now that Radovid is dead, you wanted to take Redania for yourself and rule it. This is what you would call cleaning up loose ends, am I right?" Harry asked with a pleasant tone.
"A smart deduction. We were just about to launch our assault on Radovid within the week while you hadn't been seen for a while. Unfortunately, it seems you beat us to the punch and I no longer have the upper hand of being able to react before you can."
"So it would seem. So, where do we go from here?"
"If you swear to leave Redania, I can let you live," Sigismund said as more and more men seemed to come out to surround them.
"Does that seem to work off the presumption you can kill me?" Harry asked the man lightly.
"You are powerful, I know that. But I have dealt with powerful mages before. I know how to fight them."
"I promise you that you won't find nearly the same success against me. I'll give you one chance Sigismund. Tell your men to lay down their arms and we won't cut them or you down. That is my only offer." Harry said. Sigismund simply sighed and shook his head.
"You mages never make this easy… Kill them."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a flash appeared next to him and Sigismund only had a moment to widen his eyes in shock as a blade cut through his neck and decapitated him. The body sank to its knees slowly before falling over. Ciri stood over it with a look that could've been carved from stone.
"It has been a very long day for me. I wish to go home, run a nice hot bath, and relax. So, I am going to give you, the ones who are currently getting in the way of me doing that, one more chance to drop your weapons and get the FUCK out of here before I give you the same treatment as your employer." Ciri said in a voice barely above a whisper. Despite this, everyone in the clearing heard her. For a moment, there was complete silence as no one seemed to know what to do it.
"Fuck it. If he's dead and she can appear from anywhere, then I am going home." One of the thugs on the stage said as he dropped his weapon and started walking away. With that, the rest of the thugs also dropped their weapons before walking away without another word. With that, Ciri turned her cold gaze onto Harry, who was still in a state of shock. He felt a shiver go up his spine as Ciri looked at him. He hadn't noticed till now… but she was covered in blood and not a speck of it was hers. It was horrifying.
"Home, bath, NOW!" She commanded. Harry gawked before jumping into action.
"Uh... Yes. Err, I mean, yes dear, of course. Anything you want!" Harry said as he approached her slowly, careful to not make any sudden movements. Ciri could truly be a terrifying force of nature when she wanted to be. She could probably even match if not perhaps surpass him when it came to intimidation. He laid his hand gently on her shoulder before looking at Roche, Ves, and Thalor, who were looking both shocked and confused.
"Right, well, we need to go so I hope you all have a good night and get home safely. Adieu!" With that, Harry and Ciri disappeared.
"I never thought I'd see the day where Hadrian Black, the King of the Avalonian Empire would look so fearfully at a wench," Thalor commented slowly.
"I don't blame him. If she had given me that look right after she had just cut another man's head off in such a fashion… Let's just say I am not surprised even the King seemed to fall in line."
"I think that woman is my hero," Ves said with a smile.