[Chapter Size: 3000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Skellige.
...
...
"Well then, let us begin, everyone. Your majesty of Sodden, I hope you are not offended for not having had a proper conversation with your old acquaintance, but I am sure you will have things to talk about after the ceremony." Said Mousesack with an apologetic tone to Thorne and his family.
"There are no offenses here, Lord Druid, the fault is ours for coming so late, after all my advisors wanted me to first send a noble to see the place, which I do not blame them for wanting, as our safety is a matter of importance." Said Thorne eloquently. He then turned back to Madara.
"We will talk later, a man needs his time for his wedding. We shall finish our conversation afterwards. Good luck and congratulations on the marriage." He announced as Madara nodded.
"You will stay with your nobles of Sodden in the front rows along with King Bran and his family." Informed Mousesack, while people spread out, taking their places in each corner with some Skellige nobles helping to seat them according to the status they held.
Zoltan, Dandelion, Eleonor, were guided to sit in the second or third rows. Even though they had lower status among everyone there, they were personal friends of the bride and groom. Meanwhile, Crach an Craite, along with his two children, Cerys and Hjalmar, went to sit with King Bran, because Crach himself was the king's nephew, and in the past he had been trained by Eist Tuirseach, his other uncle, and had stood by his side in battle when Eist was killed by a Nilfgaardian soldier after being surrounded in battle at sea.
Crach also had two other children, but they were out at sea when Madara and Ciri arrived in Skellige, and they would not return for at least another month.
"You come with me, Madara." Finally, Mousesack returned to Madara, still standing while everyone was still settling in.
He led him to the platform beneath some trees, all decorated with Skellige flowers and other wedding ornaments. In front of the platform, with a small stair to climb half a meter onto it, there was a path between the two rows of seated people, with each royal family in front of each row. The passage between the chairs was wide enough for four people to walk side by side and it led directly to the castle entrance.
Some people appeared at the castle windows at that moment as well, stretching their faces out, not even noticing that there were people dressed in black with red clouds on their cloaks, watching over the whole place.
These people were mainly servants, since obviously they could not mingle with the nobility. They only came to see the wedding with two kings present, and also because the one who was to be married belonged to royalty.
There were guards everywhere; royal guards accompanied King Thorne and his family. At the same time, King Bran and his family, while Skellige had no such concept as royal guards, had many famous warriors present to protect the place and their family, and they too were stationed on the other side.
The castle's entrance door began to close, and Yennefer managed to slip out before it shut completely, heading toward the stage by walking along the path the bride would soon take.
Some sorceresses were already present, Tissaia among them, and they certainly exchanged glances, but Yennefer did not stop at any of the rows and went straight to Madara.
"She is almost ready. I hope you don't get nervous." She joked, before adjusting herself near the groom, for she would be the maid of honor alongside Geralt.
Zoltan and Dandelion sat in a corner, while Dandelion would not stop playing a melody on his lute. The nobles nearby looked at him with a certain disdain, while at the same time some women seemed to enjoy it. Madara could already predict the bard's death, flirting with the wife of some duke or count there.
Madara merely shrugged at Yennefer's comment, as he stood before Mousesack, who would conduct the ceremony. The door opened, though not fully, just enough for three young and finely dressed girls to enter. They were the same ones who had been with Ciri and must have helped her. They found their places among the families and began commenting about the bride or even pointing at Madara and laughing among themselves with their remarks.
Everyone was now waiting. Yennefer did not fail to raise her hand, drawing everyone's attention to herself.
"I want to ask for something before we begin the ceremony. When the marriage between Madara and Ciri is complete, I would like everyone to sign an official document as witnesses of the union between the princess of Cintra, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, and the duke of Cintra, Madara Uchiha."
Madara's status could not be diminished like Ciri's, for there was still the chance of reclaiming Cintra. And strengthening Madara's status was something meant to justify the marriage between him and the princess, as a duke was a rank that usually answered only to a king and generally held dominion over a great province of a kingdom. If it existed in Skellige, it would be the lord of the islands scattered through Ard Skellige.
And what she said meant that there would not only be witnesses to this marriage, but also nobles from all the realms along with two kings. That was why the ceremony had become public.
Even though it had become more well-known than it should have, the goal was to attract high-ranking nobles from all the realms so that no one could contest the validity of the marriage and so that Cintra's lineage would continue through the children of Cirilla and Madara. A way to secure the throne without having to destroy internal armies. A way to declare that Nilfgaard had never truly held Cintra in its hands.
And no one disagreed. No one could say anything against it, after all, there was no way to deny the fact that they were marrying right before their eyes, and everyone would recognize it there. No king or organization could question anything. Even the people of Cintra, who had continued living in those lands and survived the Nilfgaardians for years, could hear of the royal wedding and know that Cintra's lineage was still alive.
Anyway, Yennefer signaled to one of the guards at the door after there were no comments about her request. They knocked and then began to open the door. At that very moment, all the seated heads turned toward the entrance, as Cirilla appeared with her arm respectfully entwined with Geralt's, representing the position of a father leading his daughter to the altar.
She held up a bit of her dress so as not to trip, for it was long, and her gaze locked first and foremost on Madara, seeing him in his noble kimono along with a cloak, besides the one that was part of the outfit itself.
Their eyes met, and Cirilla radiated a warm smile as she began to move forward with Geralt accompanying her. They descended the entrance steps and entered the grounds, passing by the benches, while Ciri's eyes remained fixed on Madara the entire time.
His black eyes were also locked on her emerald eyes, as if no one else existed there. Only the two of them looked at each other. Madara might keep a serious face, but his eyes revealed that he was seeing the most beautiful woman of both his lives.
Ciri radiated femininity more than at any other moment Madara had ever seen. She seemed delicate, exotic, rare, and beautiful.
Cirilla paid attention only to Madara. She did not even notice the guests' murmurs, the kings and nobles with their banners of each realm, or the representatives of organizations and royal courts. None of that mattered to her now.
Everything she needed was before her. She forgot her troubles, traumas, persecutions, wars, and the uncertain future full of enemies. Still, all that mattered was that, being with Madara, she would not need to worry. He always gave her the certainty that they could overcome any problem together.
She began to climb the steps after passing by the kings' chairs, and Geralt kept a serious tone. People certainly whispered the word "witcher" among the nobles seated, some even seeming disgusted by the fact that it was a witcher who was bringing the princess to the altar. But that did not matter. They were just words.
His daughter was satisfied and seemed very happy. She herself had said, before coming, that she was nervous and joyful at the same time, saying that she was finally marrying her childhood friend, the one she had loved since she was young and saw as her hero.
Yennefer and Geralt had exchanged a glance and a satisfied smile when they heard that from the girl behind the doors. Now, he looked once more at Yennefer beside Madara and gave a closed smile, while Ciri seemed eager to let go of his arm. Now that they stood before Madara, Geralt calmly released her, allowing Ciri to advance on her own.
Madara raised his hands and took hers as soon as she left Geralt, and he stepped forward, placing her hands upon his own, both of them pressing together to feel the warmth of their skin.
"You are incredibly beautiful." He said, keeping a smile on his face, usually so closed.
"I like that smile." She replied, seeming to widen her own even more. "You are dazzling too, Madara. My grandmother used to say that you would be incredibly handsome when you grew older, that even princesses would be enchanted by you. She wasn't wrong. And now I am happy that you will be mine." She whispered, while Mousesack chuckled lightly behind them.
Madara looked at Geralt. "You may leave her with me now." He said, as the witcher was already stepping back, giving Madara a look of recognition.
Geralt moved to Yennefer's side. "Well, it seems you've truly given her away to another man." Said Yennefer with a smile. That was how fathers did in those times: that moment represented the last trace of responsibility the "father" had toward his daughter.
From the moment he left her at the altar for another man, it was the husband who took on responsibility and authority over the woman, in the father's place, to lead his own family. That was how sons and daughters left their parents' homes to build families of their own.
"Yes... she is finally leaving." Said Geralt, with a melancholic tone, while Yennefer rolled her eyes, thinking him dramatic. For her, Kaer Morhen should be considered her home then. But she preferred to ignore it and turned her gaze back to the bride and groom at the altar.
As Ciri moved to stand before Madara, still with her hands in his, he could focus on her, on her eyes and her smile that had been looking at him the entire time.
Ciri wore her grandmother's necklace, the earring he had given her, her hair tied in a curled style made by the other girls who had accompanied her, and a long white dress, a gift from Yennefer, bought from a renowned tailor in Kovir's capital.
The tailor himself had become nervous upon discovering that he was dealing with the princess of Cintra. After measuring her, he began work immediately and, within a week, the dress was ready. Everything had been done while they were still sailing to Skellige, which gave more than enough time for the dress to be completed before the wedding, after Cirilla had announced that Madara would be her husband in Skellige and Yennefer had suggested that they search for a dress immediately, after all, she doubted that anything like it could be found in Skellige. Weddings there were far less ostentatious, even for the king.
"Well then, let us begin." Said Mousesack as the two newlyweds positioned themselves in front of him, and he looked at them, who nodded in affirmation, ready. Everyone's attention was fixed on nothing but the altar, as they sat in their seats.
"Today we are here to celebrate the marriage between the duke of Cintra, appointed by the late Queen Calanthe herself..." Mousesack began, his tone carrying a tinge of sorrow at the memory of Calanthe.
He recalled the last moments with her, when he demanded that she flee with him, but she chose suicide instead. She wanted to die with Cintra because she believed she had failed to save the kingdom. She did not want to flee like a coward, as she considered that act to be, after losing the war.
"And also of the granddaughter of the late queen of Cintra, Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, known as the young lion cub within the domains of the former Cintra." He announced. It was repetitive to use their full names, but this was a unique and formal event; everyone had to be addressed by their full names and titles.
"Furthermore, before the witnesses — many here who must know them, whether close friends or old companions, and for those who never had the chance to see them until this day —, I must especially say that these two were both my pupils while I was in Cintra..."
"...And I must add that I am as happy at this moment as I have not been since the days when I lived in the castle, assisting and advising Queen Calanthe, dealing with two children who would sneak into my laboratory to study or learn, while at the same time making mischief here and there." He paused his short speech.
"Little Cirilla, always cheerful, wanting to run away and searching for Madara throughout the castle. And Madara, always serious, when he was not studying, he was training or solving problems for the queen and for the entire kingdom. Later, he was named count and duke, becoming a war hero at such a young age. After all, there was never another child who could claim to have done anything similar."
He paused once again before continuing his speech, while Madara and Ciri still gazed at each other with their hands intertwined before one another.
People whispered, a bit skeptical, as Madara had faced dangers that most adults would not have survived between the ages of six and ten, entered two wars between the ages of ten and fourteen or fifteen. It was natural for many to believe such feats could be lies, sometimes invented to create a hero, but there had also been the war, and no one could deny the giant that had appeared at the end and reaped the lives of one hundred thousand people with a single strike.
"And I must admit..." Mousesack continued, opening an even broader smile before going on. "Since the day I saw these two as children, I knew they were destined to be together, as if fate itself had already bound them with an unbreakable bond. Today, we are simply proving that all of this was real and that perhaps this is the beginning of a new era. The North will change, for of one thing I am certain: these two were always born to achieve great deeds and bring about great changes together."
"Even in the midst of chaos, they were always together, always finding a way to survive and remain side by side. And there is no doubt they will continue to do so. They may have retreated in the past, for they were only children, but let all the North know: the lineage of Cintra still lives and will live on through the blood of these two. So, let us begin." Said Mousesack, finishing his speech, while the crowd reacted in different ways.
It was a direct declaration, even if something like it had already been expected. After all, a princess of a fallen kingdom was marrying the duke and hero of that same realm. Madara may have begun as an orphan, but all had recognized him as duke as soon as he was appointed, rising in status time after time as he solved problems — from the mage who kidnapped children in the capital, to the wars of Cintra, culminating in the southern war against Nilfgaard, where all who had survived that battle, though very few remained on Cintra's side, could not deny that he fought more bravely with his sword and magic than anyone else, even killing a general on the enemy's field.
In the first battle against Nilfgaard, he had been forced to retreat and flee with the princess when Cintra fell. Yet Madara's story was always bound to Cintra through most of his childhood, gathering power and status even at such a young age. Everyone in the kingdom knew of his deeds, passed down through tales and ballads of bards. It was no surprise that he was destined to become Cintra's king consort.
The queen Calanthe herself had raised him to the highest title of nobility to fulfill her granddaughter's wishes, who had already shown she would marry no one but Madara.
She had united the useful with the desirable, for she knew her granddaughter well enough to understand she would run away if a marriage were arranged against her will. Except, of course, if it were with Madara himself.
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Author's note: I did not include the wedding in this chapter because I thought it would become too long. So I left the ceremony to take place after Mousesack's short speech. We will continue tomorrow.
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