[Chapter Size: 2400 Words.]
Third Person POV
Ellander.
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...
Madara stood up before the statue and found Nenneke and Ciri, who were watching him attentively. Nenneke, the older woman, did not stop observing him, waiting for some answer about what had just happened.
"I met your goddess. She told me certain things," he replied simply.
"Wait… she really spoke to you?" the woman asked, her eyes widening, while Ciri frowned.
"Not even a second passed since you simply knelt down. You just entered that position and stood up the very next moment...", Nenneke murmured, with a certain distrust.
"Who can understand it... Divine powers are beyond even my current comprehension." Madara spoke, and what he said was true. At the moment, he could not change reality as much as a god could… at least, not now.
"And are you alright?" Ciri took a step forward toward her husband and did not fail to ask.
"We'll talk later...", Madara said, before turning to Nenneke; this would not be the place to discuss certain matters. "Anyway, she gave us permission and will protect my wife and child. She said that nothing will happen to Ciri as long as she remains within the temple walls. I will trust your goddess."
Nenneke nodded, still a little uncertain, but asked no further questions. It was not up to her to question what the goddess had told the boy; after all, she would have heard it from Melitele herself if she had needed to hear anything during her prayers.
Madara returned to the room with Ciri. Nenneke informed them that she would arrange their stay and keep them, at least for now, hidden in a separate wing of the temple, far from curious eyes and from people coming in and out of the temple. After that, Nenneke called the boy Geralt to talk and explain the situation.
At the same time, Madara spoke with Ciri about what he had heard in their room.
"So we have to destroy that being… the goddess of that Ōtsutsuki clan, the same one who sent men to hunt your clan in the past and you a few years ago; there are also the witchers, those who founded the schools here and who acquired abilities similar to yours and are on the continent at this very moment...", Ciri murmured, resting her hand on her own belly, fearing for their child's future.
"We will deal with it," Madara said in a serious tone.
She sighed and smiled softly. "I know. You're right. You know I can be irrational sometimes. I know you can deal with demons, witchers, shinobi, and anything in this world… but a part of me fears for you. Fears for us. That came after I got pregnant. It must be the perspective of being a mother, right?"
Madara listened to Ciri attentively and pulled her into an embrace, placing her head against his own chest. "It's alright. You're right, you've become a mother. It's normal to feel fear. It's part of being human, especially when you're about to bring a life into the world, Ciri. But don't worry. Even from afar, you will be safe, and I will make sure that nothing harms you and our child," he said in a firm tone.
She smiled. "I know. Then make sure to learn that teleportation jutsu soon. Besides, we can still enjoy some time together, right?" she said, moving up to his neck and kissing him, trying to seduce him.
Madara did not refuse. He laid her down on the bed, and their lips met, taking advantage of the coming night for moments of intimacy and love, enjoying their last hours together.
At night, they were called to a separate hall, where people trusted by Nenneke — including the high priestess herself — gathered to have dinner with them.
Dandelion did not miss the chance and was making the young women laugh while Nenneke's trusted girls brought food to the group. Zoltan, beside the bard, was rolling his eyes from time to time as the musician tried to flirt with anything that wore a skirt or a dress and could walk.
"So you will stay in Ellander, Yennefer and the princess," Nenneke said, looking at Yennefer beside Geralt and then at Ciri, seated next to Madara at the table.
"Yes. I will take care of her and also help her learn to better control her special magic," Yennefer replied in a dry tone to Nenneke.
Nenneke watched her for a moment. "Just don't bring trouble here." She cast an intense look at Yennefer, and the sorceress did not fail to return it, further intensifying the silent confrontation.
"I intend to take care of Ciri, my daughter, and I will do everything to protect her. That's all I can guarantee," Yennefer said with a serious look.
The two women stared at each other with the look of those about to enter into conflict. It was evident that they did not get along. Geralt seemed torn between love for a maternal figure and love for a romantic one. Obviously, the latter weighed more, but even so he did not take sides.
"Calm down, both of you. We are all here to protect Ciri and the child she carries, right? There is no need for us to enter into conflict," Geralt said. The two averted their gaze and turned their attention back to the food.
Madara said nothing about it; it was not his role to deal with that, and they would have to find a way to coexist with one another. Although Nenneke did not hate Yennefer enough to attack her, she simply did not like her and thought she was terrible company for Geralt.
But the one most bothered there, behind the women's conflict, was Ciri, who seemed uncomfortable with the looks of some of the young priestesses who were there distributing food.
Despite laughing with Dandelion, they did not stop casting furtive glances at Madara beside Ciri, and his wife noticed it, seeing them look back at him several times, as if they expected him to return the looks.
That made Ciri shudder. She knew Madara was more than handsome enough to attract the gaze of any woman, anywhere. Obviously, there was no one more handsome than her husband, especially now that he had let his hair grow, always with an exotic and mysterious air, with his indifferent manner and the aura of power he exuded merely by his presence.
That was enough to attract any female version — even a princess like her, who had fallen in love with him since she was a girl and who had always felt jealous of other young noblewomen her age and even older ones who looked at him as if he were a treasure to be conquered in the castle of Cintra, even when he was still just a child. That only worsened as he grew up, his body developed, and his reputation spread throughout the country.
Even her grandmother Calanthe, at the time, could see the granddaughter's desperation as she spent her days biting her nails while several maidens of high birth arrived, whose parents sought to pair their daughters with Madara, a young duke in ascension at that time, with unique powers and lineage. Calanthe was not foolish back then and arranged a marriage in the end between Ciri and Madara, with him holding the position of duke in the kingdom.
Ciri knew that Madara would always be the center of attention wherever he went, but here she was his pregnant wife, at her husband's side. How could those women be so shameless? Inside a temple to a benevolent goddess?!
"Could you give us leave?" Nenneke asked in a firm tone. It seemed she too was clearly bothered by those looks. Even though they laughed with Dandelion, it was evident they were far more interested in Madara.
The young women quickly withdrew. Nenneke looked at Ciri and winked, drawing a grateful smile from the platinum-haired girl.
And Madara in the middle of all this? He seemed oblivious to it all. Or he simply did not care. He continued eating, paying more attention to the food the unicorn was eating near their feet than to anything else.
In any case, dinner soon ended and everyone returned to their rooms; three days passed since then. Madara and Ciri had isolated themselves in the room, and no one was surprised by it, knowing very well what they would be doing in the last days before the separation — especially Ciri, who seemed quite affected by the idea of being apart.
On the last day, before they separated, there was a meeting between Madara, Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer to decide what the next plans would be.
"I'm going to Kaer Morhen. I want to see how Kaedwen is and the state of the kingdom after that madness when we left..." Geralt said, while they were in a separate part of the temple, with Madara conjuring a wooden table and some chairs.
It was already night, and Geralt pointed to the map ahead, indicating the northwest, where Kaer Morhen was located.
"I'm going north. My first stop will be the girls' school of magic, Aretuza," Madara said, pointing to where Aretuza was located.
"I've already prepared the letter, but I'm sure Tissaia will receive you without any problem, after the meeting you had when Ciri needed help in Skellige," Yennefer said, handing a parchment to Madara.
"Triss will also be there," she added. "I spoke with her two days ago. I asked her to stay until you arrive. After that, she plans to go to Redania."
"Redania is not a safe place!" Ciri commented, with a look of concern. "Madara told me about how the influence of the Holy Fire will worsen greatly in the coming years." Triss was considered an older sister by Ciri, which made the situation even more worrying.
"She knows that. Even so, she wants to warn people about the danger of leaving Foltest's court and acting freely," Yennefer replied.
"And after that, what do you intend to do?" Geralt asked Madara.
They were about to hunt a demon. Obviously, Geralt would not stand idle knowing that Ciri — and even Madara — were in danger. Although the boy was independent, it was clear that both had formed a powerful bond with each other. Geralt had never needed to teach Madara, but still considered him almost like a son. Yennefer saw him that way as well, but more intensely. Now, with Madara being Ciri's husband and she pregnant, expecting a child from the two of them, the four of them saw themselves as a complete family.
Even without sharing blood, they had a history together — some longer, others shorter — and still the bond between them had grown stronger.
And even with his habitual indifference, Madara took care of everyone there. They had been his companions for years, people he had not initially trusted much, especially Yennefer. Still, she had proven loyal, even if her intentions always involved power.
"I intend to study a bit of magic and also look for some necromancers," Madara said. "Yennefer gave me information on where I can find them in Skellige. I'll follow the rumors and try to locate their positions."
"Madara, I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. Meddling with the dead is not something natural," Geralt said with a certain caution.
Necromancy, in which Madara had been showing interest over the past few weeks, worried him. Even though Ciri did not like that field of magic, Madara had stated that he needed to study it in order to develop an exclusive jutsu that would help them against their enemies in the future.
"In any case, I'm going to Redania. There's something there that can serve as the first clue before looking for that demon. I know someone who made a deal with it, and I also want to check... He will help in some way.... Besides, it's not just the religion of the Eternal Fire that you should be concerned about; I'll stop by Novigrad and then go to Oxenfurt..." Madara said.
"You killed that man named Whoreson Junior, or rather, known as the Son of a Bitch, Junior, right? He was a pretty bad person," Ciri asked.
Upon hearing that, Yennefer raised an eyebrow. She certainly did not know that, but Madara was not one to tell everything. He kept more things to himself, and the only one who knew more was Ciri, who shared his actions and motives, knowing the truth about Madara and his knowledge of this world.
"Yes. He would have become a future gang leader, a cruel man. I simply eliminated him," Madara said, shrugging.
Certainly, the gang of casinos and prostitutes would not have that man as its leader in the future. Madara had killed him indirectly, after infecting him with a fungus, using his own Mokuton to avoid suspicion of a direct murder. Still, nothing guaranteed that another bastard would not take over the power of that gang, especially when the organization's leader himself was already a cruel man and the gang dealt only in vile things.
Madara hoped to find a certain doppler in the city when he visited it for the second time.
"In any case, I am looking for a man named Olgierd von Everec. He made a deal with the demon. He received everything and then had everything taken away, since that is how Gaunter O'Dimm operates... Now he lives without feeling anything, he cannot even die. Still, I have an idea of how to use him. I just need to develop a new jutsu called the Reaper of Death Seal. When I have both, I will be able to destroy the demon once and for all. I just need to find where the demon is recovering..." Madara said.
"I intend to help you, even if in the end it is only by trying, since you can move much faster than anyone else on this continent," Geralt said.
"I wish you would stay here, Geralt. I can handle the demon alone," Madara suggested.
Geralt immediately denied the suggestion. "No. I cannot stay here. If something happens, Yennefer will be fine with Ciri. I cannot simply let a creature threaten Ciri and pretend nothing happened," he replied, in a serious tone.
Madara ended up accepting that in the end. "Alright. Let's prepare to depart," Madara said.
And so, quickly, they would prepare to leave the next day, making the most of their last night at the temple.
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