Five figures emerged from the tunnel, carrying a humanoid body bound by thick iron chains. There was a smaller, strange figure following behind all five.
They were Geralt, three other witchers from the School of the Wolf, and one witcher from the School of the Viper. And as Brynden had said, Leaf, a Child of the Forest.
"Finally, we're back to civilization!" Lambert spoke with a relieved tone, full of relief to be back at the Wall.
The other witchers, Geralt of Rivia, Eskel, Vesemir, and Letho, nodded. It was indeed a relief to return; Beyond the Wall was an extremely dangerous place, full of monsters that were not common in the South of Westeros.
"At least we can earn a lot of money; the herbs we can find will fill our pockets for a long time. Not to mention the payment from the Wizard that Geralt mentioned." Eskel said with a smile as he thought about the amount of herbs and money they could get.
"What do you think about reinforcing the walls of Kaer Morhen?" Vesemir, the oldest of the witchers present, spoke in a calm and strong tone. There was a touch of cunning in his gaze, especially looking at the small pouch Geralt wore. A pouch that could hold many things.
"Damn it, the old man wants to steal our money to reinforce those old walls!" Lambert spoke with a cynical and extremely displeased tone. This was the money they earned risking their lives; how could it just be to reinforce some old walls?
Suddenly, a slap on the back of his head made Lambert take a deep breath and look at Vesemir. "That hurt, old man." He said, rubbing the spot where he was slapped.
"Respect your master, or I'll throw you into a lake infested with Drowners." Vesemir said with a calm and threatening tone.
Lambert immediately fell silent; he was sure that old Vesemir was indeed capable of throwing him into a lake full of Drowners.
Geralt shook his head at everyone's antics. Suddenly, the witcher stopped his steps and looked up, where he saw a familiar smiling face.
Cadmus looked at the exotic group before him. The next moment, holding Daenerys's hand, he apparated and appeared before the group of witchers and others and said with a laugh. "Geralt, it's been a while, my old friend."
The witchers tensed before relaxing; they cautiously looked at the young man before them, but did not lower their guard.
"It seems you guessed my arrival." Geralt replied with his familiar indifferent and even distant tone.
"To tell the truth, no, it was a great coincidence." Cadmus replied with a smile, his gaze passed over all the witchers and the Child of the Forest, before focusing on the humanoid creature trapped by thick steel chains.
"The trip was a success." Cadmus commented, kicking the Wight's head that was desperately trying to bite him. "This thing is really ugly; what could be expected from a creature reborn through necromancy?"
Daenerys also looked at the witchers with curiosity; their totally exotic appearance, especially that of the Child of the Forest, was simply surprising. However, she approached the Wight and couldn't help but think it was really ugly. There were large pieces of flesh missing, purplish-blue skin, and glowing eyes of an icy blue hue. It was basically a corpse.
"Princess." Geralt greeted the girl with a stiff tone and looked at Cadmus with a surprised look; he couldn't believe that the wizard had actually brought a princess to such a dangerous and unstable place as Castle Black.
With Geralt's words, the witchers' eyes widened in surprise and they greeted Daenerys with respect. The respect was obviously not for Daenerys, but for her status. After the attack on Kaer Morhen at the behest of the Sea Lord of Braavos, they learned not to be so arrogant.
"No need for formalities, I am just a princess." Daenerys said with a gentle and genuine smile. These men, who risked their lives just to help, were worthy of respect. "Besides, you are heroes, and your contribution will be rewarded when I speak with my brother, the king."
Daenerys's words truly moved these witchers. Rhaegar's generosity was indeed known to all. The king did not hesitate to give fiefs and titles to those who made contributions.
"I thank you on behalf of all the Witchers, but there's no need to thank us; we are being paid, and as humans, we cannot stand idly by in the face of such a terrifying event." Vesemir, the last remaining elder witcher of the School of the Wolf, spoke in a calm and deep tone. However, his gaze towards Daenerys was softer, as he could see that the princess truly saw them as humans and not a human subspecies.
Daenerys found nothing wrong with paying the witchers; everyone should be paid for their work was a basic thing everyone knew.
Daenerys nodded at the witchers' words and looked at the small figure before her. "This must be Leaf."
The girl is smaller than humans, but not childlike. She has nut-brown skin, dappled like a deer's with lighter spots. Her hands have only three fingers and a thumb, with sharp black claws instead of nails. She has large ears that can hear things no man can hear. She has large golden-green eyes with slit pupils like a cat's, allowing her to see in dark passages. Leaf's hair is a tangle of autumnal colors, brown, red, and gold, with vines, twigs, and withered flowers intertwined. She wears a cloak of leaves.
Honestly, seeing such a legendary creature, Daenerys was shocked; she had heard stories about the war between the Children of the Forest and humans, but seeing one personally was truly shocking.
"I am Leaf, Princess Targaryen." Leaf greeted Daenerys with a sharp and sweet, but also sad, voice. Despite her short stature, she did not look like a child, but was simply smaller. "The Three-Eyed Raven asked me to accompany the Princess and the Wizard to the South and speak with the Dragon King."
"In my brother's name, I accept your stay under my hearth; you will be respected and treated as a queen of your race. Your safety, food, and a roof will all be provided by my noble house." Daenerys acted like a princess and behaved as such in a meeting between two races.
Leaf looked surprised at Daenerys and spoke in a sweet, but still sad, tone. "I will accept being under your roof and will respect your laws, Dragon Princess."
Daenerys nodded, satisfied, and extended her arm to the girl. Confused for a moment by the gesture, Leaf quickly understood and took Daenerys's arm. Both walked under everyone's eyes to the main hall.
The eyes of the Night's Watch members widened in complete shock and horror seeing Leaf. Not everyone was so enthusiastic about Leaf, a race that fought against the human race thousands of years ago.
With Daenerys and Leaf gone, everyone's attention focused on Cadmus. "Why did you bring a princess?" Geralt asked with a confused tone. In his eyes, Cadmus was not so crazy as to bring a princess to such a distant and dangerous place as the Wall.
"She is my fiancée, and I wanted to show her the world." Cadmus said with a smile. "Besides, I'm getting married in a few weeks in Harrenhal, my fief, I hope you'll be there to eat and drink."
Even Geralt's calm gaze disappeared with Cadmus's words. He couldn't believe that in a few weeks, the wizard, who had nothing, would marry a princess and in the largest castle on the continent.
"The world really turns fast." Geralt couldn't help but comment with a sigh. At the same time, he was satisfied to have another friend on the King's Small Council. The king's future reward would not be bad with Raymun and Cadmus helping.
"This is the money I promised." Cadmus took a large wooden chest from his pocket.
Cadmus opened the lid, and the five witchers took a deep breath; a golden light illuminated their faces. They had never seen such a beautiful glow in their lives.
"Ten thousand gold dragons, not to mention the king's reward." Cadmus said with a smile. Although losing so much money was painful, he himself was a money-making machine, so he wasn't really worried about running out of money in his life.
Lambert swallowed hard, seeing the beautiful and adorable gold coins. Not only him, even Vesemir was shocked by the wizard's generosity.
"Let's have a drink; I have some things to explain." Cadmus said with a smile and gestured for the five witchers to follow him. However, looking at the Wight tied with iron chains, he simply took his briefcase and threw the living corpse inside the briefcase.
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard