The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Unwanted Help

 The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Unwanted Help

      The carriage is carrying Dandelion and Priscilla onto their honeymoon. Iriisii has made special arrangements for it to exit the city to a special location where it will go through a portal and arrive outside the gate to her home in the Shire, where the newlyweds will be met by Tonas, Iriisii's steward. She knows he will look after them and see to whatever they need until they are ready to return.

     Now she must deal with this problem with the future of Nilfgard that got dropped into her lap. Suddenly she is interrupted by Triss, who tearfully asks if they could talk.

     "Come in and sit, tell me what has happened. I am assuming something Geralt has said or done has you in these tears?"

     "Yes, he saw Yennefer earlier with her son. Then I walked toward him and he saw me, looked back toward Yen, went straight out the door, and I have not seen him since."

     "I was afraid that this might happen, but I was not going to leave anyone out because their sensibilities might get bruised. This is not your fault, and not completely Geralt's either. But first, we need to be clear on just what you want. I will do all I can to help, within limits, but I must know exactly what you want."

     "What limits are you speaking of?"

     "If I can persuade him to come around to your thinking, then I will certainly do so, but I will not force him to. It must be his desire and decision to do this, otherwise, it will just cause pain and animosity between you both."

     "I understand."

     "You understand a part of it, but not all. I must reveal this much, should this not work out, there is still hope for you if you want it."

     "What do you mean? What about him?"

     "You have the possibility of another should Geralt turn away from you. But you are his last hope, there is no one else for him. It is known to me, there is someone else for you, who will give you what you desire. But this must be the decision of you both, he must make it known he does not wish to be with you as you want him to be, and you must accept that and let him go. Until then, I will work to persuade him and help him deal with his past."

     "You mean, Yennefer?"

     "In part, a small part, his main problem goes back even further. It begins with how Witchers are trained. Yes, their mutations affect their ability to express their feelings, it does not affect their ability to feel. A distinction many have mistakenly gotten wrong for so long that even their training has been affected.

     He does feel, he just cannot express it very well. And so he feels inadequate to the task of caring for children."

     "But he did so well with Ciri, all of them did, Vesemir, Eskell, Lambert even. And it was her own father who failed at being a father."

     "You are correct, but it does not do enough to correct his past mistakes and the emotions that still plague him because of them."

     "You said his problems went before Yen, was there a woman in his life before her?"

     "Yes, there was. And ironically, Dandelion knows who she was, yet even he has kept Geralt's silence on it."

     "Who..."

     "Her name was Essie, and she came to love him with all of her heart. Yet Geralt did not respond to her, even as he was torn inside, wanting to be with her, yet unable and somewhat unwilling to speak of it."

     "Unwilling?"

     "He believed in his training, what he was told, what was sometimes literally beaten into him, that Witchers do not feel as other mortals feel. Do not love, or hate, only to show no emotion at all."

     "But that is a lie, I know he feels, I have seen it in the others as well."

     "Yes, you have. But to so many others it is simpler to agree with what is said than to see for themselves."

     "What happened to them then?"

     "When she told him how she felt, he turned away and said nothing. Dandelion finally got through to him and told him he needed to explain how he felt to Essie. He told her that he knew she loved him, but that he could never love her in return. He offered her physical love, but nothing more than that."

     "By the Gods! Did she?"

     "Yes, she decided if that was all she could have of him, she would take what she could. This lasted for a few years until she finally left after it became too much for her to bear."

    "There is more isn't there, what happened?"

    "A few years later, smallpox ravaged through the countryside, kingdom after kingdom felt its power. She contracted and died of it. Dandelion and Geralt went to retrieve her body, once they found out, and had her interred into a tomb."

    "And he never cared about anyone else until he got tied up with Yen and that 'Genie' wish."

    "Yes, he made that wish to save her life. Had she completed the wish she wanted, she would have died. Geralt did not know why the power of the 'wish' was struggling so hard, did not know what it was battling with inside Yennefer. He only knew that if the power went higher, it would go beyond her ability to control and would destroy her. He had no idea that if it succeeded in accomplishing what she wanted, the trap within her would destroy her as well.

    Imagine if you will, tied to each other by the 'wish' that Geralt made of the Jinn. coming to wonder what was real and what was not. Was the love each felt real or was it the wish. Part of one, or part of the other? As she fled, not able to be with him under those circumstances, and him not able to be apart from her, and so he would chase her down to be with her. She would assuage her desire to be with him, and then the chase would begin again."

     "I knew something was happening but never suspected."

     "And then, finally, Yen with Geralt's help found the pieces of another Jinn's prison, rightfully thinking what one Jinn did, another could undo, and Geralt frightened out of his wits that the wish would be undone, and not to know what the result would be."

     "And so I won, somehow each did not find what they hoped to find."

     "Yes, Yennefer found she did have true feelings for Geralt, but Geralt found he did not have feelings for Yennefer. And so later, I entered the picture and offered to Yennefer, a new future, a new destiny, a new life. A life she has found and lived to its fullest. Learning what she lacked before, how to come to love a man. Before, she took her pleasure with whoever she cared to whenever she cared to, and no attachments to anyone. Now she has learned what true love can be, how deep it can go, how strong it can make one be when those she loves are threatened.

     But Geralt with the single exception of Ciri has never learned these things. His feelings toward Ciri are as a father toward his child, even as she was not of his blood, his feelings run deep. How much so would they be toward a child of his blood, a child born of the woman he loves. He is almost frightened to death of that prospect, of being unable to control himself, afraid of losing the ones he would love, afraid of the pain and grief that would near destroy him."

     "But people live with that every day of their lives!"

     "Yes they do, but they are not, mutated, Witchers, mired in wrong-headed beliefs, indoctrinated in those beliefs until they can not think around or beyond them."

     "Like they tried to do with us, sorceresses, some unsuccessful, most successful."

     "Now you see past the smoke and mirrors, into the hard truth. I will speak to him, try and guide him to what you now see. And then, maybe, he can see his way clear to decide to rise above what has been and take what can be."

     "Something else, the 'Church of the Eternal Flame' has seemingly 'gone up into smoke'. There are none of them to be found anywhere in the city."

     "I know and because of this, something calls to me. What it is and what it means to this city, I do not know. But I must answer that call, must find what it is that I am being drawn to do here. Since I must go out and search for Geralt, I can search for what calls as well. Then see what I can do for both."

     "Good luck then."

     "Thank you, something tells me I will need it."

     As she leaves her room in Dandelion's Cabaret, walks down the steps to the main floor, most of the patrons are somewhere else at the moment, the staff taking advantage to clean things up. Iriisii spots Zoltan at the bar and heads over to speak to him.

     "Good morning, Zoltan, how are you this morning?"

     "Fine as I can be, your Ladyship. Things are quiet now, very quiet since the hierarchy of the 'Church' has gone and done a vanishing act."

     "You don't think they will show back up, maybe try and burn the place down do you?"

     "Nah, they learned their lesson on that the last time you were here. No, something about this time is different."

     "Different, how?"

     "The air is cleaner, somehow. It feels different, more of something that has been missing for a long time."

     "Hope?"

     "Yes!, that is it, there is 'hope' in the air. That has been missing for far too long, longer than the 'Church' had been a part of the landscape."

     "Well, I need to ask you something?"

     "Where you might find Geralt?"

     "Indeed."

     "Thought you might, after I saw him hit the door on his way out like his tail was on fire. Only seen him this way when he needs to think, clear his addled brain. Hard to say where he will be, but he will not be in any of the taverns, whorehouses, gambling dens, those places, not when he wants to think. He will be where he can look out over the city, try and get a feel for what is eating at him."

     "So I need to look for the high places, then?"

     "Good place to start, he may just want to wander the streets, see if anyone he knows is still around. Let me see, the mummer troop, I heard they were working on a new play, he might be there, or he might be at the 'swordsmith's shop', Eibhear, I think his name is."

     "Ok, thanks, Zoltan."

     "Glad to be of help."

     Iriisii gets up from her seat, turns and there is Phillipa, Rigmor, and Yennefer.

     "If you need help finding him, we are ready to assist."

     "I do appreciate the offer, but I think if he saw any of you heading toward him, he would go the other way. Let me be clear, this does not have anything to do with any of you. He is having difficulties with his past, which have finally caught up with him. Things that happened before he knew any of us. That has been buried deep within him, just perhaps not deep enough, and now coming out. I want to help him deal with it, get his head back on straight. Then he can sort out where his life is going to take him, with a clear conscience."

     "If you say so, love, but if you need anything."

     "There may be something, the three of you can help with. There is something else trying to call me, something needs for me to act on it here in the city. I need to find, a man, broken, nearly spent. He was once, a power here, but truly wicked, now not even a shadow of himself.

     He is ready to be redeemed and remade into something else. He doesn't know this, but I do, and it is up to me to find him, heal him, redeem him, guide him into becoming something else. Something this city truly needs, the start of something that will grow until it stretches far beyond the boundaries here."

     "Who could she be talking about? Most of the really twisted ones that fell some years ago are dead."

     "What about 'Junior'? Could he be still alive?"

     "You mean 'Whoreson Junior', I do not know if he has survived his fall into the gutter. He would fit the description, major player in the underworld, then he crossed the wrong people, hid out in one of the enclosed enclaves in the better part of the city until his proclivity with abusing and killing whores got his location found out.

     How he survived, I have no idea, but the next he was seen was laying in the gutters in the poor section of town. Even the children would have fun throwing rocks at him. It would be a miracle if he has survived."

    "What area was he last seen in?"

    "Here is a map of the city, I have circled the areas where he would be found in his body did not get tossed to the fish."

    "Thank you, somehow he feels like the one I am looking for. Why I do not know yet, I will find that out when I find him."

    Iriisii walks outside, the sunlight beaming down a little brighter than it has, the mood of the city also a little brighter. Her step begins to show a little spring as she begins her search. 

    She decides just to wander about, see where she is led, whichever one she finds first she will deal with first. The people see her but do not know her. They do feel something around her, a sense of hope follows her, and a few start to follow that sense of hope.

    She gains a following, although she seems oblivious to it. She isn't but she is not worried, they feel something flowing from her, and she feels they will become important to one of her tasks.

    She walks down winding streets, smelling cooking food, ale from a nearby tavern, the cries of dockhands as they unload ships. Merchants hawking their wares to the passersby. She hears the sound of a hammer striking metal. From the sound of it, the steel is still too cold to be pulled from the fire and beat on. As she passes the smith, just as she was going to speak, the steel breaks.

    "Put it back into the fire, both pieces until they are red hot. Then overlap them on the anvil and beat them back into the shape you want."

    "Wha..?"

    "Here", as she takes the tongs, shoves the broken piece back into the fire, the base piece following it. "Now use the damn bellows man, and heat that up! Come on, I haven't all day!" He reluctantly does as she says. It does not take long before the metal is ready.

     "You can tell it is ready by the color, if it is not a bright red, it is not ready and will break every time."

     She places the metal pieces on the anvil and begins to beat them together.

     "The rhythm of the hammer is critical at this stage. You have to hit by the beat of the timing. Listen to the sound it makes and you will know when it is right." The sound continues to make a clear clang that rings everywhere. An hour later, as she takes the repaired blade from the anvil and quenches it. Then she hefts it in her hands to feel the balance.

     "Not bad, as best as it will be with this grade of steel. To do better, you need better steel."

     "Northside smiths have the steel market pretty sewn up."

     She fingers the coal he is using in his forge.

     "Can you get a harder grade of coal?"

     One of the people following her steps up and looks at the coal.

     "I can get you harder coal, it will cost a little more but not much more than what you are being charged for this."

     "She takes some gold coins from her pocket, the first load is on me. Use the harder coal and take a few pieces to grind into powder. Do you have a smelter or access to one?"

     "Yes, there is a smelter on the other side of this square."

     "Ok, when you receive your steel, take it to the smelter and have him melt it down again for you, add the harder coal powder to it, about one pound of powder to a load of melted steel. Spread it out, don't just pour it in. Have the attendant, and help him if you have to, use his bellows to push air into the steel from the bottom. He should have the right equipment to do it.

     Do this for an hour, then pour the steel into the molds you want to start with. Once it is cooled down, take them back to your forge with the harder coal, fired up. You will hear the difference in the sound the hammer makes on the steel. If it ever sounds off, put it back in the fire, heat it up, and try again. If it will not sound right after a second try, set it aside and use it for a pot, skillet, or something, anything but a blade or armor."

     "How can I ever thank you?"

     "Just make the best metal you can, if you find you cannot do better, ask some of the other smith's. There are all kinds of tricks you can learn to improve your skill. There are other metals, ores, and such that you can add to your steel to help it do specific things. Some will not help you, others tell you to go away, keep trying and you will find one that will help you.

     Now I have more places to visit."

     She walks away toward the less than desirable section of town. One of her followers asks if this way is where she really wants to go, to which she replies, "yes, I am being drawn to someone in particular, who needs what I can offer. All who have needs and in turn can be of help to me, I will feel drawn, to do what I can for them."

     "Who do you seek? I can ask the people who live here, maybe they can point us in the right direction."

     "He was once known as 'Whoreson Junior', and yes I know his story, but he is ready for redemption and rebirth, if he will accept, I have a task and a place for him to do the will of the 'Mother'."

     The follower goes and talks to a few of the locals and they point off further down the street and two more sections after a left turn. He thanks them and the party starts off in the indicated direction. They shortly arrive and Iriisii sees a tattered lump of filthy rags huddled against the wall some twenty feet away. She motions to her followers to stay as she walks toward the lump of rags.

     "Are you he who was once known as 'Whoreson Junior?"

     A wheezy voice, tired, and raw asks, "who wants to know, wanting to gloat over my misfortune?"

     "I am Iriisii Dovahkiin, we have never met before now, and I have no interest to gloat over anyone's misfortune. I have experienced enough in my own life not to try and compare to see who has the greater misfortune."

     "You do not look like you have seen misfortune as I have. Go away."

     "I have spent years under the control of 'Black Lotus', my only escape paid for with the life's blood of the father of my firstborn by my own hand, and almost took the life of my son as well before I could break its hold. This was done on the orders of another, who held my reins."

     He unfolds the rags from over his head and takes a long hard look at Iriisii, sensing only truth from her. "Black Lotus, huh. Never dealt with it myself, what I heard of it was enough for even me to let it be. Maybe you have had greater misfortune than I have had. The one who held your reins, you killed that one?"

     "Yes, I did."

     "Good, I did many horrible and despicable things in my life, but anyone who would use that shit against someone for years does not deserve to live. Now, what have you come to interrupt my final moments in this life for."

     Iriisii looks around but does not see or sense 'Death', she does however see an old woman selling flowers, and for a split second, she sees the old woman morph into the 'Aspect of Life'. Upon recognizing her, Iriisii nods her head and the old woman returns her nod. A few of her followers go to her and purchase flowers.

     "It looks to me as 'Death' feels your time is not now, yet I do see his sister, the 'Aspect of Life', nearby."

     "You can see them?"

     "Yes, they have walked side by side with me for many years."

     "You are the one the people speak of, the one who caused the 'Churchmen' to vanish."

     "I am she."

     "Then I ask again, what business do you have with me?"

     "I have an offer to make to you."

     "You obviously have the better of me, you see all that I own now, once I could have laid claim to half the city, now even the dogs will not lick my wounds."

     "I offer you redemption and rebirth in the name of the 'Mother of the Cosmos'."

     "And why would she be interested in me?"

     "The great ones among the Gods and Goddesses, do their best work using the most flawed of men and women. I am an example of one and I ask if you would be another."

     "And what would she have me do, that requires someone so flawed as me."

     "The people need a shepherd, a guide, a mentor to show them the path the 'Mother' would have them walk. The means of this is to be a new "Church", built out of the ashes of the old one as a phoenix rises from the ashes of her destruction. It will be called the 'Church of the Dragon of the White Phoenix' and if you accept, you will be its 'High Priest'."

     Wiley is overcome by a paroxysm of wheezing laughter that succumbs to gut-wrenching coughing.

     "You are serious, aren't you?'

     "This 'Church' will grow beyond the bounds of this city, this continent, this world. It will grow into all of the Realms in all of the Creations. And you will grow with it, becoming the Prophet, Herald, and Speaker for 'Dovah Sot Yolos'."

     "Who is this one you call Dovah Sot Yolos, that you need someone like me to act as High Priest for?"

     "She is my daughter, the Dragon of the White Phoenix. Her half-sister, the Dragon of Spirit, is to join her power with mine and we will begin the Jihad of Truth. Across all of the Realms of all of the Creations, the Prophets and Heralds for the two of them will proclaim their coming, saying, the 'Time of the Choosing' is upon them. And all, mortal and immortal, must choose if they follow 'Good', 'Evil', or the 'Balance'.

     Once the battle lines are drawn, and all have chosen, Ragnarok will be unleashed, and the battle will begin. If 'Good' or 'Evil' wins, the Creations will be destroyed, only if the 'Balance' wins will life continue. Then Ragnarok will take the 'Daughter' upon his back in triumph to stand before the 'Mother'. She will step down and relinquish the 'Mantle of the Mother' to her avowed Daughter, to take her place upon the pinnacle of power. The Aspect of Death will then escort her who was the 'Mother' to the Final Gate and go with her into the Great Beyond.

     As the great battle rages and passes through, the White Phoenix will come bearing healing, solace, and peace for those remaining. You as High Priest, will draw them to the 'Church', where they will learn why all this had to happen and what is to come when the Creations are reordered when the new 'Mother' takes her seat."

     "And just what is to come once this happens?"

     "A new Golden Age of Peace, Prosperity, and True Justice for all races, all creeds, mortals and immortals alike, to last until the New 'Mother' tires and seeks to step down."

     "How long will that be?"

     "Who knows the count of the years, the one who has the Mantle now, has held it for billions upon billions of years, how long the next will hold it for? Who knows, not even she does."