The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into The Soul Of A Nilfgard War Maiden

 The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into The Soul Of A Nilfgard War Maiden

      Triss looks around, trying to take stock of what happened, where was she? She sees Geralt, Iriisii holding her hands to either side of his abdomen, then she sees the bloodstains on his clothing. Looking for a possible threat, she sees Lord var Attre with the bloody rapier in his hands. She raises her hands for an offensive spell, Edna seeing what Triss is preparing to do, knowing her father is innocent of harming Geralt, throws herself in front of Triss.

     "NO! He did not hurt Geralt!"

     That got Triss' attention, "Who did, then?"

     Edna, involuntary looks over to her sobbing sister still hunched over on the floor. 

     "My sister, Rosa did it, why I do not know, she just seemed to go crazy when 'she'", pointing to Iriisii, "came out of my father's study, with him following her. 'She' had my father remove the rapier as she healed Geralt."

     Triss sniffs the air around her, feeling the traces of great power, and a scent she can barely recall, 'Dragon!'.

     "There is more that happened here, I sense strong magic, and I smell 'Dragon'."

     "I do not know about the scent of 'Dragon', but Rosa started screaming at 'her' as she came out of the study. The words she used I have never heard before, but the emotion behind them was rage. She has always had a volatile temper. I watched as she went after 'her' with the rapier and Geralt moved in front to defend her. She told him to disarm her only, not hurt, but disarm."

     "That is who she is, what I would expect her to do, why I respect and serve her. But go on."

     "Geralt got the sword from her and Rosa looked up at her, said her eyes were like white gold and collapsed."

     "Did you see her eyes?"

     "Not clearly, I was not close enough, did not want to get close enough. What I felt was...I felt overwhelming fear, fear of what was gazing out from her eyes."

     "Count yourself among the very lucky, few ever see that and live to tell the tale. But be certain this tale remains locked away, never to be told. Some might come wishing to know more and you would not like to meet them, I assure you. Now, go on."

     "Geralt knelt before her, placed his sword, point down to the floor, his hands around the hilt, his head bowed before her. She stood in front of him and did not move around him, just stood until her eyes changed again. Then Rosa grabbed the rapier and stabbed it through his abdomen, completely from side to side. Geralt somehow got to his feet, and she placed her hands on either side of the wound, then told my father to remove the blade on her command.

     Her eyes, changed again, this time to a sea-blue, and she told my father to remove the blade. As it came out, the bleeding started, but 'her' hands were glowing, and the bleeding quickly stopped, 'she' kept her hands where they were and I heard Geralt whisper for someone called 'Triss', the opening appeared and you stepped out of it. You are who he called for, you are Triss!"

     "Yes, I am."

     "Then who is 'she'?"

     Her father answers her, "she is Her Royal Majesty, Iriisii Dovahkiin, Empress of the Empire of Cyrodiil, and the new Regent of the Empire of Nilfgard, by order of our Emperor in Exile, Emhyr var Emreis."

     "But what was that looking out from her eyes?"

     "That was the soul of the 'First Dragon of Destiny', a dragon that lived in the very earliest times when the Creations were first formed out of the 'Void' itself. It was with that soul that Akatosh, Lord of Time, Father of Dragons, anointed me while my mother still carried me within her womb. Activated the 'Dragonblood' within my family line, placed there so long ago all knowledge of it was lost. 

     At that moment I became 'Dovahkiin' in the Dragon tongue, Dragonborn in the common tongue, and DragonChild by being anointed before my physical birth. We are called upon to be the heroes to stand when all others fall, to use our skills, our knowledge, our magic, to defend against those who seek to tear down what our Gods have built up. Long ago they chose a path to not interfere, such that their presence would destroy what they built. And so they created us, to be their mortal agents.

     I am the first, to go beyond what they intended. I serve the highest of the high ones, the 'Mother of the Cosmos'. I became embroiled in what passes here because I chose to help one who helped me, Ciri var Emreis. And because agents of the Emperor were intruding into areas best left alone, and so needed dissuading. This is what caused his exile, he would not turn aside, and what he would have unleashed, would make the 'Conjunction of the Spheres' look like a child petting a goat on a farm by comparison."

     "What of Geralt?"

     "He has been healed of his wound. He will be somewhat weak for a bit, his mutations must rebalance for what the healing did. He will recover soon enough though."

     "What of, my sister, what will happen to her for what she did?"

     "First I must explore what caused this. If I can be lenient, trust that I will, but it will depend on what I see inside her. Triss, take Geralt back through the portal to the 'Chameleon', he does not need to be seen to be involved in this."

     "Of course, and thank you."

     "There are no thanks needed, both of you are valued friends. I think of you like family, family to replace the ones lost. I will never allow harm to come to my family if I can stop it. Now go, I must see to Rosa."

     Triss gathers Geralt with one of his arms over her shoulder. He complains about having to go through a portal, to which Triss replies, "oh, come on you big baby, this is not one of those ancient Elven portals, one of ours put this one up, now shut up and let us go. Eskell and Lambert are in town and I do not want them seeing you right now. The last thing you need is to get into a drinking game with those two, especially after getting a rapier shoved through your gut."

     "I need to tell you something."

     "It can wait until we are back in the 'Chameleon', now move it, you lamebrained Witcher, cannot even dodge a rapier, I should tell Eskell and Lambert, they would never let you live it down."

     The portal closes after they go through, Iriisii chuckling at the exchange as they passed through. She then looks at Rosa, still sobbing, in a heap on the floor. The guards are directed by Lord Attre to return to their duties and to say nothing at all of what they saw unless they want to spend the rest of their lives in the most forsaken outpost he can send them to. Iriisii moves to Rosa sits down on the floor next to her and gathers her into her arms.

     The tenderness and care that Iriisii is showing to Rosa, alleviates much of his apprehension. He gets Edna and takes her back into his study, to give Iriisii time alone with Rosa and for him to explain what is going on to Edna.

     "Everything will be fine, my child, but I must see why this happened. You do not have to speak, just trust me and open your mind. Think of a door inside and then open that door for me to come in. That is it, yes, you are doing just fine."

     Iriisii enters and sees a maelstrom of emotions all wrapped up together, circling the image of how Rosa sees herself.

     "Be calm, child, I will help you ease the raging river of emotions, then we can attempt to understand what happened."

     Iriisii walks calmly through the maelstrom, the emotions parting around her, letting her through.

     "How can you? You are not mortal are you?"

     "Once, many years ago, I was as mortal as you. I went forward learning my skills, my knowledge, my magic. I attracted the attention of Gods and Goddesses, who watched and felt a guiding hand nudging me along. They did not suspect who it was, but they backed away nonetheless, but continued to watch to see where my destiny would lead me."

     "How did you become a goddess?"

     "The one guiding me saw an event I would be involved in, that would take place only a short while in the future. 'She' changed the event just enough for it to become a 'Test of Apotheosis', but first I had to accept my first 'Mantle'."

     "What is this 'Mantle' you speak of?"

     "Think of it like an 'office' that a ruler has in their kingdom, putting people in these places of responsibility, giving them the power to act, and giving them scant instructions. Then stepping back and watching what they do with it. Do they begin to seek more and more, hoarding it away? Do they use it to help those under them, help them learn to make their way through life? Or do they hide it away, keeping it from those who both may challenge them for it, or need a helping hand?

     The lower 'Mantles' work to change their holders, to urge them to become what the 'Mantle' most needs in its holder. Only the very top, the highest Mantle is different."

     "How is it different?"

     "The one taking it up, changes its responsibility, rather than being changed by it. The one who holds it now is the same who took it up in the beginning, she was and is the first 'Mother of the Cosmos'."

     "How long ago?"

     "Billions upon billions of years, she has held it. Absolute power, yet chained with absolute responsibility. She tires of the task, and seeks one to take it up when she is ready to pass it."

     "You?"

     "If I survive the trials set before me. I do not think about it very much really, I have enough just day-to-day right now. But I learned a very valuable lesson, early enough to have saved me much trouble along the way."

     "What is that?"

     "The value of friends, allies, confidants, and mates."

     "So you do not face these trials alone?"

     "Some yes, some no. I judge what is most important for me to set my hand to, others I allow to take care of the rest. Of course, I do not send them out unprepared. I have given them the best weapons, armor, training, that I can amass, and am always looking for better. For my enemies will not sit and wait for me to come to them. They will prepare and then come after me, it is then up to me to be ready. But one thing more on this, I do not allow all of this to rule over me, I make a life for myself and those I love along the way.

     I have suffered loss, just as you have. My mother died giving birth to me, so I never knew her. My father died months later of a broken heart, unable to bear the grief of losing her. My grandfather raised me, along with others in our village, until I lost them all in a night of fire and steel. I had to kill my 'brother' in order to save his soul from eternal slavery to a parasite that would have turned him away from all he knew and cared about. Yes, it was his last wish to me to do it. Some with me offered to do it so that I would not have to, but it was my responsibility as he was the holder of the 'Mantle' of the 'First Horseman of the Apocalypse', before the 'Mantle' was passed to me. And so I stand here with you, to show you that you do not have to be a slave to your rage and anger. That it can be made to work for you when it is a slave to you.

     You like the feel of the power a blade in your hands gives you. But without the proper training, it will do nothing but bring you to your death, or worse. Trust me, I have suffered fates where I prayed for 'Death' to release me. But as often as 'he' came to me, he never reached out his hand to me. Instead, he would listen to me, help me understand that if he took me. My fate would seal the demise of far more than just myself. I never realized just how true the words he spoke were, not until recently anyway. And when I learned the truth of why I was chosen, tested, how I could change the fates of so many others. I knew I could never set aside my destiny, that I would see it through to whatever end came for me.

     If your father will allow, I can arrange the best weapons and tactics training that exists. I know, for they trained me, and I went and raised the bar. We can start it in Nilfgard, and then if your skills warrant it and you desire to go further. I will arrange for your inductance into the 'Temple of the Ancient Order of the Blade Dancers'. There, they will hone your skills to the finest razor's edge. Then if it is your wish, I will induct you into my 'Sirens'. A more deadly group of War Maidens, I have yet to find, even the 'Valkyries of Meridia' cannot match them. But first, you must show me you can be mistress of your emotions, for that is where your path begins."

     "Why would you do this for me?"

     "Because you are yet young, and not beyond salvage. Without me, you would never find the first of the steps you need to walk this path. And as I am to be Regent of the Empire of Nilfgard, the welfare of you and all its citizens are my responsibility."

     "Regent! How!?"

     "Your father is explaining this to your sister Edna even as we are speaking. You can ask them to explain it. But know that I did not seek this, the Emperor wants the Throne for his daughter, Ciri. She does not want it at all at this time, maybe in the future she may relent and ask for it. Should she do this, I will gladly step down and give it to her. Your Emperor saw this quality in me, and used it as a means of ensuring when Ciri is ready, the Empire of Nilfgard will be there to welcome her as its Empress."

     "That does sound like the machinations he has engaged in before to get what he wants."

     "I can understand both his position and hers. She holds great power within her as she is descended from the blood of 'Lara Dorn'."

     "Wait, she holds the power spoken of in the stories and tomes?"

     "Yes, the bloodline was first created to provide a living weapon for the elves who lived here before everyone else came. They wanted to be able to cleanse all non-elven from this world and return it to what it once was. It mattered not that the presence of the non-elves was not by their choice, but it was the choices they made after they came here that turned the Elves against them. Truthfully, not all elves feel this way, only a small number who cannot let go of the past.

     Their lives have not been easy, pogroms, sport hunts, slavery, all this, and more have they endured. But the worst is the decline in both their numbers and their lifespans. They have sought help from their kin in other spheres, but they have their own problems and the problems of these 'lower class' elves are no matter for them to deal with. 

     One group, the Aen Elle, felt the power held within Ciri and believed that with her blood, they could turn away the 'White Frost' that was eating away at their homeworld. They hunted for her, chased her across this continent, then across other worlds in different Spheres. It mattered not to them that it would seal this world's doom, and the lives of their kin living here."

     "They would sacrifice others of their own kind?"

     "They did not see it that way. To them the Elves of this world are nothing but 'mongrels', to be used and then discarded. And the Elves who make their home here either cannot or will not see this. This may serve to help you understand a little more, among the Aen Elle is the group known as, 'The Wild Hunt'."

     "You mean, 'The...Wild Hunt', the ones the stories speak of, that mothers use to quiet their children for bed."

     "Yes, and the stories are nothing more than 'fluff', the truth is that they are the stuff of nightmares. The ones that are locked in the asylums scream about them in the middle of the night. When those poor souls feel the 'Hunt' riding through the skies."

     "I always thought they were not real."

     "Oh, yes, they are real, although Geralt and his allies have pulled their fangs and claws for a long while yet. And as unimaginable as this may seem, there is worse out there. But there is also almost indescribable beauty as well. If you progress far enough, I will take you to meet Shai-Hulu'ud and his 'Hall of Remembrance'. There may be a surprise waiting for you there."

     "What could it be?"

     "Time enough for that later, I will show you how to calm the raging maelstrom. But it will be by your efforts that this is done. Now watch with me."

     Iriisii figuratively takes Rosa by the hand, and starts on the edge, not trying to stop it but to slow it just a little. She shows her how to create a 'hand' made out of her 'will'. And place it alongside the swirling emotional energy, then reach out just a little with her will, and try to slow that edge down. It seems to take some time, but time runs differently where they are. 

     Slowly she sees progress being made, this energizes her to continue, doing all she can to restrain her impulses and do only what Iriisii instructs her to do. They really see progress being made, the speed of the maelstrom is lessening, its color is changing as it loses energy from being slowed down.

     Finally, it has stopped and the last mists of emotional energy begin to fade, revealing an image of Geralt. Iriisii thought this might be the cause, but now knowing it, she also knows she must move very carefully.

     "Now we see what it was that triggered your anger and rage."

     "But why would just seeing him do that to me. It has been some time since I last had anything to do with him. And we parted on less than amicable terms. Edna told me it was my fault, that I expected him to see the world as I do. And when he did not, it hurt me deeply."

     "How do you feel about that, do you agree with Edna, or do you feel she is wrong?"

     "I...at the time, I felt she was wrong. Now, I am not so sure of it. Seeing him again, I cannot explain what happened."

     "It is alright, I see more here than you do, because I have experience with 'soul searching'."

     "Soul searching?"

     "It is a way to see into the core of a person, what drives them to react the way they do to certain events or people. I can see where this is leading, and I will tell you now, you will not like it. But you must retain control of yourself. Do this and we can look forward into the 'Time Streams' and find a true path for you."

     "What is a 'True Path'?"

     "A life path that will carry you to that which will fulfill your deepest desires, those that reside deep in your heart and soul. It can be a difficult process, for sometimes that which you are truly looking for is not what you think. When I did this for my Rigmor, it almost tore me asunder to see some of the things that would befall us on the paths she chose.

     In the end, she had to see that she was asking the wrong question. Once she saw that we were able to get past the pain and suffering of her visions and found what we both were looking for."

     "What was that?"

     "How to be together, happily, and still fulfill what destiny had for us to do. She once told me, 'destiny will follow you to the ends of the world. You can hide all you want, but it will always find you. And then you had better be prepared for what it has in store for you'. The path she was looking for was for just the two of us. And it always ended in death and catastrophe, mine, hers, both of us, our daughter Kathea's, and sometimes the complete destruction of our world."

     "What was different about the question she asked that worked?"

     "She simply wanted to know what it would take for us to live happily. At first, she did not understand why it had to involve others as well. But now, she can not see it any other way. She loves Illyria and Byrsael as much as she loves me, and we all depend on each other. Each has different strengths and weaknesses that one of the others can cover. And then I had to add Dettlaff."

     "Dettlaff?"

     "Dettlaff van der Eretein."

     "Why did you have to add him?"

     "That gets complicated, but I saw him going with me within the Dreamlands. to rescue Kathea. Only if he were with me, would we be successful.  Any more than him, myself, and Elric, then someone would not return."

     "Still, surely he would have no trouble going with you into the Dreamlands?"

     "That is where it gets complicated, the Dreamlands will not allow him to enter, as he is a 'higher vampire'."

     "That would be complicated indeed."

     "I asked some of those I had previously met, how to accomplish getting him into the Dreamlands. I was told only by the sharing of blood between the both of us. We would see it quite differently than they do. To us, if that was what I had to do to rescue Kathea, alive and well, almost no price would be too high. I found out just how true those words were."

     "What do you mean?"

     "The sharing of blood between 'higher vampires' is a very...intimate act. Usually only done between mates. Also because I was already a goddess at this time, by sharing blood, we would gift each other with abilities that we did not already possess. And he would grow in his personal power, as long as we continued, we would reach a point where we would both be equal.

     As an 'Ascended', he would become what his people call, a 'Vyrkolos'. A vampire God, able to take the reins of power over all of the different species of vampires. We have already acquired the loyalty of the lesser vampires that live here on the Continent.  But as I think you see, there would be some who would fear such a one coming into his power and what that might mean for their own desires of power."

     "What gifts did you acquire?"

     "I have my own 'beast' within, she is aware of herself and still seeks a name to call herself. I will not name her, rather I think that is something intensely personal and so it should be her decision. I can also read him in combat, such that both of us know where each other is during a battle, and what we are doing. When we are close enough to fight together, nothing can stand against us. Especially when I am armed with these."

     Iriisii reaches into her 'dimensional storage' and pulls out her 'Wamphyrie War Gauntlets'.

     "By all of the Gods! Those are so wicked! What are they?"

     "Wamphyrie War Gauntlets', your hands inside direct what weapons are used on the outside. When I am using these, and Dettlaff is armed with 'Wanderer', we can take on anything and any number of foes. Each merged with our 'beast', we are the stuff of nightmares to our enemies."

     "What happened to them, the Wamphyrie?"

     "They are no more. They were too dangerous to allow to roam the world they lived on unrestrained. And yes, there is more to the story, yet I do not have all of the facts. They were not natural but rather possessed by a very nasty parasite, that gradually took over their minds and bodies. The things they could do, defy imagination. But they were never supposed to exist, much less grow to such power. There was an anomaly that had to be corrected to return the world to its proper timeline. This had to be done in such a way that the Wamphyrie were completely eradicated. 

     But someone was using that world as a place to test them. Then they departed, leaving the Wamphyrie to do as they would. I want to find who it was that started them, how they did it, was it done in a laboratory, was the spore brought from somewhere else? I must be certain that they will never be used again or they could get loose and sweep the Creations."

     "That bad, huh?"

     "I have fought demons, devils, demogorgons, giant ravers, dueled a Kuurii, fought even the 'Man of Glass', but nothing else do I fear as much as the Wamphyrie getting loose. Under certain circumstances, they can infect even a god. A god, given over to the parasite within, that I would marshall all of the forces at my command, across all of the Creations and beyond, and give my last breath to see it destroyed."

     "With those being what you have to face, that leaves many underlings to be taken care of. I would be proud and honored to fight with your forces against foes that could one day threaten Nilfgard. Better to take the battle to them than to allow them to set the pace. I want to be the best and most deadly War Maiden in your army."

     "Then we know what question to ask of the 'Streams of Time'. Let us be about it, time waits for us here, but not outside. We will find just the right path for you."

     "I do not know how to thank you for what you are doing for me. Any other ruler or regent would have just slit my throat and be done with me."

     "To she whom I serve, all life is precious, I share her belief. I will kill and be ruthless about it, when it is called for, to protect the Creations and their inhabitants. But when it is not absolutely needed, I will bend the heavens and the hells, to find another solution. All you need to do to thank me is to be the best that you can be. Walk the path we find for you, let nothing sway you to the side, that will be thanks enough."

     "Then that is what I will do, I will make all who know me, proud to see what I can accomplish."