The Story of Iriisii Dovahkiin - Book Three Chapter Three

                                                         Book Three Chapter Three

     As they all get up from the table, Iriisii asks Geralt and Triss to come to her room a little later to talk if they are not tired. 

     Iriisii: "We need to discuss the entity mentioned in the letter and I need to speak with Yennefer first, then ward the room for secrecy before we talk."

     Triss looks at Geralt, who is still pale from hearing that the 'Mirror Man' may be involved and nods his head in agreement. Triss agrees to the meeting and says they will give Iriisii time to talk to Yennefer before they come up. As Iriisii and Yennefer enter the room they are now sharing, Yennefer looks at Iriisii to ask what they need to talk about.

     Iriisii: "Please sit, I know you must be tired, this will not take long. First, I want to say I am proud of the way you handled yourself with Phillipa Eilhart. It could not have been easy for you."

     Yennefer: "But I did lash out at her! I was so angry and wanted to stop her talking so, about you!"

     Iriisii: "Precisely my sister, you did not lash out at her for your own sake, but rather for mine. You did it to protect another you cared about, not for you. You have indeed learned much from me in a short time, and I agree with the judgment of my Gods, that your change of heart is genuine and thus worthy of reward."

     Yennefer: "Thank you for your kind words, having someone actually treat me as a sister and not just say the words is...I do not know how to describe how it makes me feel."

     Iriisii: "That is not something to worry over, as you continue to grow and gain more experience the words will come to you. I once stood where you do now, and so I know what is in your heart. That is also why I wish for you to become one of my Elder Council of Advisors, and I need to speak about that to you.

     What I expect is very simple, first, be honest with me, tell me what you think, not what you think I want to hear. I will listen and give weight to what you say. I may not always take your advice, but I will listen and consider it when making a decision.

     Second, you do not have to agree with me or my other advisors about something, but be ready to give your reasoning if asked. Sometimes I can be swayed if the reasons behind disagreeing are persuasive.

     Third, if you wish to talk with me about anything, you just need to ask, I will make time for you, so do not worry that I might be too busy to speak with you about whatever you need to ask.

     Fourth, know that I trust my Elder Council, with my life, and the lives and wellbeing of my entire Empire, and that I trust you as well or I would not ask you to join it.

     Fifth, you will need to know who else is on my Council and they will need to know you as well. So when we return to Cyrodiil, please take some time to begin talking to the others, so you each can begin building trust between you. Oh, and I should mention that one of my advisors, Durnehviir, by name, is a dragon. I can see the shock on your face, but yes, he and I have a history. And because of that history, I trust him implicitly.

     You will sometimes hear him refer to me as 'Qahnaarin'. In dragon speech it means, vanquisher, I fought him in the Oblivion realm of the 'Soul Cairn' and was the first in his personal history to defeat him in combat. When I went to return to Tamriel, he waited for me at the gate and asked for a boon. If I would 'call' his name from Tamriel, he would for a short time, be allowed to come to my call, and thus if I needed his aid, he would fight by my side, if not, if I would allow him the freedom to fly in the skies of Keisal once again, for he had nearly forgotten what it felt like to do so.

     In return he would teach me a dragon shout called, Soul Tear. I called him three times to Tamriel and watched him joyfully fly on the winds of Kyne's skies. Even after he taught me the words of power for Soul Tear, I continued to call him from time to time. He would sometimes fly alone, sometimes he would ask me to fly with him on his back, and we would have 'tinvok' together as the Dov do. I think that was part of what motivated Akatosh to free him from the chains of the Ideal Masters, bring him back to Tamriel, and ask him to give his vow to protect all that I call 'mine'. This he did, for me, in recompense for showing him what friendship meant."

     Yennefer: "When you told Phillipa not to talk to you about power until she could fly in the Skies of Keisal as the Dov do, not on their back, but with wings of her own, then you unfurled your own wings. I have never seen anything so beautiful before or known it was possible for anyone, not a dragon to have wings."

     Iriisii: "Let me tell you a secret, a secret that you must keep for me. Can you do this?"

     Yennefer: "Yes, I can."

     Iriisii: "Good, the secret is this, to those who are my companions, who walk in my footsteps, who fight with me side by side, who earn my trust and never betray it. To those precious few, I can for a while, gift them with wings of their own!"

     Yennefer: "I do not know what to say."

     Iriisii: "You do not have to say anything, just keep walking the path you have set your feet upon and I am certain you will earn the right to fly the skies with me and see the world as the Dov do. It is an experience like nothing else, I promise you."

     Yennefer: "Thank you for trusting me with this secret. I will not let you down!"

     Iriisii: "I know you will not, my sister, I know you will not. Now I hear Geralt and Triss coming up the stairs. Do not speak of what you hear in this room tonight, name no names, for even though we will be protected, names can have far-reaching power. And I would not have that one knowing I seek knowledge about him."

     Yennefer: "I understand."

     Iriisii: "Good, now you can help me with the wards. We will start at the north cardinal point, then proceed to the east point, then west, then south. I will activate the wards when all are ready."

     Iriisii waits to activate the wards, after placing them in the room until Geralt and Triss come in and sit. Once everyone is in place, Iriisii intones, "Nu Suleyk Spaan" and even Geralt could feel the power of the wards seal the room.

     Iriisii: "Now we can speak without being overheard by outside sources. Geralt, I will understand if you do not wish to speak of the 'In Fiik', but by coming here, I assume you see the importance of my having knowledge of him, should I have to face him."

     Geralt: "Yes, I do agree, but if you don't mind, I do not know those words, 'In Fiik', would you, what, translate? for me?"

     Iriisii: "I apologize Geralt, as I grow in my use of Dragonspeech, I am unknowingly using some of it in my speaking, as the dragons do when speaking to me, mixing the two languages. It simply means 'Master Mirror'."

     Geralt: "Please do not stop on my account, it will make some things we talk about safer since I doubt anyone else could translate the words and thus know the subject of our speaking."

     Geralt goes on to recall all he knows of the 'In Fiik', his mannerisms, actions, abilities, possible weaknesses, and strengths, then he goes into detail by recounting the story of when he first met him and continued through his banishing him by pulling him through his reflection in a pool of water. He stressed his obsession with riddles and bargains, always with a soul as payment, his ability to stop time around him, and how an Oxenfurt professor researching him, went blind from his reading about him. Finally, he finished his tale by describing what he looked like as he lost his demeanor after being beaten by Geralt winning his bet.

     Iriisii: "Very interesting, he seems to share several traits with both the Elder Scrolls and a certain Daedric Prince. I do not think they are closely connected, but maybe somewhere in the distant past, there may be a common source between them. If so, and this is a very large 'maybe', the Elder Scroll may give me some enlightenment or advice on how to deal with him. In fact, now that I think about it, it may have already done so."

     Yennefer: "But how you have not attempted to read it yet."

     Iriisii: "Even though it is not written, and very little actually is, I surmise that just by being close by physically, it can influence thoughts in one direction or another as it sees fit. In the letter, the admonition for me to use the 'moon blades' on him as they are the only weapons he fears and likely does not know that I have possession of them now makes sense to me."

     Geralt: "But how or why should he fear them? They are powerful, yes, but they are blades nonetheless."

     Iriisii: "They are far more than just powerful blades, Geralt. They are soulstealers, that can pull a soul from its body and trap it within the blades. And as I consider how many souls I knew were trapped in them, when I took possession of them. I would say it is even possible for them to steal 'In Fiik's' soul and trap it. But I am also near certain that for them to do so, they would have to release all of the others being held inside.

     I daresay, it would take the combined power of both blades to hold his soul trapped and any others inside would only divert the strength needed to hold him. I feel I am right in this, the entities living in those blades are older than the Kalpa itself. Where they first came from is not known, or even how they came to be placed in them. To be honest, such knowledge is best to remain lost in the dim mists of time.

     What to do with the blades after they successfully trap that damned soul. Yes, I must ask Azura for more of the 'void metal'. I can fashion a chest of sorts to contain the blades, then place the chest in a Dwemer Lockbox that I know will be perfect for this task. Then use the rest of the 'void metal', forged into sheets, place them completely encasing the lockbox, fuse them together, and to the metal of the lockbox. Then set the charges, Master Dandelion has said he can make, and Zoltan has volunteered to place them where when they 'explode' was the word used. Zoltan said it would 'bring the whole mountain down' on the lockbox, thus sealing it away for a very long time."

     Geralt: "How long is a very long time'?"

     Iriisii: "At the very least, ten thousand years! This is because once locked, it will be impossible to construct the key needed to open it. The 'void metal' that will be used to encase the blades and the lockbox is very resistant to magic, and so will act to block the magic of the blades and the trapped soul within from being detected, the Dwemer metal the lockbox is made of is the strongest metal known in my world, and fusing it with 'void metal' will make it even stronger, all of this and a mountain of rock on top of it as well! I am confident in saying ten thousand years at least!"

     Geralt: "When you put it all together like that, I have to agree with you. It is as solid a plan as any I have ever heard. And I have total confidence in your ability to pull this off. Now how can I help make this happen?"

     Triss: "I am in as well!"

     Iriisii: "Good, it will not be easy, but it will be easier with all of us working together. Now I think we should all get some rest and take it easy tomorrow. I need to wait on word from Azura that her part is ready and I would like her opinion on our plan as well. I would like to know what she sees in the 'twilight' concerning this venture and if we need to make any changes. If you would allow, I would like to ward your room. To ensure that you sleep well tonight and have no untoward visitations in your dreams. I think tomorrow, I will ward the entire building, so as to protect everyone inside.

     Yennefer, I will need your help with that then. First, we will 'cleanse' to remove any unwanted traces, then place the wards to stop anything from getting inside after the 'cleanse'."

     Triss: "I don't know how much help I would be, but I would like to help if I can."

     Iriisii: "Your help would be appreciated very much, Triss Merigold. Now, we all need sleep. Good night, and may you have pleasant dreams!"

                                                                  *

     The next morning after everyone had eaten, Iriisii discussed what she would need for preparations to read the Elder Scroll.

     Iriisii: "What it is that I will need is simple but subject to complexities. Let me put it this way and the rest of you can tell me what, if any problems you see. Basically, I need a place to meditate for a period of time. I do not know for certain how long. I will need somewhere away from the city, the noise and activities here will not allow the concentration level I need to achieve. Somewhere relatively quiet, normal birds and other wildlife is fine and could actually help. As far as people, as long as the noise level is low and does not sharply rise or fall is all right.

     I will need a platform about five feet square, placed on a wooden tower about thirty feet off of the ground. A ladder will be needed for someone to bring food and water every so often. At sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, and at midnight if no moons are present in the sky, I will need to use my dragon shout ability for a single specific shout at those times. This will occur for each day and night I am on the platform. I cannot think of anything else at this time, so I will let all of you think about where you believe it can be done."

     Everyone looks around, some start to say something but stop. Then slowly each turn to look at Geralt.

     Geralt: "I know what you are thinking. Yes, it fits what she needs perfectly, except for one thing."

     Iriisii: "Would you tell me what the problem is and if there is some way we can work around it?"

     Geralt sighs deeply: "Duchess Henrietta."

     Iriisii: "I see. You think we likely could not just show up at wherever you have in mind, without this Duchess Henrietta being a problem?"

     Geralt: "I have a villa and winery in Beauclair. It fits what you need perfectly. However, the Duchess will have likely heard of you by now and will have no interest, unless you cross the border. Then she will want to know everything about you."

     Iriisii: "I see, then perhaps we need to assuage her interest by feeding it what it wants."

     Geralt: "You mean making a 'Grand Entrance' at her court?"

     Iriisii: "Precisely, Geralt! We have the ingredients already here to make a small party presentable. And if we give her what she wants, she will be less likely to cause trouble later."

     Geralt: "If you say so, then I trust you. Just know that I do not do well in these types of situations."

     Iriisii: "As I did as well once upon a time. But I know just how to make things work for you in such a way that it will not be an inconvenience to you. What would you say to, acting as my personal Imperial Guard Captain? And let me make this clear, I expect my Guard Captain to be, first and foremost, a warrior, not a court lackey in armor.

     You will not bow and scrape before any nobility, your job is to look for trouble that might come seeking me and you cannot do that, bowing and making small talk with every courtier that wishes to be seen with you. And if anyone, including the Duchess, has a problem with it, they can speak to me about it. I trust that meets with your approval?"

     Geralt already had a high opinion of Iriisii, but it just now shot up way above the clouds.

     Geralt: "I would be proud to act as your Imperial Guard Captain, your Majesty!"

     Iriisii: "Let me reiterate, if anyone gives you a single bit of trouble, I wish to know about it at once, so that I can deal with it. I do not go in for all this foppery that I see in other courts. Because I am Aasimar, my Gods expect me to 'lead by example' which is the second of my three tenets. How can I earn the respect and admiration of my people if I look and act like a jester! My people know of my accomplishments and look up to me to be what they need most. A bulwark of strength and stability in times of need and stress.

     Someone they can rely on to do what is right in the eyes of our Gods, and not someone who only looks for where their next septim is coming from. I look to the future of my people from the lowest to the highest, and work to give them the means that they can then use to further themselves and their families!"

     Iriisii stands up and looking at Yennefer asks her, "Yennefer of Vengerberg, will you formally accept now my official desire and declaration to become a citizen of the Empire and of Cyrodiil, its capital city. To this day take up my mantle as Imperial Sorceress to the Empress Iriisii Dovahkiin, her Empire, and its people?"

     Yennefer, stunned and speechless, looks at Iriisii to see if she is indeed serious. Triss whispers to her, "This is finally the chance you have wanted and waited for all of your life, take it!"

     Geralt nods his head. Everyone else is smiling and nodding for her to accept.

     Iriisii: "Sister, will you please accept this for me? I can think of no one I would want for this, more than you!"

     Yennefer: "For you, my sister, yes, I will accept!"

     Iriisii raises her arms above her head, palms flat together, and intones, "As the Gods of my world hold witness, as the Architect himself is pleased with my choice this day, by my right as Empress, I do now declare and accept you, Yennefer of Cyrodiil, as my Imperial Sorceress of the Empire and of Cyrodiil. By this action on this day, let all know the truth of my words."

     And with that Iriisii's hands start glowing, she slowly moves them apart, the glow stretching with her hands, until the shape of a staff can be seen within. When her hands are at the correct point, she grasps the staff and lowers it. Still, in both hands, she holds it out for Yennefer to take and says, "Take this staff, as your badge of office, and let all know the Architect of the Creation of Mundus has approved of you. For he has ordained that you will wield his staff, the 'Staff of Magnus' in his name, 'As You Will It, Make It So!'"

     As Yennefer takes the Staff of Magnus in her hands, the glow above in the air coalesces into the image of the 'Eye of Magnus' and a strong voice echoes from it, "My daughter, Iriisii Dovahkiin, Empress, has made her choice and I, Magnus, God of Magic, Architect of Mundus, give my approval to her choice. Wield my staff in the name of the Empire, so that prosperity, justice, and peace, shall reign over all men, mer, and beast, when the Golden Age is begun."

     The 'Eye' winks out and it is then that all notice the absolute silence that had been unbroken and now the applause that breaks out from the crowd threatens to shake the walls.

     Iriisii quietly takes a still-quivering Yennefer into her arms and says, "Congratulations, my sister, only once before in history has anyone garnered the approval of Magnus!"

     Yennefer looks at Iriisii for a second and asks, "You?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, as I dueled an ancient mage on the 'Plains of Aetherius", who had hoped to usurp the role of Magnus by Right of Combat. I stood as his Champion that day. As the mage made a very stupid mistake! He shapeshifted into a dragon as he fought the greatest dragon killer to walk Tamriel. Take that as a lesson, know your enemy, so you know how best to defeat them."

     Yennefer: "I will."

     Iriisii: "Good, now we have more planning to do. Someone needs to find Elihal and ask him to come speak with me. I have a question to ask of him."

     After some time, and some food and drink, Dandelion shows up with Elihal in tow.

     Elihal: "You wished to see me, Empress?"

     Iriisii: "Please Elihal, Iriisii, and yes, we have a bit of a situation that I do believe you are uniquely qualified to help us with. You see, I am preparing to go somewhere and meditate before trying to read my Elder Scroll. We have decided to go to Geralt's villa and winery in Beauclair for this purpose."

     Elihal: "And you will first be required to appear in Duchess Henrietta's Court."

     Iriisii: "As I said, you are uniquely qualified to help us with this."

     Elihal: "Are you wanting to mimic the fashions in the court right now or continue to make your own way?"

     Iriisii: "You have to ask?"

     Elihal laughs and says, "I will be honored to show those donkeys in burlap what true fashion looks like. I think that the things I have seen you wear, with just a little alteration will have all of them eating out of your hand in order to acquire some of your fashions for themselves."

     Iriisii: "Good, anything you require, just give Dandelion a list. I have given him the funds he will need to acquire whatever we need. And Geralt, I know you so dislike the clothes they wear at court, so Master Elihal is going to do something that may just make a name for himself.

     He and I are going to combine our talents and make a set of light armor for you unlike anything ever seen. I need for you to detail how you think it needs to be able to do and withstand. I know comfort and flexibility are vitally important, so no chafing, itching, and so forth, and I promise that even though it will make the court drool with envy, you will know it can take anything the worst monster you have faced can throw at it and come back for more. The armor you first saw me in, was a set I forged for myself, some years ago, and I have learned a great deal since then. I promise you will not be ashamed to wear what Elihal and I create for you!"

     Geralt: "I have seen and examined what you forged for yourself some time ago. I have seen nothing any other smith here could make that can compare with that which you have done. I would be honored to accept and wear with pride anything your Majesty and Elihal create."

     Iriisii: "Thank you for your kind words, Geralt, rest assured you will be well pleased with the result, this I promise to you. Master Dandelion, when you take those gems to be appraised and sold, if I may make a suggestion, only show a few of the different quality of gems, taking a few at a time to different merchants.

     In this way, you do not upset the market for them and possibly lower the price overall that you can get. It also lowers the chance that thieves will make a target of us and thus I will not have to risk angering the thieves guild by making a gruesome example of a few of their number. It is not that I fear them in the least, but once I return home, I do not wish to leave, with them holding a grudge against you for my actions. You deserve far more than that for the kind actions you have undertaken for me in my time of need."

     Dandelion: "It is nothing, really. I would not hesitate to do the same if I had it to do over again."

     Iriisii: "Your words and actions tell the truth as to what lives in your heart, Master Dandelion. May my Gods bless you and yours for all time to come."

                                                                     *

     Later, Iriisii is consulting with Elihal on some aspects of Geralt's new armor when Geralt comes up and asks to speak with Iriisii about something that he has just been made aware of. Iriisii asks him to follow her to the room she shares with Yennefer.

     Iriisii: "Please tell me what has you so concerned, Geralt. Is there something I have said or done?"

     Geralt: "No, your Majesty, nothing like that."

     Iriisii: "Then as we are in private, please call me Iriisii. I know it is difficult for you, but I do not put myself above others, especially my friends. Titles are for official business or court functions, not between friends in private."

     Geralt: "Of course..Iriisii."

     Iriisii: "There now, that was not so difficult. Now what is it that you needed to speak to me about?"

     Geralt: "I have spotted a fellow witcher of my school who has just arrived in town."

     Iriisii: "I see, since there are so few of you left, that would be a rare occurrence, am I right?"

     Geralt: "Yes, it generally is a rare thing to have happen. Especially since this witcher happens to be involved with a sorceress as well."

     Iriisii: "I take that to mean, this sorceress is not of the same character as Triss is?"

     Geralt: "Indeed, but thankfully not of the same mold as Phillippa Eilhart."

     Iriisii: "But likely here to either gather information or conduct some sort of business with us at the behest of the Society of Sorceresses?"

     Geralt: "More likely gather information, the sorceress' name is Kiera Metz, and the witcher is Lambert, but I do not think he is involved in any way except to provide security for Kiera."

     Iriisii: "Do you think Lambert will come here and seek you out?"

     Geralt: "Hard to say, it is possible that he may. If only to assuage his own curiosity. But if he does show up, I must warn you he has a most acerbic wit and manner about him. So I would ask that you look past his surface words and manners to see the truth underneath."

     Iriisii: "I thank you for telling me this Geralt. Although it is difficult to insult me to the point of blades being drawn, it is not impossible. So I will take extra caution if or when I speak to him to be generous in my manners. Do you think it would be advisable to have Yennefer by my side when speaking to him?"

     Geralt: "Hmmm, before her 'change of heart', I would say 'no', now however, since she is so markedly different from how she was then to how she is now, at the least, it will throw him off in his expectations. And that will be good for us, so I say 'yes' have her with you when and if you speak to him."

     Iriisii: "Thank you for your counsel, Geralt. I appreciate your candor and honesty, so very rare in Royal Courts these days. Please do not change yourself in that regard, you are too valuable as you are! Now I am sure Elihal is getting worried about how the design of your new armor is coming along. Please come and look, then tell us what you think. It will be yours to wear, so it should reflect the 'witcher' who wears it, don't you think?"

     Geralt: "It has been so long since anyone really cared about what I think about the armor that I wear, that I am honored beyond words that you would ask. Please let us then go and see what miracles Elihal and you have wrought."

     As Geralt, Iriisii, and Elihal are reviewing the tracing diagrams for Geralts new armor, Zoltan walks over and peruses the diagrams as well and whistles his admiration of the work.

     Zoltan: "Geralt, you lucky dog, what did you do to ever merit having a set of armor like this, specially crafted for you!"

     Geralt: "I am going to wear it at Duchess Henrietta's Court in Beauclair as the Empress Iriisii Dovahkiin's Imperial Captain of her personal Guard."

     Zoltan: "Well is that all! And here I was thinking of asking about a set of 'heavy armor' for myself, but now I think I have changed my mind. I can wait and get the lady 'smith' out at 'Crow's Perch' to make me something."

     Iriisii: "Zoltan! You would insult Elihal and me to accept anything less than what we could make for you! And here I thought the Dwarves only went for the absolute 'best' armor and weapons!"

     Zoltan: "Please accept my most humble pardons and apologies, it was the farthest thing from my mind to insult two such august personages such as yourself and Elihal!"

     Iriisii: "Zoltan, you have been holding out on us. You would have no difficulty at all in a Royal Court speaking like that, but really, I would not ask you to do anything that you were not prepared and capable of doing. Besides, when I forge armor for family and friends, it is a work of love, and I do not ask for recompense in any form but that you enjoy wearing it."

     Zoltan: "I..I..I..do not know what to say, milady. Such generosity I have never experienced except for a precious few times in my life."

     Iriisii: "Then you will experience it once more in your life, my friend, for I truly care about my friends, Zoltan. And count you as one more among their number!"

     Geralt: "I will have to remember this day, never before have I seen Zoltan Chivey at a loss for words."

     Iriisii: "Zoltan, if you would write a list of what you feel most important in the armor that you would wear, and once we are done with Geralt's, I would be honored to craft a set for you that would be the envy of anyone who saw it. In fact, I once had the honor to duel one in my world called, 'The Ebony Knight'. He had done everything it was possible for him to do, and he had withstood all their trials. He wished to leave this life and go on to Sovngarde, but he wanted to do it in a battle that the bards of Lord Shor's Hall would sing about for ages to come.

     And so he sought me out and challenged me to a duel. One on one, deep in the Jeral Mountains, no other witnesses but the two of us and the Gods, themselves. I cannot in good faith recount the battle, except to say that he was granted his wish to enter Lord Shor's Hall across the Whalebone Bridge in Sovngarde, where only the most storied and deserving of warriors go to spend their afterlife! I think he would be proud if I forged you a new set of armor like that which he wore!"

     Zoltan had no words he could say to express his thanks to Iriisii, who simply smiled at him as if saying, 'no thanks are needed among friends'. Zoltan then turned and walked away so no one would see the single tear trace it way down his cheek and into his beard.

     Iriisii: "Now Geralt, I have changed the design of these joints to be more fluid but they will not sacrifice integrity, they will stay as strong as the rest of the armor will be."

     Lambert: "Yeah, he needs stronger joints in his armor since he is getting on in years."

     Geralt holding on to a straight, emotionless face, "Your Majesty, the Witcher Lambert of the School of the Wolf, Lambert, her most Royal Majesty, the Empress Iriisii Dovahkiin, Empress of Cyrodiil and the Empire."

     Lambert starts to make a wisecrack about where the hell is Cyrodiil when he finds himself wrapped tightly in magical bands that lift him up from the ground, while he finds a feminine hand wielding a very sharp dagger across his neck saying, "You will keep a respectful tongue when speaking to the Empress Iriisii or I will pull that tongue out through the hole I will slice into your neck if one more disrespectful word is uttered from your sewer of a mouth!"

     Iriisii: "Witcher Lambert! Do I have your word of honor that you will do as my Imperial Sorceress, Yennefer, has asked, and be more polite and respectful in your choice of words or should I allow her to continue with the removal of your tongue?"

     Kiera: "Please, I will stand as surety for Lambert's behavior."

     Iriisii: "Very well, Yennefer if you please."

     Yennefer removes her blade from Lambert's neck and moves away a safe distance before releasing the magical bands. As Lambert twirls in the direction of Yennefer, Iriisii sternly voices her displeasure at his action.

     Iriisii: "Witcher Lambert! If you take one more step toward my Imperial Sorceress. I will unleash her to defend herself against you in whatever fashion she so desires!"

     Lambert: "I have known her longer than you, since when is she more than a power-hungry harlot, who.."

     Iriisii: "WITCHER LAMBERT!", letting a small amount of her Thu'um empower her voice, "Hi would harm Rek Wo Los Dii! Dreh Ful Ahst Hin Unslaad peril!!", as the words of the dragon speech leave Iriisii's mouth, everyone close by could see the waves of power ride the air toward Lambert, others farther away simply saw him jerk and violently shiver before collapsing to the floor. Kiera runs to Lambert and looks him over for injuries before saying to him, "I told you to leave this to me! Now look at what you have done!"

     Iriisii: "Kiera Metz, I will not hold you responsible for his Dukaan Dreh! If he wishes to dishonor himself, that is his to do, but to dishonor the School of the Wolf, he dishonors all, past and present, who hold to its tenets. Know that this was, but a small taste, of what I can do with my Thu'um alone. He would not survive the full force that I can bring to bear, should he anger me enough. If you would wish to keep him alive, you will need to convince him to be more respectful. If you cannot, I can, or kill him in the process! The choice is yours to make.

     Iriisii: "Ol Zu'u Fen Nii, Zu'u Wahl Nii Kos!"

     With Iriisii's final statement, though she has said the words many times since Boethiah first said them to her, now saying them in Dovahzul, feeling the words in her being, letting their meaning fill her voice with the power they instill, her words seem to echo across the vastness of reality. All who hear her words know in their being that she is, exactly who and what her words say she is, power incarnate.

     Iriisii: "Keira Metz, if you would speak with me then I will receive you upstairs, you may bring 'him' with you, if he can remain silent." 

     Iriisii gives a small wave of her hand to indicate to Yennefer to proceed her up the stairs, then turns to Geralt and with a look, asks him if he would like to be present as well. Geralt gives a questioning nod toward Triss and Iriisii returns a nod of 'yes'. As the group files up the stairs, Iriisii motions for Dandelion to approach her. Iriisii quietly says, "I must beg your pardon for the outburst, please, if you would, tell your patrons, I am buying two rounds of whatever they wish to drink and send up some 'White Wolf' if you have any bottles, if not, a good cognac will do. And I do appreciate your patience with me, thank you, Master Dandelion!"

     After the group has gone up the stairs and the bartender is busy serving the crowd 'mobbing' the bar. Zoltan chuckles and says to Dandelion, "Damn if I haven't seen such a show since Geralt went after 'Whoreson Junior'!"

     Dandelion looks at Zoltan, smiles, and replies, "Whoreson had it coming to him, here, make yourself useful, take this tray of 'White Wolf' up to the Empress, with my compliments. And make sure you come back and tell me everything you happen to overhear, while you are up there."

                                                                 *

     Everyone is now seated in Iriisii's room that is going to be involved in this meeting. Kiera has effectively muzzled Lambert, telling him that she does not have the power needed to shield him from Iriisii's draconic shouts and if she unleashed on him at full strength, she would likely pulverize every bone in his body, not to mention the organ damage he would suffer.

     He did not like it, but had to admit, he had grown somewhat accustomed to living, so he would keep quiet. Zoltan showed up with a tray full of bottles of 'White Wolf', the Beauclair wine bottled at Geralt's winery. Zoltan left and the wine was served around to all.

     Iriisii: "Kiera, I will assume that you are here at the behest of the Society of Sorceresses to ascertain exactly who I am, what my purpose for being here is, and do I in any way purpose to be a threat to the Society, and that what information has made its way to the Society is directly from Phillippa Eilhart?"

     Kiera: "Indeed, according to Phillippa, you are not only a royal pretender but possibly a worse threat to the Society than Nilfgaard currently is, with your seeming ability to persuade anyone you speak with to believe whatever you want them to."

     Iriisii lays a gentle, calming hand on Yennefer's arm, feeling her start to bristle at the accusations being made against her 'sister' Iriisii.

     Iriisii: "I can well understand how someone as egocentric as Phillippa would see things in that manner. But what of you, Kiera Metz, what do you see in me?"

     Kiera: "I am going to be honest with you. I see many things, some dangerous, some not, but the deciding factor to all is your intent. And that is the main mystery that must be solved."

     Iriisii considers what Kiera has said and responds by giving her side of events that have transpired starting with her leaving the Fortress on the Edge of Pandemonium via a temporal teleportation spell and the events that happened after the double interruption resulting in her arrival in the cellar of Dandelion's Cabaret.

     The more that Kiera hears, the paler her complexion grows, not with concern that Iriisii is a threat, but that if she somehow does not succeed in her task, what the cost might be to her entire world at the grasping claws of the Man of Glass. For though she had never encountered him, she knew of the stories told and written, and truthfully, still had nightmares from them.

     Kiera: "This goes far beyond my instructions from the head of our Society. I will have to refer this to Ida and let her decide how to proceed. I also believe this requires the greatest speed and so I propose to contact her via megascope. If I have your permission to construct one, we can quickly get this situation resolved."

     Iriisii: "Yennefer, will you assist her and also ward the room that is going to be used so that there is no outside eavesdropping into the conversation. Use the ward blocks like I showed you, they will provide enough security for this task."

     It only takes a couple of hours to construct the megascope and set the wards around the room. Once everyone is in the room, Yennefer activates the wards, and Kiera gasps as she feels the shielding snap into place, sealing the room, making it almost into its own pocket dimension. Kiera sends the signal to Ida asking for her to open the connection at her end. Ida, already expecting Kiera to contact her, opens her side.

     Ida: "Kiera, it took you long enough..., I see."

     Kiera: "Please Ida, after I heard the whole story to this point, I knew I could not decide the merits of it on my own. I knew you would need to hear for yourself."

     Phillippa in the background started in, "You see Ida, Kiera has already fallen under her influence like Yennefer has! You have to put a stop to this now before it is too late!"

     Ida: "Phillippa, I am the leader here and you will stand down!"

     Phillippa: "No! Can't you see what she is doing? If you will not stop this then I will!"

     Iriisii reading the situation, feels she must do something before it spirals out of control, and makes her decision. She concentrates her voice to a level she has not achieved before, honing it into a narrow beam, using the power of her mind to visualize just what she wants to do, and letting her dragon soul loose to do it.

     Iriisii: "Fus Ro Dah" as she directs it into the portal, syncing the tonal qualities of her voice to match the portal, thus the portal passes her shout to the other end, striking Phillippa and driving her hard into the wall behind, causing her to lose consciousness. Silently giving thanks to all of the Dwemer texts on tonal architecture she had taken from the Temple at Sky's Divide and studied on her own.

     Ida: "Sweet Mother, what...how..."

     Iriisii: "That was the Dragon Shout known as 'Unrelenting Force', I trust Phillippa has not been harmed beyond losing consciousness?"

     Ida checks Phillippa's condition and makes her comfortable until regains herself. Lambert looks at Kiera and silently mouths, "That could have been me, but worse?"

     Kiera silently replies, "Yes, you got very lucky, do not let it happen again."

     Ida: "Yes, she is not seriously harmed. Thank you for that. I must apologize for her behavior."

     Iriisii: "Do you think this is normal for her or is it possible she is being influenced by another, whom I would rather not utter its name, even though this room is warded?"

     Ida: "Now that you mention it, she can be forceful, but this is out of character, even for her. This one you think that may be influencing her?"

     Iriisii: "He has many names, and I do not wish to draw his attention even more, but I think he is now aware that I am here and what I intend to do. He is known to you as the Man of Glass."

     Ida staggers as if she was struck by a blow. She quickly turns and intones a spell around Phillippa's comatose body.

     Ida: "Now, she should stay in her current condition and also not hear anything we say until I release the spell."

     Iriisii: "Thank you for your precautions, I take it, you know how exceedingly dangerous it can be to be involved with 'it'."

     Ida: "Yes, I do, we elves have known of him from before we ever came to this world and his name has ever been linked to greater and greater evil. That you would fight such as he, says either you are courageous beyond measure or equally stupid. No offense intended."

     Iriisii: "No offense taken, I have been told those very words once before when I had trapped a dragon, then ordered him released, and then climbed aboard his back as he took to the skies to deliver me to the Temple of Skuldafn. The only way to reach that Temple is by flying, there is no ground path. And I had to go there to enter a portal to the place of our 'afterlife', Sovngarde.

     Where I did battle with the first dragon created by Akatosh, God of Time, Father of Dragons. I and the spirits of the three 'tongues', the first warriors taught the Thu'um, or Dragon Shout, who first cast Alduin the Worldeater adrift in the streams of time by the use of an Elder Scroll.

     Together we fought and destroyed Alduin, whose reappearance was to herald the end of our Kalpa, your word is sphere. However, it was also in the prophecy, that the last Dragonborn would appear during Alduin's rage against the world he once ruled. And that Dragonborn carried the last hope for our world. If I defeated him, then our world would live on until the next appointed rebirth, if not, then the world would end in dragonfire and our world would be reborn in dragonfire to repeat the same mistakes of the last. 

     We now stand on the cusp of a new prophecy, a prophecy of a golden age of peace, prosperity, and justice for all men, mer, and beasts. A woman of royal blood has risen to become the High Queen of Cyrodiil, the seat of our Empire. A child of Royal Blood and Dragonblood has been born, Kintyra III, my child, and that of Rigmor of Bruma, High Queen of Cyrodiil.

     Kintyra is the fulfillment of that prophecy, she will bring about that Golden Age when she herself comes of age, and I step down from the Ruby Throne for her to ascend. But first, there still remains the Vision of the Alessian Priest, known as Maruck, some three thousand years ago.

     He knew not if this hero was man or woman, or even if he was seeing the far past or the far future. He said a hero would rise from the humblest of beginnings, this hero would do three things after ascending to the Throne of the Empire. First, reforge the broken Empire into one greater than it had ever been before. Second, smash the Aldmeri Dominion. And third, put the sword to the Serpent we know as the Tsaesci.

     I came from the headman's axe in the town of Helgen to become the Empress Iriisii Dovahkiin, anointed of Akatosh, the first Dragonborn to sit on the Ruby Throne in over three hundred years. I am in the midst of the first task of reforging the Empire, for we have just about four years before the Tsaesci invasion comes upon our shore.

     I must finish reforging the Empire before that time and I am certain that to do that, I must smash the Aldmeri Dominion, for they are the only ones standing in my way of having the Empire ready to repel the Tsaesci. The Tsaesci fulfill the third part of the Vision of Maruck, for they are a race of vampiric reptiles! If they are not defeated when we do battle for the fate of Tamriel, then the Age of Man ends, and the Age of the Undead begins until the Kalpa is reborn. So has Akatosh, himself, spoken to me, in his Cathedral, in the city of Bruma. The same Cathedral, I, Iriisii Dovahkiin, Empress of Cyrodiil and its Empire, married Rigmor of Bruma, High Queen of Cyrodiil."

     Ida and everyone else stand silent and stunned at the revelations that Iriisii had just revealed.

     Ida: "Please forgive my question, but...?"

     Iriisii: "How can two women have a child together? In our world either of two ways. One, by High Sorcery, the second by Divine Intervention. All three of my children, have been by Divine Intervention."

     Some of this had been told to Geralt, Triss, and Yennefer, but not in its entirety and with the prophecies to back it up, as well as having seen one of the infamous Elder Scrolls in Iriisii's possession. Iriisii brings it out at this time and shows it to all, saying, "This is an Elder Scroll that contains within it the location of where I must go to in this world to do battle with Evil Incarnate. And in doing so, secure the help I will need to win the battle for my Empire and my world.

     For the Evil One is known across many spheres and even more worlds. And the Gods that watch over those spheres have wished for one to do battle with that Evil, not to kill him, for he would just return again and again, for the balance must be maintained. But the loophole in the balance is that his essence can be trapped and thus removed from influencing all the worlds he wanders through.

     For as long as his essence remains trapped, the balance is maintained. If I can do this, those Gods have promised their aid in my mission to 'put the sword to the Serpent' and secure my Empire and my world for my daughter to ascend and rule, bringing about the Golden Age promised by our Gods."

     Ida: "How can a scroll of your world affect events beyond that world?"

     Iriisii: "The 'Kel' are enigmatic at best, powerful enough that our Gods tread lightly in dealing with them. They are a part of existence itself, but a pale shadow of the whole of Existence. They go where they will reveal what they wish, and none truly know or understand their motives."

     The 'Kel' in Iriisii's arms begins glowing, her eyes take on a matching glow, and her voice changes going into a lower register.

     Kel: "This is she who we recognize as our 'daughter'. We speak through her now to impress upon you her importance. Soon she will complete the tasks asked of her relating to her homeworld of Nirn and its Sphere of Mundas. Once they are done, she will not disappear into the mists of time as other Dragonborn before her have done. She will instead take the Path of the Gods and go on to far more important tasks. For the survival of existence itself will rest upon her shoulders. Those of you here and now will have a part in what she must do. Thus we ask that you support her and help her with all that you are able. In return, you will be blessed and rewarded greater than any others who have come before. Even though we do not see all that she will do or where she will go, we trust in her to do what must be done and that her decisions be right and just. She will not remember any of this until some time into the future when her feet are solidly on the path she must tread. When doubt comes to cloud your minds, remember our words and do as you are led to do."

     The glow fades and Iriisii comes back into herself without missing a beat.

     Ida: "Then what do you need?"

     Iriisii: "To read the Elder Scroll without permanent harm or blindness to me requires that I prepare my mind and soul to receive what the Scroll desires to give me. Master Geralt has given his blessing to use his Villa and Winery in Beauclair for this purpose. For I must meditate unceasingly until the Elder Scroll tells me I am ready. There are a few things that will have to be done to smooth the way. An appearance in the Court of Duchess Henrietta is the main thing right now that we are preparing for. We will need to appease her interest so that I may have the time I require for meditation."

     Ida: "Kiera, I give you my permission to assist in any way you can. If there is anything you need that I can provide, you have but to ask. I say this to you, Empress because although the story you tell is immense in its implications, my truthsaying gem says every word of what you have said is the truth. I will keep Phillippa asleep and sealed away until this is done. Hopefully, once he is trapped, I will be able to break his influence on her will and free her of him."

     Lambert: "Empress, if you would hear me?"

     Iriisii: "Go on."

     Lambert: "I would apologize for my previous behavior, I have much pent-up rage that I find difficult to reign in. But if you would consider a request from me, I would ask to accompany you on your task and put myself forward to assist you in any way you would have me, even to return with you to Cyrodiil. To fight to save an Empire against a horde of vampiric reptiles is a task any witcher worth his blades could not refuse."

     Iriisii: "I understand that no witcher undertakes a job without suitable recompense, so I offer you this", and Iriisii hands Lambert a flawless diamond, emerald, ruby, and sapphire.

     Iriisii: "One of each of these gems, for every four Tsaesci you slay, and if you should slay one of their named champions, and believe me they are quite easy to distinguish", a flawless ancient diamond fully half the size of the palm of his hand, "one of these!"

     Lambert sees the value of the gems in his hand and kneels before Iriisii saying, "My blades are yours to command!"

     Kiera: "Lambert, you are not getting away from me that easily. Ida has given your Majesty my services until this is ended. I will go where you go until the job is done."

     Iriisii: "Geralt, I will not think less of you if you decide to stay, you have done so much already, I could not in good conscience ask more of you."

     Geralt looks at Triss, who, after a moment of consideration says, "What you plan to do will benefit this world immensely. How could we call ourselves your friends and not see this through to the end? We will go with you as well if you will have us."

     Iriisii: "Thank you all, I will do all in my power to see that this ends favorably for all of you."