The Lady of Time And Space

Chapter 1: Kaer Morhen

Kaer Morhen, School of The Wolf, about 10+ years before the Wild Hunt first began their pursuit of Ciri.

Geralt of Rivia was relaxing in the bathtub when a crustacean-like creature crawled in and gave him a nip just as he was about to nod off. He woke up, grabbed the creature and threw it down on the floor near his reclining lover; the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg. She was half-naked, had a towel wrapped around her head and lying on a comfy couch with her back turned to Geralt while reading a book. The crab disappeared and Geralt said "You know I don't find that amusing"

"It wasn't meant to amuse" Yennefer replied. "It was meant to prompt you to hurry. It's midday, already."

"pfff…" Geralt scoffed. "You promised Ciri you'd train with her" the sorceress reminded him. Go, before Vesemir bores her to death with those etchings"

Geralt sighs and begrudgingly climbs out of the tub, then starts getting dressed. "So…later, then?"

"Mhm. See you later"

He then walks over to the door, takes the key lying near it, unlocks the door and heads downstairs to find Vesemir sitting on a chair sleeping with some open books lying on the floor in front of him. "Old witcher's fast asleep" Geralt muttered to himself. He walks over to the balcony and sees Ciri training on the castle wall, all by herself with no one watching her.

"Guessing she prefers practice to theory" Geralt commented. Vesemir heard him say that and began to stir. "Hm? What?" the old witcher said to no one in particular. "Time to wake up, master. These lessons so boring, they put you to sleep, too?"

"Dammit…had her taking notes on 'Ghouls and Alghouls.' Wanted to rest my eyes for a bit"

"Huh. Making her slog through that brick? No wonder she took off"

"John of Brugge lacks flair, true, but he's reliable. Not like the hogwash they print nowadays" Vesemir countered. "She's tackling the pendulums, isn't she? How many times do I have to tell her? Don't train alone! It only embeds your errors. Bring our young damsel to the courtyard. She wants to practice? She'll get to practice"

"Don't get mad at her"

"Why the hell not? The little whippersnapper refuses to do as she's told!"

"You like that about her"

"True, I suppose I'm partly to blame. But this has to end. Fighting monsters is not something to be taken lightly. She needs to understand that if she is to become one of us. I'll see you below"

Geralt then headed down to the pendulum; a set of logs with a much bigger log swinging between it which is used by witchers to practice footwork and swordsmanship…which Ciri is doing blindfolded.

"Wrong" said Geralt, which made her almost lose her balance and inadvertently proves Geralt's eagle-eyed assessment true. "Now I see why you were so eager to practice. Strike!"

"Ha!" said Ciri, who then used some showy moves on the pendulum which almost cost her her wooden sword, but she caught it with her right foot and flipped it behind her back, catching it again in her hand this time.

She continued to show off her skills to Geralt, but if Geralt was impressed at all, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply continued to finish instructing her by saying "You're not in the circus. Pirouette! Wrong. Footwork! Enough. Get down"

Ciri looked behind her in the direction of the sound of Geralt's voice. "With a flip?" she asked. "What do you think?"

She backflipped off the logs. "All right, take off the blindfold. You've got work to do. Your reflexes are still slow"

"Maybe for a witcher"

"Think drowners and strigas will go easy on you because you haven't undergone the mutations? Though in your shoes, I'd fear Vesemir more than any striga. Disobeying his instructions…unwise."

"Well, yes…but that book was horribly dull!"

"I know. And you know it's no excuse"

"Ugh. I'm sorry. It won't happen again"

"Sorry's not good enough. You're gonna read "Ghouls and Alghouls" in it's entirety. Appendices included."

"No, please…I'd rather clean the stables!"

"End of discussion. Come on. We'll practice with the others down below"

"Shall we run the walls?"

"Of course. This a witcher school or an elven bathhouse?"

At this, Geralt and Ciri raced each other to the courtyard. After climbing up and down some scaffolding, Geralt made it to the yard first. "I won!" he said.

"Your legs are longer." Ciri pointed out. "I'll show you. Just need to grow a bit first."

Vesemir and two other witchers, Lambert and Eskel, are there as well. "Oh no…Vesemir's got that look" said an unnerved Ciri.

"What'd you expect?"

"I'm very sorry, Uncle Vesemir."

"Young blood craves action, I understand that. But when you fight a beast, knowledge counts as much as your silver sword. At the very least, you ought to be able to tell a ghoul from an alghoul…"

"By markings, like unto the panther tigris that in Zerrikania dwells, and the sickly paleness of it's visage"

"Hmm. So you did read the chapter. Still, you should've asked if…"

"But you were asleep, Uncle Vesemir"

"So you did the reading. Why not admit it right off?"

"'Never pounce on an advantage as soon as it appears. Wait till it stands to have maximum effect' Uncle Vesemir's words."

"Well, you're a quick study. Quick, but mischievous. Fine. We've talked enough. Geralt, you're with me. Lambert, you're with Eskel. Ciri with the dummy"

"Huh…again?"

"Stop groaning and grab a sword!" said Vesemir. She walked off and did as she was told…for once, and Vesemir turned to Geralt. "What do you think? Should we start by reviewing the fundamentals or go right to free training?"

"Should work on the basics. Even skilled masters need to hone the fundamentals…and Ciri's barely a novice"

At these words, the two witchers prepared to spar with each other. Vesemir drew his steel sword and said to the White Wolf "Draw your sword, Geralt!"

The Wolf did just that and Vesemir continued: "Quick cuts! One, two, three!" and Geralt swung his sword at Vesemir in quick succession. The older witcher blocked and parried his blows. "strong strikes, now! Give it all you got!"

He turned to Ciri and added "Never lock your elbow when striking, young lady!"

Geralt's sword met Vesemir's again three times in a row. But this time, the former struck the latter's blade in a much more heavy-handed manner. "Position, Ciri! Footwork! Remember!"

"Now – parrying, Ciri! See how Geralt holds his sword? Its angle?"

"What am I supposed to parry? I'm fighting a stupid dummy"

"Pretend now, live later! Riposte. Strike, counter-strike! Now, young lady, to bring the day to a close, we'll go over a few Witcher Signs. Let's start with Quen. Ciri, Quen is sometimes called "the witcher's shield." Now watch carefully to see why. Cast Igni, Geralt. I wanna see sparks fly!"

Geralt used Igni on Vesemir, who blocked it using Quen. "See?" he asked Ciri rhetorically. "If not for Quen, I'd be aflame by now. Aard, Geralt. Come on!"

Geralt used Aard and caused Vesemir to stagger. "See that, Ciri? Aard will knock anyone or anything off-balance, destroy their rhythm. Time for Axii. Dammit, I hate this feeling…ugh…Axii can really muddle your mind"

Geralt used Axii on the old witcher, leaving him literally dazed and confused for a moment. When Vesemir regained his senses again, he said "Yrden, now. Show her, Geralt."

Geralt casted a large purple magic rune on the ground which slowed Vesemir down. "See this, Ciri? Couldn't move if I wanted to. Throw a bomb. Don't worry, Ciri. Quen will dampen the blow."

Geralt tossed a small bomb at Vesemir, who used Quen to protect himself from the small explosion. "Fine, enough. Continue training at will."

They continued to spar with each other for a little longer, using everything at their disposal. Swords, bombs and Signs. Until finally, Geralt sheathed his sword and so did Vesemir. They both saw Ciri knock the helmet off the dummy and sent it flying over the castle wall.

"Whooaaa, you really showed him, kid!" Lambert commented. Ciri started climbing the wall. "Ciri, get down here!" Geralt called to her, but if she heard him, she elected to ignore him ad hopped over and out of sight. "Huh, the little she-devil" said Vesemir. "Soon as she's back, we'll set her to polishing all the swords at Kaer Morhen"

Vesemir then walked off and Geralt asked Ciri in a voice loud enough for her to hear…or at least he hoped it was "Find that helmet?! Ciri?! Ugh, I'll make sure to find every last blade for you"

Then he noticed part of the dummy's burlap is torn. "What the…?" he said, and peeled it back to reveal a corpse. "Vesemir!" he cried out, but the old witcher didn't answer. A blizzard then started and a huge, evil-looking ship pulled up to the wall on the left. Geralt and his comrades were frozen in place by magic. Ciri was on the wall and she was also frozen in place. A very large, sinister-looking figure fully clad in black armour said "I've long awaited this. And you, White Wolf."

One of his soldiers swung his sword at Ciri. "Noooo!" Geralt cried.

…

White Orchard, Temeria, about a decade or more later.

Geralt finally awoke from the nightmare back on the Temerian hill with Vesemir. "You all right?"

"Mhm. Had a nightmare…"

"About?"

"Take forever to explain"

Vesemir looked to the western horizon and saw that the sun had not yet risen. "Dawn's some way off. We've got time."

Geralt paused for a moment, then began by saying "started in the guest room at Kaer Morhen. I was relaxing in the tub, and next to me…"

"Triss?"

"Yennefer. Funny, isn't it? She's never been there. Seemed so real in my dream, though."

"Was she nagging you about something?"

"Hm. Mhm"

"True to life, indeed. We'll find her."

"I know we will. That's not what worries me. You've seen her tracks. She's at full gallop all the time, breakneck speed through wild lands and devastated battlefields…she's in a hurry to get somewhere, or she's fleeing from something. It means trouble of some sort."

"Be surprised if she wasn't in trouble. She's always poked her nose in beehives. Courtly intrigues here, mages' conspiracies there. What do you expect?"

"Don't know. Guess I thought things would finally calm down once we were reunited. At least for a while."

"Calm? With Yennefer? Good luck"

"In the dream, I went and found Ciri. Then we trained."

"Those were the days…hm, the little she-devil. I've trained kids who were faster, stronger, but none had her character. It didn't well, did it? Your dream"

"No. The Wild Hunt appeared, attacked Ciri…I couldn't move. Stood there like a stump"

"It was just a dream"

"That's the problem. It was more – in the past, when Ciri entered my dreams, something was wrong. She was in danger."

"We taught her how to defend herself from anything, wraiths included."

Geralt looked towards the horizon and saw that the sun was finally beginning to rise. "Be dawning soon. Time to go"

"Wait, show me the letter from Yennefer. Might've overlooked some hint in there."

"Didn't overlook anything. We were meant to meet in Willoughby. Meanwhile, one army or another burned the village to the ground. All we can do is follow the trail, so…"

"Stop talking and give me the letter." Vesemir interrupted him. Geralt did as he said and the elder witcher inhaled the perfumed scent coming from it through his nose. "Well, how about that. It does smell of lilac and gooseberries"

"You were gonna read it, not sniff it."

The old man looked over the parchment and read parts of it aloud. "We must meet. Soon…Willoughby, near Vizima. Hmm…nothing here to guide us there. What's this postscript? "I still have the Unicorn"?"

"That's private. Very private"

"Ah…I understand. At least I think I do. Maybe not entirely, but perhaps that's for the best"

"Back on topic. How's it look? How far are we behind Yennefer?"

"Two, three days. Trail's fresh, but it looks like it leads to the main road. Could get muddled there"

Suddenly, their horses were spooked and Vesemir said "Wait – hear that?"

"I hear it. I smell it. Ghouls"

The two witchers made short work of the hellish beasts, then sheathed their weapons and walked over to their steeds. "Of course, when armies pass, necrophages follow. Let's go before any more show up"

Geralt mounted Roach, his mare, and Vesemir hopped on his horse around the same time. Then they spurred their mounts on down the main road. "Did I ever tell you about this sorcerer I knew? Couldn't stop talking about how useful they are as creatures"

"Because you can make potions from their blood?"

"Heh, no. Because by eating rotting corpses, they prevent epidemics"

"Hrmph. Did he not know they also eat the living?"

"No. Really upset him, too…his theory collapsed"

After riding a little further, they see a looted village's makeshift gallows. "War's not going our way" said Vesemir. "We have a side?" Geralt asked. "The Northern Realms"

"Strange" Geralt thought to himself. "I thought witchers were supposed to be neutral…"

He put that thought aside and corrected him instead by saying "Radovid's Realms, you mean. Temeria and Aedirn are no more."

"Radovid's pledged to restore the old borders. Soon as he wins the war."

"You really believe that?"

"Gotta believe something. It's what keeps us going"

They ride on to a nearby forest and hear a noise in the distance. "We going?" Vesemir asked, and both witchers spurred their mounts on at full gallop to the source of the noise. They find a cart in the aftermath of an attack. A man hiding underneath cries out "Help me! Help!" and the witchers see a huge creature devouring a dead horse. They dismount their steeds and attack the beast. Geralt manages to strike it with his sword before it takes flight with its meal gripped firmly in its talons, though Vesemir received a minor wound from the scuffle.

"Ha-has it gone?" the man hiding under the cart asks. "Yeah, come out!" Geralt answered. The man crawled out from under the cart and said "Gods, that was close! I was sure I'd end up like my mare"

"Provided you got lucky" Vesemir commented. Geralt noticed the man give Vesemir a funny look and explained to him "Your horse died quickly. But griffins like to toy with their prey. Eat it, alive, piece by piece."

Satisfied with that explanation, the man said "Ahh-ha. You'd…you'd like a reward, I suppose"

"Could always use a few crowns"

"Thing is, I've a meagre purse at the moment. Nilfgaardians requisitioned my goods, now this…here."

He gave Geralt a sizable coin purse containing fifty crowns. "Back to the trail?" the witcher asked Vesemir. "Like I said – Leads to the main road and ends there. Muddled"

"You seek someone?"

"Yes, a woman. Medium height, long, black hair. Seen anyone like that?"

"No, but…there's an inn here in White Orchard. Sole one around. Gets its share of travellers. Perhaps you'll learn something there. Besides, the innkeep's my cousin. Tell her Bram sent you, she'll treat you like family."

"Not a bad idea. Especially since that wound needs cleaning" Geralt pointed to the bloody scratch on Vesemir's left shoulder. "Bah, beast barely grazed me. But sure…could use a good rye. Nice and cool, you know, straight from a cellar?"

"Let's go" said Geralt, and at these words, the two witchers got back on their horses and continued following the trail.

…

Later on that day, Geralt learned that the local Nilfgaardian commander had met and spoke with Yennefer and knew where she was. But in order to receive this information, Geralt first had to kill the Griffin. And to do that, he needed two things – information about the beast, such as its sex, its type and the location of its nest – and a specific herb known as buckthorn. The foul stench of this plant will almost certainly attract the monster and give the witchers a chance to ambush it. Once he acquired some buckthorn, and the information, he returned to the inn where Vesemir was waiting outside for him and talking to a peasant.

"Good man, whose field is that on the other side of the river?"

"By the wood? Boyan Klimmek's. Good lad, master witcher, though he…"

"Yes, yes. This Boyan, will he venture out to inspect his grain any time soon?"

"What for? Harvest is a long way off yet"

The peasant left and Geralt approached his fellow witcher. "Got good news and bad news. Good news first – Captain of the Nilfgaardian garrison knows where Yennefer went."

"And the bad's that we have to kill the griffin for him. What else could he want from two witchers? Go on, tell us what you know"

"Griffin's abandoned its lair. Gotta make a lure, set a trap."

"And how's that going?"

"Got the buckthorn."

"Oughta work like a charm. Powerful scent"

"More like stench"

"City boy. Rotting meat, manure, piss – standard smells of the countryside. Remember Tretogor, hunting that zeugl in the trash heap? You spent half the next day bathing, scrubbing yourself."

"How can I forget? You ever gonna stop bringing that up"

Geralt paused for a moment, then changed the subject back to the griffin contract. "Learned some things. It's a male, had its nest in the Vulpine Woods. The Nilfgaardians burned the woods down, killed its mate, smashed their eggs – thought they'd fixed things."

"It's always the same. Instead of sending out for a professional, they try to do it themselves, only end up making matters worse. Hm-hm. Fine, if everything's ready, say the word and we'll get to work."

"I'm ready. No point in waiting. Let's find a good spot to ambush it."

"Picked one out already. Other side of the stream – there's fields and a grove. Plenty of room and far enough so no one'll get in our way."

"Good. Meet you there"

They rendezvous north of town, in the desolate field Vesemir chose. "A stream, amber waves of grain…charming place. Perfect for an ambush" Geralt observed.

"I know how to choose 'em. So, ready?"

"Let's start. Wind's good, bait's scent will spread quickly."

Vesemir stuffed the bait inside a taxidermised sheep and planted it right in the middle of the field. "Now all we have to do is wait. Come on. We can cower in the shade of those birches"

They hid themselves near a tree, as far from the trap as they needed to be and waited for the griffin to show up. "So, tell me…once we find Yennefer, what'll you do? Got your eye on a contract?"

"No. I'll go to Kaer Morhen"

"A little early to settle in for the winter"

"Snows are a way off, yes…and that's what worries me. Nilfgaard's crossed the Pontar in the east. Puts them maybe a week's march from Kaer Morhen. If they reach the valley before the snows can cover the passes…well, we'll need to cover our tracks, hide our paths. Speaking of winter, and wintering – think you'll come this year?"

"Maybe. Might bring a guest."

Later on, they hear the griffin squawking. "Hear that? It's close" said Vesemir. "Let's go give it a warm welcome"

"Wait. Take this" Vesemir gave Geralt a new weapon to shoot the griffin with. "A crossbow?"

"Won it in a card game while you ran around. Might come in handy"

"How about that. Always lectured us on the evils, but you're a gambler yourself"

"Stop talking. Got a griffin to kill"

The griffin lands by the buckthorn disguised as a sheep and the two witchers come out of their hiding place with their silver swords drawn and charged towards it. They gave a loud battle cry as they ran. The griffin saw and heard them coming and squawked loudly at them. Then it took flight and tried to swoop down at them in an attempt to rake its enemies with its talons. "Watch out!" said Vesemir and the witchers managed to roll out of the way before it could. "Damn, it's fast!"

Geralt quickly drew his new crossbow and shot it in the left leg, knocking it out of the sky and making the fight more manageable. They ran towards it again and it tried to swipe them with its wing talons, sending Vesemir flying a short distance across the field, but Geralt managed to avoid its wing and began attacking it from the side where it's more vulnerable.

The griffin gave a high-pitched roar and turned to face Geralt. It stood up on its hind legs and tried to bring the full weight of the upper half of its massive body down onto Geralt, but Geralt rolled out of the way again and shot it in the face with his crossbow. The griffin gave another high-pitched roar; that was so loud, it knocked Geralt off-balance and then it began to fly once more. It flew in a large circle around the field and Vesemir, having already recovered from being struck by the beast's enormous wing, said "it's about to dive!"

He used Aard to knock it out of the sky and once it was grounded again, he ran towards it, but the Royal Griffin lunged itself at him in an attempt to tackle Vesemir. But not before Geralt dived at Vesemir, grabbed him and they both landed on the ground out of the way before the monster could hit them.

The huge griffin then began to take flight and the witchers got back up on their feet. "Don't let it get away!" Vesemir cried out and they chased it to the hilltop mill. Injured and tired, the monster ceased its flight there and allowed the witchers to catch up to it and finish what they started. Despite the fact it was on its last legs, it still put up quite a fight. It might have been dying, but it wasn't dead yet.

That being said, there was no way a wounded griffin could survive against two witchers with, at the very least, a near century of experience. Geralt finished it off by striking it upwards with his silver blade. It gave one last roar and then it died.

"Not bad. Not bad. Though you could stand to improve a few things"

"For example?"

"Upward vertical strike – it's too obvious. But more on that later. Take the griffin's head to the Black Ones. I'll ready our horses. Meet me at the inn"

Vesemir walked off back to the tavern and Geralt used his knife to cut off the Griffin's head. He took it as a trophy, mounted it on his saddle and rode north to the Nilfgaardian encampment. As he entered, he saw the commander named Peter inspecting grain brought by the peasant he brokered a deal with earlier. "What the hell is this?" he asked in a curt manner.

"R-rye" the peasant answered.

"You take me for a blind man or a fool? This grain is rotten"

"I—I didn't know" the peasant whimpered. "So, a fool. Dammit, you never learn…military codex, article two, section three: for the delivery of defective goods – fifteen lashes with a knout. Make it so"

"No, no, no! By the gods, no!"

Soldiers take him into a nearby building, leaving Geralt with Peter. "What?" the latter asked matter-of-factly.

"Guess you've dropped your good uncle act"

"It was no act. I extended a hand to these people. They spat on it."

"Could it be 'cause it held the sword that killed their loved ones?"

"Hah! A moralist! And what would you have done in my stead?"

"Wouldn't ever be in your stead"

"Tell me why you've come"

"Fulfilled my end of the bargain. Your turn. Where did Yennefer go?"

"To Vizima"

"She was a day's ride from here the whole time? Might've said so"

"Yes, I might have. But you would not have killed the Griffin. Tit for tat"

Geralt then went to leave, but Peter called out "Halt! We are not done"

Geralt turned around to see the commander holding a sizable coin purse in his hand. "It's yours, this gold. I would not want you to say you were inadequately compensated."

Geralt took the coin and left the encampment. After finishing up the griffin contract, he returned to the White Orchard inn, sitting at Vesemir's table. "Yennefer's in Vizima. Got a few friends there, so…something wrong?"

He looked at a nearby table of ruffians and bandits. One of them was stabbing the table with a knife. "Look around. Trouble brewing"

"Who are they?"

"Patriots. Drinking their seventh round for Temeria, fists starting to itch."

"Don't see any Nilfgaardians"

"They'll find another foe. I'll buy some provisions for the journey. Then we'll go. Geralt, we should stay out of it…just this once"

Vesemir goes to the innkeep, a woman named Elsa. Another woman sitting nearby notices the missing coat of arms shield. "What happened to the Lilies?" she asked.

"Took 'em down" said Elsa. "Took 'em down. To hang a golden sun there now?"

"I cannot show Temerian colours. They'll come and burn the tavern down."

"Maybe it's true what they say. You fond of the Imperials? You Nilfgaard's whore?"

"I'll let that pass. I know grief eats at your heart."

"You know shit. They hanged my sister – dragged her out o' the cloister like a dog. Said Nilfgaard's no place for superstition. That they don't fear the wrath of the gods. And you, do you fear it? If not for Annie, your child would have choked on its navel-string. You owe your son to my sister attending the birth. And you don't fear the gods' wrath?"

She grabbed Elsa by the arm. "Let go!" the innkeep demanded, but the woman gripping her arm did no such thing. "You don't fear it, you cunt?"

She grabbed Elsa by the head this time and slammed it on the table several times, causing blood to flow from the innkeep's nose, until Vesemir had no choice but to intervene. He grabbed the woman and forced her to let go of Elsa, but she managed to free herself from his grip. "Leave me be!"

The woman leaves, Geralt gets up from his seat to help the innkeep, but the patriots follow him. "Recognise this medallion. You know what it means. Back off" said Vesemir, holding his medallion and showing it to them.

"You all right?" Geralt asks Elsa and helps her up. As he turned, one of the patriots said "They say witchers steal young 'uns!"

"That true?" said a second.

"What'd the emperor promise you freaks? Your own land? Like he did the elves once?"

"Get out, all of you" Vesemir replied matter-of-factly.

"We ain't goin' nowhere. And neither are you"

They draw their weapons and the witchers do the same. "They won't back down now"

"I can see that"

The witchers slaughter the attackers. Geralt cuts off one's head and it rolls to the feet of the woman who violently assaulted the innkeep earlier. He sheathes his sword and extends a hand to the woman. "It's all right. It's over"

But the woman refused his help and said "Leave me be! Get away!"

"See his face?" A man called out. "Gods save us!"

"Begone. And don't ever come back"

"So much for not getting involved" said Vesemir. "Come on. Let's go"

The witcher's leave, coming face to fact with several Nilfgaardian soldiers. "That brawl. We didn't start it" Geralt explained. But then a woman approached from behind them. And she wasn't just any woman, either. She was of medium height, long raven hair, violet eyes and dressed in black and white, smelling of lilac and gooseberries. In other words, she was precisely the woman Geralt and Vesemir were looking for. Yennefer of Vengerberg.

"Excuses, excuses…you've not changed a bit."

"Ye…Yen?" Geralt stammered. "How?"

"I received a report. About a witcher who'd appeared in White Orchard. I knew it was you. Looking for me. I might have waited until you'd found me, but…you know me. Patience has never been my strong suit. It's…good to see you, Geralt. I…I'd even embrace you…were you not covered in blood"

"Sorry…wasn't expecting to see you. To be honest, this isn't at all how I imagined we'd meet"

"How did you imagine it?"

"He didn't imagine you'd have a Nilfgaardian escort." Vesemir chimed in. "Don't get me wrong, Yennefer. I'm glad to see you…but I do think you owe us an explanation"

"And I shall provide it…In Vizima. Ready your horses"

"We can talk here. Some charming orchards nearby. In bloom, even, so you almost can't smell the corpses."

"A tempting proposition. Sadly, I must say no. You see, someone awaits you in Vizima. Someone who doesn't like to be kept waiting. Emperor Emhyr var Emreis…or, to those on more intimate terms with him; The White Flame Dancing on the Graves of His Foes"

"Doubt I number among that group. Far as I remember, last time we saw each other, he wanted to kill me"

"Well, now he wishes to make you an offer"

"The kind one can't refuse"

"I didn't. Though I could have"

"Must have been a damn good offer, then. Not many things you'd give up your freedom for. And even fewer people"

"The sooner we set off, the sooner you'll find out"

"What about you?"

"I'm going in the opposite direction. I somehow doubt the Emperor's invitation mentioned me. Besides, I've got things to do at Kaer Morhen, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. Thanks for your help, Vesemir. See you soon"

They clasp arms and part ways. Geralt then approaches Yennefer, who asks him "How's your horse? Swift?"

"Can't complain. Why do you ask?"

"I'd like to be back behind some thick city walls. As soon as possible"

Geralt waves goodbye to Vesemir as he, Yennefer, and the soldiers mount their horses and start leaving White Orchard. On the way to Vizima, they pass a shrine to a goddess worshipped by the local Nordlings and Geralt says to Yennefer "You know…had a dream about you recently."

"Knowing you, it was probably filthy"

"Just the beginning. But then…"

"But then?"

Snow starts falling and Geralt looks in the treeline behind them and sees Wild Hunt riders and hounds approaching at breakneck speed. Yennefer notices them and commands to the soldiers "Ride! Now!"

They spur their horses on as fast as they can go. The Hunt gains on them and a Nilfgaardian soldier calls out in his native tongue "Watch out!"

Yennefer's small escort is decimated by the riding swordsmen, leaving most knocked out of the saddle, and one poor guy dragged alongside his horse. As they cross a bridge, the sorceress zaps the bridge with a spell, destroying it and preventing the enemy riders from pursuing her and Geralt further.

In the horizon, Vizima can be seen. "Yennefer, how'd they…"

Before Geralt could finish, the raven-haired woman interrupts him by saying "We shall talk of this tomorrow, all right? After the audience"