The Minstrel (Finale)

As I look around this place I can see that this place is special compared to most of the places I have visited. This place even has a theater for bards to perform, now I know why Jaskier knows this place so well. Ciri is still relaxing on me as I walk to the barkeep. "Is Dandelion here yet?" The man looks at us and smiles. Guess Jaskier has already been here and prepared a welcome for us.

He puts down the cup he was cleaning. "He is in the back with Priscilla, they are waiting for you two and another that is supposed to arrive." When he said the name Priscilla I could feel Ciri grip me tighter and have a change in mood. I admit that I am not in the mood to talk to her right now either. Hopefully Jaskier has talked to her about what she pulled yesterday.

I thank the man and head to the room that he said they are waiting in. "Try and keep a cool head in there Ciri alright. We need their help, lets not give them a reason to not." Making sure that she keeps her anger in check is the best thing right now. Ciri focusing on the wrong thing in stead of finding a person to fix the magic item is not something that we need.

As I climb the stairs Ciri finally talks to me. "You don't need to worry about me Cera....As long as she doesn't try anything with you I'll be fine.....Or look at you....If she talks to you, I'll cut her tongue out!!" I think she isn't joking, I hope that she can keep control. I am not in charge of her, the only thing I can do is stop her if she tries to kill Priscilla. Other than that, it's up to Ciri to be the better woman. I don't know what happened between the two, but it was probably bad.

I finish climbing the stairs and make my way to the room. "I know you don't like her Ciri, but if we want Jaskier's help. Priscilla needs to remain unharmed, believe it or not he likes her. He is just having a hard time with telling her and remaining faithful." She stays quiet after I said that, I see the door ahead and I hear her say something under her breath.

I can understand why she says what she says. "That damn Jaskier....He likes her and he still let her kiss you....I will have words with him after the meeting..." I am fine with that, the more people that tell Jaskier he needs to fine the one the better. The man is a good person he just needs to settle down with someone he likes.

I am now at the door and I knock on it, the person who opens it up is not Jaskier, but said girl. "Hello Cera!! It's nice to see you again. Jaskier is in the bathroom right now." As she talks to me she puts her hand on my chest for a second when she greeted me. I can feel Ciri's hate right now, she is digging her nails in me where her hands are. I don't know if Ciri can hold it together.

I then feel Ciri get off my back and face Priscilla. "Back off now....I won't tell you again." Ciri is being very serious right now, however Priscilla just makes a big smile and crosses her arms. The tension between the two of them is insane. I don't have to step in yet, but I am worried of what might happen too me if I get in between the two of them. I wouldn't come out unharmed from such an event.

The response I hear from Priscilla is not something I anticipated. "I am surprised a woman like you can handle someone like Cera....I bet he does way more for you than you for him....The noise from last night was clear of that...." Wow, that is just....Wow. I look to Ciri and her eye's are full of fury. I guess Priscilla heard us last night. More ammo for her I guess, I feel pressure building from Ciri.

I keep my eye's on Ciri, just watching has she begins to lose control. "You listened to us....You actually listened to us....Then your going to say that to my face....You've got bollocks, bitch!!!" I was to slow for what happened next. I was so focused on the conversation and watching the look on Ciri's face that I didn't react to Ciri balling her fist. "*CRACK!!* Stay way from my man!!" Ciri sends a right hook to the left side of Priscilla's face, and she got her good. I didn't have time to react. Priscilla was sent stumbling back and she landed on the ground.

She rubs the swollen part of her face with teary eye's. "I wonder what Cera would think if he knew your little secret, you witch!!!" I don't know what she is talking about, but after she said that Ciri jumped at her on the ground after saying that. She is on top of her right now.

She balls her right fist again and holds her down with her left. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!! *CRACK**THUMP*" Ciri lands two more hits before I get over my shock and pull Ciri off of Priscilla, she is kicking and thrashing right now. "LET GO OF ME CERA!! I'M KILLING THIS WHORE WITH MY BARE HANDS!!!" All the commotion draws Jaskier out of the bathroom and he quickly approaches, but not before Priscilla retaliates.

I watch Priscilla get up with a bloody nose and rush Ciri. I am surprised when she lands a solid hit of her own. "*CRACK!!*" After she hits Ciri in the face good and hard she runs behind Jaskier. That was a cheap shot. Also a smart one, she knew if I let Ciri go she would get hurt. Jaskier has a face that is in shock.

Ciri finally begins thrashing to get out of my grasp. She is doing a good job of not hitting me, but she is also doing a good job of getting loose. What I mean is, she teleports out of my grasp and appears behind Priscilla. She balls up both of her fists and goes for another strike. I teleport next to her and teleport us across the room. "Jaskier!! Get Priscilla out of here!! If you don't Ciri is going to kill her!!" He wastes no time rushing with Priscilla in hand and they run to the door. Ciri tries to teleport and attack again, but I intervene when she tries.

I hold her down on the carpeted floor. She keeps struggling and trying to get free. "Ciri....I need you to calm down for me alright....She's gone now and it's just us...." My words reach her as she begins to cool down and look up at me with watery eye's. Coming down from an intense high like that can bring intense lows.

She opens the flood gates and tears pour from her eye's like no tomorrow. She begins to lose composure and I hear as she starts hiccupping and whining. "*HICCUP* I HATE HER *WHINE* I HATE HER *SNIFFLE* SO MUCH CERA!!! *HICCUP*" I let her go and captured her in my arms as I pull her up in my grasp. She just wraps around me and cries into my chest as I rest my chin on the top of her head. I run my fingers through her hair and rub her back as I let her get it all out. She starts talking to me again, what she says worries me. "I need *SNIFFLE* to tell you *HICCUP* something about me Cera.... *WHINE*" Whatever it is, I'll still feel the same way I always have. Nothing will change that.

I pick her up and bring her to the couch, I rock her slowly as she sits in my lap still crying hard. "You can tell me anything Ciri....Nothing will ever make me stop loving you and wanting to be with you." She just cries harder after I say that. She will need some time to let out all the pain so I'm just going to rock her and comfort her until she is ready. After crying for 10 minutes she is finally ready to tell me what her secret is.

She looks at me with puffy red eye's that are raw from crying so hard. She isn't hiccupping anymore which is good. "The truth that I'm hiding from you....It's something that I hate about myself....Please don't hate me too after I tell you...." I just hug her tighter and rock her some more. She takes a few more breathes to calm herself down.

I rub the top of her head and just wait for her to calm down. "Just take your time Ciri....The meeting can wait....This is more important...." After 5 minutes of her just calming down some more she is finally composed enough to talk to me calmly. She looks up at me and I smile back down at her. Guess that was a bad move because her chin and lips quiver as some tears fall from her eye's. I dry them for her and kiss her forehead. She regains the composure she just lost and prepares to speak to me.

The secret that she was going to keep until our wedding day never bothered me. It's the only thing I don't know, at least I think I don't know. She open's her mouth and gives me a surprise. "I am actually Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, I am the heir to Cintra and Nilfgaard....My father is the one that started this war....Please don't hate me...." She said that last part with a shaky voice. I don't know why she thinks that I would hate her for that. She is Ciri to me, the girl that I grew up with at Kaer Morhen. The one that kicked my ass everyday when we trained....The one I abandoned for a selfish quest. If anybody should be hated its me.

Instead of speaking I just tilt her head up to me and kiss her like we did all those years ago at Kaer Morhen. She responds immediately as tears fall from her eye's again. This has been a hard thing to keep from me it seems. We stop kissing and I just hug her tighter and rock her some more. It's my turn to say something. "I have known you most of my life Ciri....Something like that wouldn't change anything.....Nothing will ever come between us...." As I finish saying that she shoots her hands up to my head and brings me back down to kiss her.

We kiss for a long time, after awhile I just hold her as we wait for Jaskier to come back with his contact. After another 30 minutes he comes back in the room without anyone following him. He looks to us and approaches. "I took care of the meeting....I'm sorry that all this happened Ciri...." She looks to Jaskier with rage. She gets up and gets in the man's face. I guess this is the time for Ciri to give him a piece of her mind.