Chapter Text
Seeing something from someone else's perspective, it could be a difficult thing to do, especially if you have nothing in common with the person. It is easy to presume what someone does is easy. Or that what they’re doing is not right or that it is useless. One could go on and on about it, but the main point she was making was that folk hardly ever appreciated what she did. They did not understand. They paid her for her work, but as soon as the job was done they would tell her to leave because her kind was not welcome in the village.
It's like they had just forgotten that she saved them from a monster infestation. Or a wraith whose curse plagued their land. She had, more often than not, saved them yet they still regarded her with disgust. As if what she did was dirty and wrong.
Yes she would admit the job did not come with any form of luxury so she hardly ever got to take a bath and was often covered in blood by the time she was done, much to the horror of the towns folk. But that was how it was and how it had to be if she were to kill the beasts they asked her to kill. They gave her their coin, but barely ever thanked her for risking her life for them.
Such was the life of a Witcher. A life she did not choose but was sold into. She had been sad at first, terrified, and then bitter, but she learned to accept it and be the best at what she had been trained to do.
Kill beasts. Monsters. It is what Witchers did. If people had coin, they did the job.
“Take your coin and leave us,” said the worn old farmer as he threw her the bag of coins. Her yellow eyes gave him a long dangerous glare before grabbing a hold of the Leshen head lying on the bench, proof of her kill.
She had spent hours tracking the woodland king, having stumbled upon wolves under the command of the beast. She had found it at last; it was at least a century old and a male. The king stood tall, a humanoid form made by tree with a moose scull for a head, antlers included.
It was known to be one if the most dangerous creatures in their world. Yet she had killed one of them, risking her life to save an ungrateful village, all for a lousy bag of coin which could hardly buy her a meal.
“Gladly,” she muttered, leaving the farm after tying the trophy to her mount, off on her to wherever there may be a paid job. Yoohyeon never expected a thank you from these people, she didn’t particularly care. Still, she just found it weird how after she killed the very thing terrorizing them they would not be thankful.
With a heavy sigh she erased the thought from her head. It did not help her in the slightest to think about it.
After a day and a half of traveling she ended up in a small village. It was early in the morning, the sun shining on the wooden roofs and the workers were out doing their daily routines.
She stopped by the notice board looking to see if any towns folk had any trouble that match her job description. After reading about a missing cat and something about a man suspecting the entire village of arson, she eventually found one. She ripped it down for a closer look.
“A werewolf spotted in the woods nearby... strange.” Werewolves hardly ever stayed close to people. They mostly hid away.
“Trying to steal my work?”
Yoohyeon turned towards the familiar voice, soon standing eye to eye with a fellow Witcher.
Siyeon.
“It is hardly yours if it’s still hanging here,” Yoohyeon said with an amused smile on her lips.
The note in her hand was soon gone, taken by the woman beside her. “I saw it first so it's mine. I merely forgot to take it down.”
The woman gave her a mischievous smile, her dark hair floating around her in the wind.
“Besides, it’s not like we can’t do it together.”
The answer had Yoohyeon raise a brow. Yoohyeon mainly kept to herself, yet Siyeon had a habit of showing up when she least expected it.
“And you’re willing to share the coin with me? We don’t get a lot these days.”
Siyeon was studying the note closely. “I’m sure we will manage,” she said under her breath, her attention back to the taller woman seconds later. “Also I have something I need to talk to you about. Something important.”
Now Yoohyeon was getting intrigued. It was too much of a coincidence that she met Siyeon here. The woman must have tracked her down for a purpose.
“And what might that be?”
“How about we kill this werewolf first? We can talk about it over a meal and some mead later.”
“You said it was important.”
“It is, but we have time,” Siyeon said to her as she walked past her, the two swords on her back rattling as she moved. Yoohyeon noticed the detail on the pommel, the snake head formed tops. It was the school of the viper, the Witcher school Siyeon hailed from.
Yoohyeon looked down at the Wolf medallion around her neck, reminding her of her own time at the school of the wolf. It had been a good place, a place she often missed after wandering out on the path alone.
“I may return there someday,” she said to herself, giving the medallion a soft squeeze before following the older woman.
They were soon on horse back, riding towards where the werewolf had been seen last. Siyeon had already talked to the contractor so she filled Yoohyeon in on everything on the way.
They soon found themselves at the outskirts of the forest. The trees stood densely packed together, making it impossible to see any further than the edge of the forest, and the wind blowing through the branches made an howling sound that made it less than tempting to enter.
Luckily it was midday and werewolves mostly went out at night.
“It could be one of the towns people,” Siyeon said, giving her horse a pat on the neck before turning towards the forest. “The werewolf,” she clarified.
“Might be,” Yoohyeon answered. “But I doubt we'll ever know”
Siyeon let out a worn sigh. “Must be terrible, waking up every morning not knowing what you did during the night.”
“I imagine it would have been even worse if they remembered.” Yoohyeon tightened the straps of the sheaths of her swords. “They’d turn mad.”
Yoohyeon had only ever once met a werewolf who remembered everything they had done in their wolf form. She was ridden with guilt from what her beastly side had done, terrified of the lack of compassion she felt. She had begged Yoohyeon to put her down, to end her life.
And she did, as soon as night fell Yoohyeon cut her down, then went and collected the price for her head. It had been a hard day and she did not know if she deserved the coin that was given to her. Her job was a difficult one if you had any form of compassion.
“So,” Siyeon breathed out “Shall we go in?”
-
Gahyeon
She knew something was wrong the moment she woke up, her nightwear drenched in sweat and her heart nearly pounding out of her chest.
When her family’s court mage came rushing in through her door with an distressed look on her face her worries was all but confirmed.
The older woman sat down beside her, immediately grasping her hands. “Gahyeon, I’m so sorry.”
She found herself standing in front of her family’s grave only two days later, face showing no form of emotion. If there was one thing she learned from her now late mother it was that a leader did not show emotion. Emotion made you appear weak and in a world where weakness was often a death sentence she could not afford it.
Not in public at least.
She fell apart the moment the door to her room closed behind her, tears pouring from her eyes like never before. She had lost both her parents and her brother, who was meant to be king. She was never supposed to sit on the throne. It was her brother who prepared for this, spent hours upon hours of his youth learning how to be king.
But he was dead, so the responsibility fell to her.
She was no longer the young princess everyone adored. No, she was the queen whose family had been assassinated. Everyone had their eyes on her.
How was she supposed to manage?
“Gahyeon.” the voice and knock on the door startled her, making her body tense, her back pushing closer to the bed behind her from where she was sitting on the floor. “Can I come in?”
She let out a weak ‘Yes’ and soon the door opened, revealing the red haired mage. A pained expression washed over Minji’s face as she saw the young queen. She felt for her, Gahyeon could tell.
Minji had been the court mage since Gahyeon was a child and she did not look a day older than when she had seen her in the royal hall for the first time. Sorcerers aged way slower than humans, she knew that, but she was still amazed.
'Seeing her now it's like that day she walked in, radiating of comfort, always so nice to me,' she thought.
Minji had been kind to her, treating her with care and love whenever she needed it, which was often since her parents, occupied with their duties, barely ever did and her brother was often busy with his studies.
Minji had always been there for her.
“Come here.”
Gahyeon relaxed easily into Minji’s embrace when the older woman wrapped her arms around her, stroking her back slowly.
“It will be alright. It might not seem like it right now, but we’ll get you through this.”
Gahyeon cried for the remainder of the night and the mage stayed with her, not leaving her side for a second.
Her family had been taken from her and life felt more cruel than ever, but at least she was not alone. Knowing she had Minji made it slightly more bearable.
-
She was put in court the day after. It was way too fast for her grieving, unprepared mind and she had no idea what to expect. She had only seen her father in court a handful of times and she had not garnered much from it. Never had she paid actual attention, her mind instead wandering to whatever exciting books about dashing heroes and heroines she was currently reading. She had been there for formality, not for any inputs.
But her royal adviser had told her that court stopped for no one, not even the dead nor for unprepared queens. She had no choice.
At least Minji sat beside her, giving her an encouraging smile and bringing some comfort through her presence.
Today she would listen to the common folks concerns and would then have to try and help them find a solution to their problems.
It had been small problems to start with so she thought she had been lucky. It was all stolen goods, need for helpers at several different farms and then the occasional mad man warning them about the worlds end being near. She had no idea how they were accepted into court, but here they stood somehow, preaching and all Gahyeon could do was nod along until the guards escorted them out.
Nothing was particularly difficult that day. That was until the last one walked in. Another farmer, so Gahyeon expected the same she had heard earlier.
She was wrong.
“A fiend destroyed our farm, nearly killing all our animals!” The farmer was devastated. “We’re left with only a few sheep and one cow, not nearly enough to make a living!”
His wife was standing behind him, cheeks red and eyes swollen. “And the creature is still there. Even if we did have the resources, rebuilding would not be possible!”
Gahyeon knew little of monsters and had never encountered one having spent most of her time up in the castle. What had her father done in these situations?
She looked to Minji, whose face showed little emotion. Years in court must have trained her.
“Your father often sent soldiers to settle matters like these,” Minji whispered to her. Gahyeon frowned. She might not know much about these creatures but she knew what a fiend looked like, if the fairy tales was anything to go by.
The creatures were dangerous and big. How many soldiers would die if she sent them out there?
There was only one other solution. One she knew the court would not like. But she was willing to do this if she could spare the soldiers lives.
“I will hire a Witcher.” There were gasps out through the hall, as well as some angry frowns. “We need not waste our soldiers lives.”
One of the court men stepped forward. “My Queen, I must protest. We have not allowed any Witchers in our city in many a years. They are a disgrace-“
“They are professionals monster slayers. Is that not what we need?” She gave the man a firm look.
He looked confused for a moment, like he had not expected her to talk back to him. “You are right, of course, my Queen. I beg your humble forgiveness-“
“There is nothing to forgive. What kind of Queen would I be if I did not hear you out in your concerns and listen to your opinions?”
She had no idea where she got the courage from, the will to speak as firmly as she did, but it was not unwelcome. This would hopefully help her gain respect and trust, even if she had just broken a rule which had been standing for years. But she was Queen now. Was this not for her to decide?
“So it is settled,” Gahyeon said, voice raised slightly. “I will hire a Witcher to take care of the matter. In the meantime, I will lend you a place to live in the city and then some assistance with the rebuilding of your farm as soon as the creature is killed.”
The farmers were overjoyed by this, both down on their knees crying, repeating the words ‘thank you’ until they left court.
Gahyeon was pleased with her decision. She knew most of the court did not approve, but she was Queen now, in the end only her word mattered.
-
Yoohyeon
“This has to be it.” Siyeon stood staring into the dark cave in front of them.
Yoohyeon smelled the dirt she held in her hand. There was definitely blood there, both animal and human. It was dried up in the dirt, but with her heightened senses she could easily smell it.
“Blood from its victims.” She looked at the cave wall, seeing long scratches spread out on them. She traced a finger over one of the marks. “And this is at least a couple of years old.”
“And it has not been spotted until now?” Siyeon questioned, taking a close look at the scratch marks herself. “Werewolves are good at hiding, but one would think that someone in the area would notice people suddenly going missing over the years.”
Siyeon were right of course. It was weird. Judging only from the amount of blood in the ground they were standing on, Yoohyeon would say that there were at least a dozen people’s corpses to be found in there.
“Maybe,” Yoohyeon mumbled, her mind trying to work it all out. “Maybe they aren’t from around here? The victims.”
Siyeon gave her a confused look.
“Werewolves can run almost as fast as any horse. Maybe it just ran to a town far away, dragging its victims all the way back here to cover it up?”
The other woman nodded. “They do have some intelligence, so it is not impossible.”
“Well, let’s get this over with,” Yoohyeon said as she walked towards the cave entrance.
The sooner she got the job done the sooner she would get to know what Siyeon wanted of her.
It was no surprise to either of them when they found skeletons on the ground. Skulls, ribs, legs, arms and so on laid mixed up in the middle of the cave. At the very end of it laid a fresh corpse. A male, no older than twenty it looked like. He was missing a leg and his entire left shoulder.
“It was here not long ago,” Siyeon noted, walking closer to the pile of victims. She studied the corpse, rubbing some of its blood between her fingers before speaking. “Last nights meal.”
Yoohyeon turned, looking at the light shining in form the cave entrance. It was dimming. “We’re running out of daylight.”
“Let’s get ready then,” Siyeon said as she stood up. “Got any oils?”
Yoohyeon frowned at her. “What, you don’t have any of your own?”
“I forgot to brew and there’s no time now.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, now let me borrow some-“
“This is the first thing they tell us to do in school, keep our oils restocked, how are you so bad at this-”
“It's boring so I got very good at forgetting it. Just let me borrow some!“
“It could determine how the entire thing plays out-“
“Yes yes-“
“It might save your life-“
“Just give me the damn oil, Yoohyeon!”
Yoohyeon threw her hands up in the air, giving up. “Fine!” She gave the older woman the small bottle of oil. “Don’t use all of it. I need some too.”
“You have my deepest gratitude-“
“Just oil your damn sword and shut up.”
-
They waited for a few hours before it showed. The tall creatures snarled and growled as it walked in, dropping a lamb down on the ground with a thud.
Yoohyeon and Siyeon choose that moment to reveal themselves, walking out on one side each, surrounding the wolf.
The wolf snarled at Yoohyeon the moment it saw her, teeth as sharp as her sword. “Witcher!” The wolf’s word were hard to understand under the loud growling, but she got it.
“Want to tell us how you managed to not get noticed after all these years?” Siyeon asked almost casually. The wolf growled loudly before launching itself at Siyeon. The other Witcher narrowly dodged it, rolling to the side before before forming a sign with her fingers.
A burst of flames came out from in front of her hand soon after. As the werewolf cowered, Yoohyeon leaped at it, piercing her silver sword into its side, sending it staggering across the ground.
The creature howled in pain, but only seconds after launching at them again. Yoohyeon easily dodged the sloppy attack, her sword once again piercing its side, this time wounding it more severely.
The wolf dragged itself across the ground, holding its side. Yoohyeon took one last look at the suffering creature before plunging her sword into its skull, killing it instantly.
“There,” she said, breathing heavily. “It's free.”
She turned to Siyeon who stood staring at her sword. “I didn’t even need your oil. All I did was light its face on fire.”
Yoohyeon rolled her eyes at the other Witcher. “Let’s just cut it’s head off, collect our reward and then you can tell me whatever it is you needed to tell me.”
Siyeon grinned widely. "Lead the way."
-
Stranger
The air was humid in the dimly lit tavern located in the middle of the city of Tretogor, packed with all kinds of folk drinking their worries away into the night. There were plenty of conversations to be heard, most of them no more interesting than watching grass grow. But there was one which stood out. In the corner of the tavern sat three men, plotting among each other.
“Best get rid of her now. The people are uneasy, scared. Fear is easy to control.”
“What, so we just march into the royal palace and murder her? Then what, we’re thrown behind bars and the entire city falls into chaos?!”
“No, you dimwitted fool! We send an assassin! Like the one that got the rest of them!”
“And where are we supposed to get one of those? “
The two men bickered while the third watched them, letting a sigh escape his mouth. He really was the brain of this trio. “An assassin has already been sent.”
The two stopped then looked at him. “What?!”
“B-but we have no real plan!”
“What do we do once she’s dead?! We were supposed to-“
The third man interrupted them again. “Our Father was supposed to infiltrate the royal court, which he has done slowly but surely over the last few months, and I have been living in the city, receiving reports from him. Did you not read my letters?”
The two looked at each other, one of them scratching his ragged and dirty beard. “Maybe not all of them...”
“Honestly,” he chuckled. “I don’t know why I bother with the two of you. You do nothing but sit and wait for me to handle it all. How is father supposed to become King with sons like you? You did not even bother to keep yourself updated. Fools.”-
“Hey, you can’t talk to us like that!”
“Yeah, we’re your older brothers! Some respect would be nice-“
“Respect?!” The younger brother hissed at them, his silver hair covering half his face. “You will have your respect the moment you prove to father that you can carry your own weight.”
The two older twin brothers cowered in their chairs.
“Until then you better show me the respect I very well deserve. I am the chosen son after all... Got it?” They nodded rather quickly, clearly scared of the younger.
“Great!” The silver haired boy said with a smile now adorning his face. “Then it’s settled. The queen dies tonight.”
“Are you sure you want to brag about that so loudly in a crowded tavern?”
They were all startled by the sound of a light, fourth voice joining their conversation. The three brothers watched with wide eyes as a hooded female figure sat down by their table, a mug of mead in her right hand.
“This is a private conversation!” One of the older brothers said. There was a chuckle from the woman.
“Better keep it a bit more private then,” she said, taking a sip of her mug. “Not that it matters. I can’t very well let you escape now that I know you’re planing to have my employer killed.”
“Your employer? The queen?”
One of the twins smacked the other over the head. “Shut it, you idiot!”
“And just who are you?” The younger brother asked. “Must be someone important if the queen hired you.”
She pushed the hood off from her head, revealing the dark haired, pale faced woman, her yellow eyes shaped like a cat’s staring menacingly at them.
One of the twins stood up “A Witcher?!”
The woman nodded. “Heard her majesty is having some trouble with a fiend trashing a farm.”
“B-but Witchers aren’t allowed here! They’re denied entrance to the city!”
“New queen, new rules,” the Witcher said, taking another sip of the mead. With raised eyebrows she looked to her side. “And where do you think you’re going?”
The twins looked up from the monster slayer and over at who her gaze was directed at. There he was, their younger brother, making his way out of the tavern.
“If you want to prove you’re more than worthless trash then you kill this Witcher now!” He yelled at them before running off.
“Well that’s just annoying...” the Witcher sighed, smacking the mug hard down onto the table before getting up.
The twins quickly jumped at her with rusty swords in hand; definitely the wrong move on their parts.
It did not take more than a few seconds before they both lay dead on the floor, one of them headless and the other cut in half by his stomach.
Panic spread though out the tavern, both women and men screaming in terror as the Witcher ran through the building, torso covered in blood.
She ran out, but was immediately met with a group of guards outside. She sighed. The third brother had gotten away.
-
Gahyeon
After a week as queen she quickly found out it was not a job she enjoyed. Not only did she have to make difficult decisions which could make or break her entire rule, but she also had to read letters. Important letters from distant lords and ladies who were all waiting for replies.
It was sometimes terrifying, but mostly boring.
A sigh slipped from her mouth as she sank into her chair. “Minji,” she whined. “I think I need a break.”
She could hear the mage chuckling form behind her, clearly amused by her. “You just had one.”
“Can’t I have another?”
“I’m afraid not.” The woman walked up to her, standing beside her desk. “These needs to be sent out by tomorrow.”
Gahyeon sighed yet again. Was this to be her life now? It seemed like it. “My brother was supposed to be king. He was supposed to rule.”
She missed him greatly. It was not until he was gone that she noticed how much he had actually meant to her. She had never thought about it, probably because she never thought she would lose him. She had seen him everyday of her life, and now...
Oh how naive she had been.
“I don’t think I can do this.”
There was a hand on her should not soon after and she knew that if she turned to look she would find Minji’s face with a look of worry.
“You’re doing great, Gahyeon.”
Minji was the only one left that called her by her first name. That was also something she missed. Her family calling her name.
“Maybe. But it’s hard to keep up. How am I supposed to do this everyday? It has only been a week and I’m ready to quit.”
“Gahyeon-“ the red haired woman was interrupted by the door swinging open. In walked one of her guards.
“My Queen!” He bowed, placing one hand over his chest.
She nodded. “Speak.”
“The Witcher is here,” he said, making Gahyeon smile. She had never met a Witcher before, but her nan used to tell her stories of them before bed when she was a child. The tales made her excited to meet one.
“Splendid! Bring them in.”
“Yes, of course. There is just a tiny problem.”
Gahyeon frowned. “And what might that be?”
“The Witcher, we found her at the tavern where she has killed two men.”
“What?!”
Seconds after a rather short, dark haired woman walked in behind the guard, hands tied at the front. “I can explain the situation myself, thank you very much.”
The guard drew his sword immediately, having it pointed at the woman’s throat. “How did you get here? I put three of my finest guards on you!”
The Witcher looked annoyed, her yellow eyes glaring at the guard. “I convinced them to take a break.”
“Convinced them?! More likely you used your witchcraft and messed with their minds-“
“Bora, what did you do?” Gahyeon looked surprised over at Minji who seemed to know the woman.
Bora, as Minji called her, sighed. “Nothing special. Just killed two of the three men that were plotting to have the queen assassinated. The third one got away thanks to the guards here-“
“You lying, piece of filth! We did no such thing-“
“I would have gotten him if you had not stopped me, so yes, you did-“
“Shut your mouth, mutant-“
“Silence!” Gahyeon’s voice silenced them all, the guard now down on his knee. She sighed at him. “Witcher.”
The said woman nodded at her, taking one step forward. “Yes?”
“You said they planned to have me assassinated. How do you know this?”
Bora tugged at the rope around her wrists while answering. “I overheard them talking. They must have thought no one was listening judging by the way they babbled on about it.”
“And then you decided to cut them down?”
“I only decided that after two of them attacked me. I killed them as fast as I could and then ran after the third one.” She was glaring at the guard again now. “Not that I got very far.”
Gahyeon should have been baffled by the thought of someone wanting to have her murdered, but after what happened to her family it hardly shocked her.
Still, she was scared. This was all happening so fast. How was she supposed to handle this? This woman had cut down two men plotting to kill her. And a third one was on the loose, meaning she was still a target.
This is not how she wanted to live her life. She did not want to be queen.
“Gahyeon.” Minji’s soothing voice brought her out of her thoughts and her assuring smile made her feel at least some what more calm. “I will not let anything happen to you. As long as I live I will keep you safe.”
“Good. Because the man has already sent an assassin so you should all be on your guard.” The Witcher said. “Its just pure luck that I was there to overhear the conversation-“
“And how do we know it’s not you?”
Gahyeon sighed once again at the guard who was now back at his feet. “Maybe you’re the assassin?”
“I’m a Witcher,” Bora stated as a matter of fact. “I kill monsters, not political figures.“
“You could be lying,” he said, walking closer to her. He took a hold of the medallion around her neck, looking down at the piece formed as a cat head. “The school of the cat. I’ve heard bad things about your lot. You’re just a bunch of hired assassins-“
“Guard!” Gahyeon hated having to raise her voice again. “Leave us.”
He was about to protest but seemed to decide against it as he saw the firm look in Gahyeon’s eyes. With a polite bow he left.
Gahyeon could see the heavy sigh the Witcher let out as she let her body relax a bit more. The queen took this time to have a proper look at her. She had always imagined Witchers to be tall and muscular and more often than not, men.
Bora was none of these things. She had some muscle but it was nothing compared to her guards. She was short, not much taller than Gahyeon it seemed. And she was a woman.
A very attractive woman. With scars. One was particularly noticeable. It went from under her jaw and up her cheek, stopping right beneath her left eye. Somehow this nasty thing made her seem even more attractive.
Gahyeon found herself wanting to ask her about it, to have her tell the stories of the the monsters and the scars she had gotten from them
“My Queen?” Gahyeon snapped out of her thoughts as Bora spoke to her. She seemed to be smirking at her, her eyebrows raised. “Should we talk about the matter at hand?”
With a nod and a blush on her cheeks which she hoped was not to visible, she spoke. “Yes, of course.”
It took her a few seconds to gather her thoughts again and remember why the Witcher was actually there in the first place.
“The fiend at the farm.”
-
Yoohyeon
They earned some lousy coin for the werewolf they had killed. Nothing more than 50 silver coins, which they shared among the two, making it even less. But they took the coin and moved on after a meal and something to drink. They both rode on horse back to Oxenfurt, where Siyeon had said they were to meet someone.
The other Witcher had been very vague about what she wanted to talk about, as if she was afraid someone was listening. And it was not impossible that someone was. The Nilfgaardian empire seemed to have spies everywhere these days and especially in the northern part of the realm where the two Witchers were traveling at the moment.
Politics. It was a mess and Yoohyeon was glad to stay out of it. The conflict between the North and Nilfgaard were tearing the country apart.
The news of the royal family’s assassination had reached them only hours ago. Now the young princess was Queen and Yoohyeon had no doubt in her mind many people would try to take advantage of the situation. The court probably had its handful of spies ready to report in every little detail to the empire.
Poor girl.
“We will be there soon,” Siyeon all but muttered to her, her eyes staring blankly at the mud layered road ahead of them. The weather was gray, mist laying across the fields surrounding them. The melancholic feeling she got from looking at it was strangely enjoyable. It had its beauty.
“Still not going to tell me who we’re meeting?”
“Not yet.” Siyeon turned to look at her, giving her half a smirk. “You’ll know why when you meet her.”
“So it’s a her.” Yoohyeon grinned back at her.
“That information will get you nowhere.”
Yoohyeon thought about it for a few seconds, soon finding an answer she far from liked.
“Is she a sorceress?”
“Maybe,” Siyeon answered rather quickly. Yoohyeon frowned at the woman.
“You know I don’t like sorceresses.”
“Maybe that’s why I did not tell you.” Siyeon was smirking at her again and Yoohyeon did not like it. She had had nothing but bad experiences with sorceresses and mages in general. It was a power she felt no one should possess.
“Siyeon-“
“Relax! You haven’t even met her. She’s nice.” The woman hesitated for a few seconds before continuing. “And wanted by the Nilfgaardian empire.”
Yoohyeon’s eyes went wide. “She’s what?”
“With the witch hunters on the hunt and with even the North hitting down hard on magic, she really needs our help.”
“That’s what you need me for?” Yoohyeon halted. “To protect a wanted sorceress?”
“Aren’t all sorceresses wanted these days? They are burned on stakes and made an example of to everyone.”
That was true. Yoohyeon might not have a liking for them, but she did not want them dead.
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll meet her.” She continued on, giving Siyeon a firm glare as she passed her. “But this better be as important as you say.”
Siyeon nodded “I believe it is.”
-
When they entered the city of Oxenfurt, the sun was shining and the birds were flying about, their sounds making the city seem idyllic alongside the sunlight. The city was beautiful, a huge improvement from the small villages Yoohyeon had been staying in the past few months.
But with the beauty came darker things, the citizens being one of them. Most of them were imposing liars who would do next to anything to keep their status.
Yoohyeon despised city people, especially the rich ones. There were never any honest opinions to get from them.
“We are meeting her at an Inn by the edge of the city,” Siyeon informed her as they rode through the streets. Yoohyeon only nodded.
She had no idea what to expect from the woman they were meeting. Siyeon had told her she was good, but for some reason this did not reassure her at all.
Siyeon nodded at a man as they entered the Inn, whispering a few words to him before he pointed down a hall way. Yoohyeon followed as the other woman walked down the hall, music playing from the band in the Inn fading as they got further away.
They reached a door and Siyeon gave a few knocks. A faint ‘come in’ was heard and she opened the door, both of them entering the room.
“You’re finally here,” Yoohyeon heard from the room, turning to face the stranger after closing the door behind her. “I’ve had to stay in this shitty Inn for two extra days because of your tardiness-“ the woman stopped as she saw Yoohyeon.
And Yoohyeon gasped as she saw her. She knew her. Those purple eyes, she would never forget them.
Siyeon took a deep breath as she pointed as the woman. “Yoohyeon, this is-“
Yoohyeon answered before her “Yubin!”
She knew her alright. And she was far from happy about it.