02x06 - Dear Friend

[bunniefuu]

How much further is it?

Where are we even going?

At least at Kaer Morhen, we were safe.

The Trial of Grasses isn't safe.

Not listening again.

Hmph.

You want to k*ll yourself
trying to become a mutant

so if you survive,

you can k*ll yourself
trying to get revenge.

Which part did I miss?

You don't really give a sh*t
about what I want.

All you care about is your…

Damn duty.

So long as I'm breathing,
you've done your part.

I need more than that.

Ciri…

I do understand.

What's up there?

Do you-do you hear something?

Come on, Roach.

Let's go.

This is the shallowest part of the river.

I'll check that it's safe to cross.

What do you mean, safe?

I'll try and draw it out first.

Draw what out?

- It's some kind of chernobog.
- I don't know what that is.

- But let me help...
- Stay here.

Geralt!

Geralt, get back here!

Ciri, down!

Run! Run! Run!

I've been a f*cking fool.

Where are they?

They didn't say.

If I had to guess, Nenneke's.

We've both been fools.

Whatever's running
through that girl's veins…

…whatever we made from it…

It's more dangerous than we know.

What's wrong?

Vesemir.

- Someone is here.
- What is it?

What's happened?

Who's here?

Surprise.

How quaint.

Vesemir!

Lambert!

Shh.

Easy, girl.

Is there anything we can do?

Enjoy your last walk across the meadow

and through the mist.

Be not afraid of her…

For she is your friend.

It's time.

Are you ready for this?

Yes.

Go up to the rock.

Stand your ground, Ciri!

Hold!

Hold!

Where the f*ck are my swords?

It's beautiful.

Never seen a spell like it.

My favorite thing to do as a girl
was flower picking with my mother.

After she d*ed,
I kept one to remember her by.

One day, it started to wilt.

When I held that flower,

I don't know why exactly,
but I began to feel warm inside.

And the flower bloomed again.

I did that spell over and over for years,

until my father caught me.

That's when he tried to lead the village
in a crusade against me.

But he failed.

Gage held him down
while I slit his throat.

The village built a statue in my honor.

At Aretuza,

they taught us the art of politics.

The art of persuasion.

A quick tongue to bend others
so they think that they're in control.

Like with your friend Cahir?

You're different with him around.

Not afraid, perhaps, but smaller.

- He was my superior.
- Was?

Because you bent him to believe so?

It's time for him
to stop thinking he's in power.

To know you are.

The White Flame rules Nilfgaard.

Yes.

But my people,

the face they see
that feeds them every day,

that welcomes them in
from the cold, is yours.

That is worth something.

In times of w*r,
hard decisions must be made.

I don't begrudge you yours.

The persecution of the elves
is despicable.

I know you well enough to understand

that you did not forsake
the mission the White Flame gave us.

You just got a little…

Distracted.

It is time to return to the real reason
that we took Cintra in the first place.

The girl was last seen in Sodden,
I'm told.

I'm sorry. About Roach.
About all of this…

Don't be. I'm proud of you, Ciri.

What you did back there was courageous.

I had that feeling again

when the chernobog came for me.

The pull.

But I… I don't think it wanted to hurt me.

It didn't want to hurt you?

Hmm.

If the monsters are coming
through the monoliths, it's my fault.

It's not that simple.

Geralt?

When the Knight caught me,

all I could feel was fear.

I was… I was so scared.

But I also felt…

Anger.

Later, there were also some men
from Cintra who found me.

They were going to take me to the Knight
to collect a reward.

But I... I wasn't scared that time.

I just… I knew what could happen.

You screamed.

I k*lled them, Geralt.

How many were there?

Four.

Only four?

You've got some catching up to do.

So, what now?

Good question.

I'm hoping we'll find our answers there.

Melitele.

Goddess of fertility and harvest.

I'm impressed.

I do, in fact, read.

The graduates of the temple school

are known to become midwives,
historians, healers…

And witchers.

Vesemir sent me here
when I was about your age.

It's where witchers learn to do signs.

Yes. I, too, was once a child.

Blessings. Good morrow.

Where is she taking those?

Don't worry. We're safe.

There's no fighting here. No politics.

The temple is known for its neutrality.

The temple is

what you make of it.

But, yes,

some find it more… giving than others.

I have missed you.

I have missed you too, Nenneke.

Now,

who are you?

I think we can, at the very least,

start to guide you
in the art of controlling your Chaos.

What's that?

It's the feeling inside.

The feeling you can't control.

Like…

The Daughter of Chaos?

Where did you hear that?

Ciri,

the questions you are asking

require knowledge
that's been lost to time.

And knowledge like that

is usually lost for a reason.

Are you sure you're ready?

Whatever… gave me this Chaos,

hiding from it won't fix it.

I'm ready for the truth,
whatever it takes.

That spirit.

You're just like him.

Geralt?

Ask him

to tell you about the Aard incident.

It nearly destroyed
the very office we are sitting in.

Ah! This is Jarre.

One of our best students.

Pleasure to meet you, milady.

Mi-magical lady.

Whatever it takes.

Ah, Jarre, take Ciri to the library.

She's in dire need of the orbuculum.

Help me.

Hmm.

Now that you've had a chance
to speak with her, what do you think?

I don't see any side
upon which you are not entirely f*cked.

She's a princess.

Kingdoms will want her for her status.

Nilfgaard already does.

You know how many have been k*lled
in pursuit of her?

Thousands, yes, I know.

And if she has Elder blood,

she's a f*cking tinderbox.

By all means, go on.

You said she recited Ithlinne's Prophecy
during one of her episodes.

Yes, but I won't let what may
or may not be folklore dictate my path.

What does she know of the Wild Hunt?

She believes what most people believe.
What are you driving at, Nenneke?

She's a Child of Destiny.

There are forces at play
larger than we know.

You are a part of her,

she a part of you.

But it's not enough.

I know.

What can I do?

I taught you

in all things…

Balance.

Find what is missing in the girl.

Then, maybe,

you stand a chance of helping her.

Hmm?

I hope training is going well.

Our people have lived
in the mountains long enough.

They know how to k*ll.

They know how to defend.

Can they learn how to k*ll first?

Imagine a time when we can return

to valuing… beauty.

The land, and life.

Death is a part of life.

Perhaps that is the cost
of getting our land back.

Do you believe it will happen?

Something's shifted in the air, Francesca.

Since that soldier arrived.

- I know.
- Everything feels more vulnerable.

Including Fringilla.

I'm taking care of it.

I was skeptical,

I'll be the first to admit, but…

I'm not here to tell you what to do.

I'm here to ask what you need of me.

I will greet
the elves who arrive on boats.

I will train them in human warfare.

I'll don Nilfgaardian armor
if it's what's important.

Whatever you need.

I need you to stay by my side.

I will.

By our side.

Where you belong.

She is what's most important now.

How's Vesemir?

Stable.

But shaken.

What I can't figure is,

what would a mage want with Vesemir?

Well, why don't we ask the expert?

What business
could one of your kind have here,

Merigold?

That bastard is not one of my kind.

Oh, f*ck me. I was only poking.
I didn't mean nothing by it.

Fire magic is off-limits for us.

Whoever he is,
he's not working for the Brotherhood.

If you say so.

And I don't think
Vesemir is what he was after.

Well, at least he left empty-handed.

f*ck…

You're sure it contains her blood?

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah.

This wasn't part of our arrangement.

We arranged for you to bring me the girl.

You f*cked that up.

Here we are, then.

Oh, dear. What...

Get out.

I was saying, it's a work in progress.

But…

Perhaps the terms of our deal
can be updated?

What do you want?

To meet your employer.

My lord is a private man. Why should you
give two shits about meeting him?

He seemed like a man with vision.
I'd like to help him see it through.

What's that old saying?

Better to be at the right hand
of the devil than in his path.

I'll see what I can do.

Now…

…you expect to get out of that temple
with the rest of your face intact?

- You'll need a crew.
- Hmm.

I know some particularly savage brothers.

Hello?

Hello?

Tss, tss, tss.

You're lucky the trap's broken.

Usually, it sh**t 20-inch metal spikes
out the studs.

Got a hawker a few nights ago.

I can still hear his screams.

- That's, uh… that's chilling.
- Yeah.

- I take it you are Ellis Codringher.
- Mm, mm.

- My name is Istredd.
- Mmm?

So this is Hen Gedymdeith's
Elves and Humans?

All copies were thought lost.

Yeah, well, we have a great number

of lost works
of literature and texts here.

That's one reason
why our services come at a premium.

Now, you were saying you are in need of…

Yes, um…

I need information.

Oh, right, oh. Information. Mmm.

Uh, information is power.

And in the wrong hands,
it can be a w*apon.

Tell me, are you acting

on behalf of Stregobor?

Don't lie to me.

No, I'm not.

And…

How do you know who I am?

We know lots of things.

We?

This is Fenn?

I'm Fenn. The cat's Esmeralda.

What kind of information
are you looking for?

Well, uh…

I've heard a great many things
about you both, namely…

You're who to ask, uh…

Sensitive questions.

Sensitive questions are our favorite.

- They come very expensive.
- Very expensive!

Well, I need to know what a witcher,

a monolith, and a mysterious girl
have to do with Nilfgaard.

Will this do?

These are Nilfgaardian marks.

Do you work for them?

Does it matter?

Only that it makes you more… interesting.

The girl is Cirilla of Cintra.

And how do you know that?

- Hmph.
- Like I told you,

we know lots of things.

- So do you work here or something?
- Me? Um…

I'm a historian. In training.

You'll need this to begin your studies.

Is this the orbuculum?

- What does it do, exactly?
- Uh…

I... I'm not sure.

Not much of a historian.

Uh...

Well... well, that's a tool for mages.

Uh… I don't want to brag,
but my tool is… bigger.

And much more powerful.

Uh… Knowledge.

Like this book. It...
It's about all sorts of amazing things,

like, um… did you know that
some oneiromancers can relive past events

just by looking at a painting?

Or, and... and this is my favorite,
there's a myth about a long-lost tower

somewhere on the Continent
that used to connect to the Isle...

Sorry.

Uh…

Your big old tool almost broke my toe.

Thank you for walking me here.

I'm going to go and practice now.

Whatever this is.

Find me.

Steal me.

Oh. Uh, can I help you?

No. No, I was...
I was just admiring the architecture.

Oh. It's beautiful, isn't it?

f*ck.

Be with you in a minute, Ciri.

How is this possible?

I don't care.

Geralt, do you know what to do with this?

- Sorry.
- Ciri.

- Sorry.
- This is my…

Uh, dear friend.

Dear friend?

This is Yennefer.

You're Yennefer?

And you must be his…

Child Surprise.

f*cking pointies think
they can join our ranks.

Fringilla's lost her mind.

Thank the gods you came back when you did.

The elves have endured much,
and Nilfgaard has given them a haven.

Loyalty seems an easy return
on the investment.

Loyalty to whom?

This isn't the White Flame's doing,
you know?

This is all Fringilla.

You hold your sword like this.
Yes, like this.

That? Yes? Like this.

So when they come with an att*ck… Hah!

Ready to defend yourself, yes? Good!

Perhaps a proper demonstration
would help your ward?

- You don't have to fight him, Dara.
- Not fighting.

We're all on the same side.

Don't you remember?

Come!

Trust yourself.

Come.

- You fight like fairies!
- Impossible!

- Your kind k*lled them all.
- Filavandrel!

The baby, it's early!

You're a lucky human.

You really expect me to believe
that unicorns exist?

Of course they do.

I used to own a stuffed one.

Until it broke.

Under mysterious circumstances.

Well, I'd love to see one some day.

You'd be in rare company.

They only approach
those who are pure of heart.

Which reminds me,

how did you get your hands on one?

Good sir!

I'm a beacon of purity.

How…

Did you survive in Sodden?

I almost didn't.
I'm one of the lucky ones.

Depending on your definition of luck.

Well, Geralt says you're
the most powerful mage he's ever known.

Well, that's nice of him.

You're staying here to heal?

Have you been injured or something?

Of course not.

Monsters ceased biting and clawing
ten years ago.

But what about you?

I crossed paths with another of your, uh…

Dear friends.

He told me what happened at Aretuza.

Is that why you're here?

Hiding from the Brotherhood?

Yes.

It's been a difficult few months.

But things finally seem
to be turning a corner.

I… dreamed about you once.

Before I even knew you existed.

Dreams are powerful omens.

Perhaps we were meant to find each other.

Um…

I'm going to go to bed.

Maybe I can…

Dream about how to work this thing.

This place is a maze. I'll walk you.

No, it's... it's all right.

I can, uh…

Find my way.

- Come on! Push!
- Come on!

Go on. Come on, push.

Come on.

- You can do this.
- All I want is for this baby to live.

To have a life.

All you have to do is push.

- Push!
- Do it again.

Come on.

That's it. It's over.

She isn't breathing.

Quick!

Come on, little one. Come on.

- Come on.
- What's going on?

- What is it?
- Sh, sh, sh. It's okay.

Come on.

- Oh!
- Why isn't she crying?

Come on.

Come on.

- What's... what's going on?
- Shh, it's okay.

Breathe. Breathe.

Come on.

[whimpers

Oh! Ohh!

Oh!

How?

How? How, how, how?
Was it dark magic? Necromancy? What?

No magic.

Just warmth.

- Just warmth.
- Oh!

A new elf was born this night.

Geralt know you're out
roaming my halls unsupervised?

Does he need to know?

What's all this for?

To welcome late stragglers
who seek refuge.

And sometimes, I…

I light them to remember those I've lost.

Can I help?

Of course.

To Myrrha.

For Roach.

For Mousesack.

Mousesack?

Who is that?

He, um…

He d*ed trying to protect me.

Then he must have loved you very much.

Yes.

I just…

Wish he would have told me what I am.

Not one of them did.

Not until Geralt.

Sometimes,
our elders set out to protect us,

not knowing our strength.

- My grandmother was strong.
- Hmm!

Brave.

Never hid from anything.

She loved me more than anything.

But she hated elves.

Hatred is an endless circle
of fear and desperation.

And who can tell which came first?

Perhaps your grandmother's hypocrisy
was rooted in something honest?

A desire to protect you.

Well, she did a sh*t job of that.

Your true power resides
in more than your blood, Ciri.

With the right guidance,

you may have the ability
to break this cycle of hatred,

once and for all.

Do you really believe that?

Remains to be seen.

Only a hundred more candles to go.

In… that direction.

What am I supposed to do with this thing?

I can't figure it out.

Geralt believes in you.

I do too.

Mmm.

Yes. Our little love.

Mmm.

Come on!

Have you ever seen
anything like this before?

So joyous.

Only once.

After the Usurper was overthrown
and the people rose up.

It took me a while to be freed.
And to feel anything at all, really.

And look at you now.

You gave them this.

Hope.

But I can't help but wonder
what this hope will do to your alliance.

What happens when the elves decide
they can repopulate on their own,

without Nilfgaard's help?

I hope…

I'm wrong.

Truly.

The White Flame wrote you.

How soon should we expect him?

Any day now.

They will take it.

- Take it…
- First your power.

Power…

Then your freedom.

Freedom…

Did you think about me after Caingorn?

From time to time.

I fantasized about you quite a bit.

That a golem was ripping my insides out?

No, that your head was torn off by one.

You hurt me.

I know.

You weren't alone in your pain.

I know.

What changed your mind
about claiming the girl?

You seemed so certain
it was a mistake back then.

Many things changed my mind.

You among them.

I ran into Jaskier.

In Oxenfurt.

- He was in some trouble.
- What kind of trouble?

This fire fucker was after him.
A mage. I don't know who he was.

He was looking for information. About you.

He's looking for Ciri.

Why? What is she to him?

Yen,

your heart has been b*ating fast
this whole time.

You're nervous.

So?

Why are you here?

I have some wounds that refuse to heal.

You still want to have a child?

No, it's…

It's different this time.

Well, let's hope
it's different for the both of us.

I need to find Ciri.

Uh…

Maybe there isn't any riddle after all.

Some kings build statues to their vanity.

Maybe the Emperor Emhyr
collects monoliths.

He could want Cirilla
to have a legitimate claim to Cintra.

- Unrelated facts.
- Hmm. Yes.

God, it's probably pure coincidence

that Emhyr wants the princess
with the secret power to shatter monoliths

for her claim to a throne
that he already took by force.

- Hmm.
- You know, Fenn, I... I've been thinking.

How could we get answers faster?

Hmm.

More sarcasm.

Hmm.

Ahem.

There's a gene that keeps showing up
in Cintran genealogy records,

- but I've never heard of it.
- Uh... Spell it.

It's, uh…

Leish… Ard…

Rath… Ard… Lara.

- Cod, get the scroll.
- Hmm?

Get the scroll.

- Right. Uh…
- So, um…

- It was the...
- This one… Hm?

It looks like mostly women have it.

Do you think it's a... a misnomer, or…

Some kind of illness
they're trying to conceal?

Uh...

"And when the humans proved hostile,

bringing death and destruction,

multiplying and infesting their lands,

the elves built a w*apon…

To destroy them."

- Paerhabyn means w*apon.
- Hmm.

But this is praethyn,
which is more like draethyn.

It's a mistranslation.

The elves didn't build a w*apon.

They built a warrior.

Lara Dorren.

That's their mission.

Cahir's, the emperor's…

To find her.

She is the reason they came to Cintra.

The reason for all of this.

I know because I helped Ciri escape.

And then I lost her myself.

"Verily I say unto you…

The era of the sword and the a* is nigh."

Jarre?

Jarre, what happened? What happened?

Are you all right? Who did this?

Get out. Find Geralt!

Hello, Ciri.

It's so nice
to finally put a face to a name.

Have you met the Michelet brothers?

I don't know who you are,
but come any closer and you'll regret it.

I think we'll take our chances.

Ciri!

Well, if I'd known
to follow you from Oxenfurt,

it would've saved me
a spy mission to Kaer Morhen.

Nice scar, shithead.

Fire fucker?

Unfortunately, yes.

Take Ciri.

I'll find you afterwards.

Come on.

There's no way out.

What do we do?

I don't know.

Most powerful mage
Geralt's ever known? Right.

It's complicated.

This thing senses magic.

And it isn't mine.

Which means
you need to get us out of here.

- How?
- I'll teach you the first thing I learned.

Repeat after me.

I'm afraid.

Ciri, we have to try.

Lesson number one.

See the outcome,

make it happen.

Ciri!

Yen!

Stop.

I wish I could.

Well, you did it.

Where the bloody hell are we?

I need to tell you something.

You should know, the... the vial…

The mutagen…

It's gone.

And there's somewhere I need to go.

Goodbye, Vesemir.

"And when the babe was born,
a field of feainnewedd sprung up."

"And Lara Dorren drew her last breath,

crying, 'Know this.'"

"'My curse will hound your descendants
unto the tenth generation.'"

"'Until the columns
of time and space tremble

and open for my people.'"

"'Then my vengeance

will be born again.'"

What? Calanthe hid her elven bloodline
because she knew what lurked in it?

A generational w*apon.

Triss.

What are you doing here?

I am loyal to you, Tissaia.

No matter what's happening
here at Aretuza, this is…

- It's bigger than that.
- What is wrong?

I know for a fact

a drop of her blood
could change the world.

In the wrong hands,

she will destroy it.