Chapter 81: The White Wolf's Request
"Dandelion was kidnapped?"
Geralt's expression was quite colorful like an office worker who had pulled an all-nighter only to come home and find his entire apartment, bed, and sofa ripped apart by a husky. "He is truly a pain. I haven't even sorted out Ciri's running away from home, and now he's gone and gotten himself delivered straight to the dryad capital!"
Despite the complaining tone, Geralt immediately took charge of Dandelion's rescue. Arthur secretly nodded, confirming that Dandelion and the Witcher did indeed share a deep bond.
"Dandelion! I've heard that name!" The little girl eagerly added: "A minstrel with the same name performed at my grandmother's feast last year."
Geralt's brows furrowed. Ignoring the little girl, he looked at Arthur and Kolgrim: "How did you end up entering Brokilon?"
After Kolgrim briefly recounted their ordeal, Geralt's brows weren't the only thing furrowed his face looked like a bitter gourd. The little girl clapped her hands furiously, giggling: "This bedtime story is much more interesting than Granny's."
Arthur made a 'shush' gesture at her: "Please be quiet for a moment. The minstrel who was captured in the story is your companion's friend, and we are discussing how to rescue him."
But Ciri tugged on Kolgrim's arm, shaking it back and forth: "Tell another story, Witcher Uncle!"
This little girl looked less than ten years old and had been raised in luxury, making her severely lacking in empathy.
Arthur threatened: "If you keep causing trouble, I'll spank your little bottom!"
Ciri was unconcerned and continued to chatter: "You wouldn't dare! My grandmother will have your head cut off!"
Seeing that the little girl was completely unresponsive to threats, Arthur wasted no more words. He lifted her up, gave her bottom three light taps with his scabbard, and then set her down.
"You dared to spank a princess's bottom!" Ciri shrieked, jumping off Arthur's knee and pointing at him: "You are finished! If Grandmother finds out, she will definitely cut off your head!"
Arthur stretched his features with his fingers, making a fierce face: "No one can cut off my head. In White Orchard, a noble tried to kill me, but he was the one who died in the end."
Ciri froze for a moment, then hid behind Geralt, asking: "You're the clan-exterminating Arthur Dane?! They say you killed everyone in an entire castle, and the blood flowed deep enough to drown the courtyard!"
Seeing the little girl's nervous expression, and Geralt's slightly arched back, Arthur felt helpless: "I just killed a despicable noble. Why am I being portrayed as some kind of murderous demon? I'm clearly a kind person!"
Kolgrim, one of the people present during the event, also spoke up to clarify, but it obviously didn't have much effect. Even Braenn, the dryad, showed a hint of fear and discreetly scooted farther away.
Only Geralt remained steadily seated next to the helmet.
Fine, whether the fame is good or bad, at least it's fame. As long as it doesn't interfere with rescuing Dandelion... Arthur comforted himself gloomily, but Red-Kite unexpectedly stood up:
"I don't believe the nonsense spouted by those nobles' dogs! Just today, Arthur protected me fearlessly. He is a brave and righteous person!"
Zoltan also chimed in: "On the outskirts of Maribor, Arthur rescued an innocent mother and child in front of me. A group of fanatics were trying to kill her as a witch."
Geralt also smiled, turning to Ciri: "The court is a nest of vipers; you won't hear many truths there. For example, did they ever tell you that Arthur supplies cheap healing elixirs to poor villagers?"
Ciri shook her head in confusion, but the look in her eyes toward Arthur gradually shifted from fear to excitement.
Arthur had never imagined that his story would be so popular. It wasn't just Ciri; the dryad, Braenn, and Red-Kite were all gathered near the meat soup, staring intently at Kolgrim and Zoltan, urging them with repeated cries of 'What happened next?' the moment they paused. It was as if their mouths, which usually only spoke vulgar words, possessed some sort of magic.
The storytelling session lasted until late into the night before Ciri finally succumbed to sleepiness.
With the dryads' help, camping in Brokilon was easier than Arthur could have imagined. Braenn simply raised her right hand and murmured a few words, and the surrounding trees lowered their branches, weaving them into soft, comfortable hammocks.
"This is the dryads' natural gift; they can make the trees grow into whatever shape they need," Geralt explained with a smile. "Wait until you reach Duén Canell; you'll be even more surprised. Even the Dryad Queen's palace there is grown directly from the trees!"
Arthur listened with fascination. Ciri shifted in her hammock, muttering semi-consciously: "Then her palace must have a lot of mosquitoes."
Arthur also planned to catch up on some rest, but he felt a light tapping on his back. He turned around to see Geralt and Kolgrim standing behind him:
"What is it?"
"There are a few things we need to discuss," Kolgrim said, choosing his words carefully, while Geralt was more direct: "I heard you plan to use this elf to secure Dandelion's freedom from the Dryad Queen."
Arthur nodded: "Red-Kite told me that the dryads and elves formed an alliance over a thousand years ago. Releasing an elf who harmed us, right in front of the Dryad Queen, should garner us a significant reward."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Geralt's expression was troubled. It took him a moment to speak: "Um… I hope you can let me have the elf instead. I want to use her to exchange for the freedom of this little girl."
Arthur stared at Geralt: "I thought Dandelion was your friend."
Geralt stammered: "The thing is, I had a… history with the dryads before. In short, I understand their way of doing things. Since they didn't kill Dandelion immediately, they likely won't do so later. His freedom is only a matter of time."
Despite the subtle tension in the air, Arthur couldn't help but chuckle: "How much of Dandelion's poetry is actually true?"
Geralt's face flushed slightly. He didn't answer the question, instead pointing to the sleeping Ciri: "Do you know what fate awaits her?"
Arthur nodded: "I heard my teacher mention something. Dryads give girls who wander into the forest the Water of Brokilon, and they become new dryads it's one of their methods of reproduction."
Geralt said: "No, that's not the whole truth. The so-called Water of Brokilon is actually a mind-damaging poison. The one who drinks it loses their past and sees themselves as a member of the dryads they would even shoot arrows at their former family. What's the difference between stripping a person of their memories and killing them?"
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