alluring {𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖆𝖑𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖗𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖆} WATTYS 2022

chapter eleven

"True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice."

-Sadhu Vaswani 

GERALT HAS NEVER FELT HIS HEART WRENCH, BUT HE ASSUMED THAT'S WHAT HE WAS FEELING WHEN HE SAW THE LOOK ON AMELIA'S FACE.

There were panic and fear behind those captivating blue eyes.

"Amelia." There was so much he wanted to say, but couldn't. He could only hope to soothe her in a situation like this. Her eyes glassed over, but she quickly blinked her tears away and shook the cage door.

"I understand that you can't trust me. As long as you understand... that it won't be long before you follow me in death." Geralt turned his eyes to Filavandrel. "Please, just let the girl go."

"Yes, because they pushed us from viable soil. Even chaos is polluted. Synthetically enhanced so humans can make magic." Fliavandrel said, angry. "And why should I let the girl go? She will have nothing to love again once I kill you. Then she will come back for revenge and wipe out most of us."

"Chaos is the same as it's always been. Humans just adapted better." Geralt decided it was best to ignore the last part of Fliavandrel's comment because he didn't know what to make of it.

"You say adapt, and I say destroy."

"You are choosing to starve. You're cutting off your ear to spite your face." Geralt replied.

"You think this is about pride? My elders worked with humans and got robbed of all they had. And when they fought back. They were slaughtered. "The Great Cleansing", humans call it." The former king paced back and forth.

 "I called it digging a mass grave for everyone I loved. And now the humans proudly watch these very fields grow... our babies fertilizer for their grain. I don't wish to bury anyone else. I was once Filavandrel of the Silver Towers. Now I'm Filavandrel of the Edge of the World."

Geralt felt for the elves, he admitted, but he was going about saving his people wrong.

"If I bring my people down from these mountains, it would mean bowing to human sovereignty. They'll make slaves of us. Pariahs of half-blood children."

"Then go somewhere else. Rebuild. Get strong again." Geralt empathized with his words, hoping that if they listened, they would just let Amelia go. "Show the humans that you are more than what they fear you to be."

"Like you, witcher?" Fliavandrel asked, incredulously. 

"I have learned to live with them. So that I may live." Just let Amelia go. 

Tourviel got to her feet. "Please, my King. There are others. A new generation. Evellien who wish to fight! Let us take back what's ours. Starting now."

"Sit back on your ass, you sick, vicious, withering bitch."  Amelia hissed and Geralt almost chuckled at the hatred in her voice.

Filavandrel drew his dagger and Amelia cried out Geralt's name. His heart wrenched again in the most painful way, but his face stayed stoic.

"Wait!" The Sylvan jumped in front of Geralt.

"Get out of the way, Torque." The former king warned.

"The witcher could've killed me. But he didn't. He's different. Like us." Filavandrel shoved Torque aside and readied his blade.

"If you must kill me... I am ready. But the Sylvan's right. Don't call me human." Geralt tilted his head toward Amelia. She was shaking her head rapidly and Geralt let a ghost of a smile pull at his lips.