The Right Thing (The Witcher Netflix)

In The Years Between

It had been two years since Merrian had last seen Geralt. In that time she had served many courts, Aedirn, Lydia, Kaedwen. She had been almost everywhere. But ever since the wedding feast of Pavetta and Duny, Merrian had felt empty, like a shell. Now when she wasn't serving courts and caring for royal brats, she was killing monsters. A silver dagger now sat behind her back, while every full moon she hid away in taverns and caves, avoiding its cold light as much as possible. Under the full moon, things... changed. She became more violent, less in control of herself, often times when she was exposed to the light her body would move of it's own accord taking her somewhere that she didn't know, killing whatever came into her path. She avoided Geralt, trying to keep him from knowing about the full extent of the curse. She couldn't look at him, not after what she had learned from that accursed tree in her dreams.

Merrian pulled herself above the water, gasping for air as the hands on her head pulled her hair sharply. Soap ran down her face as she looked up at the attendant who was fighting with her tangled matted mess of hair.

"What kind of a woman let's herself get so grubby and disgusting that it's impossible to tell dirt from skin?" Huffed the woman sitting in the corner, reading a book casually.

"Forgive me for doing my job." Merrian sneered and the woman set down her book while looking at Merrian sharply. Her eyes were a striking shade of pale blue, her face angular and sharp, her thin lips in a tight line

"Your uncle has graciously accepted you into his court as both his niece and his daughter's protector. That is your job now." The woman uncrossed her legs and stood up as the attendant pulled at Merrian's hair sharply, she let out a small groan of discomfort.

"Don't lecture me. It doesn't end well for either of us Flora." Merrian growled and the attendant finally got the last tangle from Merrian's mane of thick brown.

"You better hope you don't ruin this child." Flora hissed and Merrian looked up at her

"What could I possibly do that would make her more troubled than she already is? I know what happened to her, you forget I was there." Merrian felt the attendant scrub over her arms trying to clean off the winding marks. Merrian knew she would eventually give up when she noticed they would not come off.

"And you forget who slaved away for five years getting her to be presentable." Flora jabbed a pointed finger into Merrian's face and left the room. Triss walked past her as she stormed away.

"You haven't lost your charm I see." She commented and Merrian sighed as she glanced at the attendant.

"Leave us." Merrian ordered and the attendant bowed shortly before scurrying out of the room. Merrian splashed water on her face to rinse the soap off and looked up at Triss.

"It's been awhile Triss, I thought you would have moved on by now." Merrian stood up and grabbed a linen towel from a table beside her as Triss crossed into the room with slow measured steps.

"I'll be leaving in three months." Merrian nodded at the information and sighed as she looked at the marks on her arms.

"I've had these for so long I've forgotten what I was like without them." She half chuckled and looked over her shoulders at Triss.

"Can you believe that I used to be this terrified little slip of a thing? Now look at me, I could break a man's neck if I wanted to." Merrian clenched her fists and sighed as she hung her head. Triss came forward and placed her hand on Merrian's shoulder.

"You are more than this. You know that don't you?" Triss looked at Merrian softly, a kind light in her eyes told Merrian that everything would be alright again. That it would smooth over eventually.