SOMEWHERE ON THE PATH - Redania
It passed almost three hours and Ciri was still awake. Or at least she was trying to be. Her eyes were closing almost every five minutes last half an hour. She tried to distract herself with counting the stars on the sky, but neither this stopped her eyes from closing.
The tiredness suddenly got her and she closed her eyes.
But the noise next to her woke her up immediately. She jumped so quickly on her legs that she wondered how she didn't wake up Gabriel. She started searching with her eyes for the source of the noise when she realized it was Gabriel who was making it.
He was murmuring something, but his eyes were still closed. She knelt down next to him. "Gabriel." she told him calmly.
He again murmured something, then suddenly he trembled.
That got her attention. She narrowed her eyes on him. His face was white as chalk. "Gabriel?
Now he made a painful sigh.
This time she knew something was wrong. She needed to wake him up. She shakes his arms. "Gabriel, wake up."
He didn't respond her, he just started shaking more.
She put her hand on his forehead. "Oh, God.. you're skin is burning." She said with the worry. He had a high temperature and she also saw he was sweating and heavily breathing.
She needed to act quickly before it will get worse, but first she needed to wake him up. Immediately.
She started shaking with his body. "C'mon, wake up."
Any respond expect for murmuring under his nose. He clearly had a delirium or a hallucination.
She started to be frustrated. Then she tried to slap his face couple of times. "Gabriel, do you hear me?"
He made a painful sigh, but he opened his eyes a bit.
It was now or never. "Gabriel, where is your injury?" She needed to be sure if it wasn't the infection or something else what was causing his illness.
His eyes started closing.
She slap his face again. "No, stay with me. You can't fall asleep now." She leaned her face closer to him, so he could perceive her. "Where did you get injured?"
Gabriel swallowed. "My..a..ar.." He was barely speaking.
"What?"
He sighed painfully. "Ar.."
Ciri finished for him. "Your Arm?"
He slightly nodded.
She looked at his arm and cursed. He was fully dressed with armor on his top. But she knew she didn't have a different choice now. She needed to see his injury. She started undressing him. First his armor, then his metal vest and at the end his black shirt.. She suddenly stopped. She was literally rolling his shirt up.
Ciri stay focus, she said for herself.
She pulled the shirt over his head.
Then the warm filled her face.
His body attracted her in that moment. In her mind appeared a thought of touching his naked skin, but she buried this thought immediately. She saw many scars which were covering his muscular torso. Some smaller and some bigger. But then she noticed it. He was really telling her the truth. A medallion in the shape of cat was hung around his neck. But she also noticed many bruises on his chest, it seemed like someone was hitting him and this made her rally concern.
She came back to the mind and then looked at his arm.
Her worst worries were confirmed.
His wound was highly infected. She wouldn't be surprised if he would already had a sepsis.
She needed to act quickly. She put his shirt back on him. Then she took his armor and vest and ran towards the horses. She came back leading only her horse after her. She freed Gabriel's horse, so they could be riding faster.
Then she came towards him and raised him, but in that moment she almost fall down to the ground with him. He was so heavy.
"Oh' God.." she sighed. She tried to raise him up again.
This time she managed to stood up with him.
But when she looked at Kelpia, her forehead filled sweat.
Putting him on his legs was one thing, but putting him on the horse's back was a totally different thing.
"Kelpia, come here." She called on her horse. She was grateful that her horse was so intelligent to understand commands.
After a short while Kelpia came to next to her.
"Good girl." Ciri told her. Then she looked at Gabriel who was clearly out of his mind. "You need to help me Gabriel." she managed to shake with his body to return him to the reality.
He slightly opened his eyes.
Her arms started hurting because of his weight.
"I need to put you on the horse, but I need your help." She told him even if she knew that he wasn't perceiving her at all.
She made a step with him towards Kelpia. She sighed from the effort, but they did another steps. She was now close enough to put him on the horse's back.
She tried to raised him up and pushed him on the horse. She dig her feet to the ground, so she wouldn't lose her stability and she pushed him up again.
Her whole face was sweating. "C'mon Gabriel!" She almost yelled.
Suddenly his body started falling down back on her.
"No. No. No.." She started panicking. His weight started winning over her and she knew there was no way how to get him on that horse without other help.
She didn't know if it was miracle or just luck, but in that moment he somehow caught a saddle with his hand and stopped his moving body from falling.
He gained her a time..
Ciri got shock first, but then she didn't wait any longer and pushed him up with all her lasting power.
She succeeded. She did it. She put him on the horse.
She immediately jumped on the horse and pushed his back towards her closer. With one hand she caught a bridle and with other hand she hugged his torso, so he wouldn't fall off.
"Hold on Gabe. Just hold on please.." She told him with begging and worrying at the same time.
Then her eyes changed. They were filled with determination, but also with the fear. She knew she couldn't wait any longer.
"Hey ya!" Ciri commanded her and Kelpia in that moment started riding away. They were heading to Oxenfurt.
Because Yennefer and Geralt was his last chance to survive..
4 HOURS LATER - Philippa's house
Ciri stopped Kelpia in front of their house. Her heart was beating almost in her throat. She jumped down and immediately looked at him. He was unconscious almost for a hour. She caught his hand and checked his pulse. Very low.
"Shit." She knew she needed to act quickly. She started pulling him down from the horse, but he was heavy and she was so exhausted emotionally and physically from the ride that she barely moved with him.
She started panicking. "C'mon.." she managed to drag him down somehow. Then she tried to raised him into her arms and tried to move with him towards the house. But she was out of her power and she couldn't push him further than her feet.
She started crying from the frustration. She knew that Gabriel had only some minutes before he will be gone forever.. and she wasn't able to even raised him up.
"Help! Help me!" She started shouting. She knew she shouldn't be doing it because she could drag attention of dangerous people, but she needed help and this was now the only way hot to get it.
"Help!" She sighed. "Somebody help me please.." her voice failed her. She tried again to push his body even if she was barely doing a steps.
She started losing hope, when suddenly the door opened and Lambert and Eskel stormed out from the house. Couple of seconds later Geralt did the same.
Her heart wanted to break to pieces when she saw them running towards her. She was barely seeing through her tears, but she recognized the person who caught her face with both hands.
"Ciri, are you alright?" Geralt asked her worried.
She nodded. "He needs help. Immediately. He.." she sobbed. "He doesn't have much time.."
Geralt understood what happened. He turned to his brothers who were already kneeling next down to unconscious Gabriel.
"Take him to the house, quickly. Eskel bring Yen and Vesemir, I'll join you as soon as possible." Geralt almost commanded them.
They didn't wait any longer and they grabbed Gabriel's arms and they started pulling him to the house.
Geralt looked back at Ciri who was clearly in shock. He caressed her face. "Tell me what happened."
She shakes her head.
"What happened Ciri?" He told her with softer voice.
"He's going to die." She started crying more. "He's going to die Geralt.."
"No, he won't die." Geralt hugged her. He understood that he won't get from her a clear answer when she was in this condition.
"We will save him." He caressed her back.
She sobbed. "You can't know that.."
Geralt pulled away from her. "I know that." He swiped away her tears from her face. "Now put yourself together. He needs you now more than anytime."
Then the witcher raised her into his arms. She snuggled closer to him and started crying again. He caressed her back to comfort her. He saw how much she cared about that young witcher and it was killing him inside how broken she was because of him. It was killing him how close they both got..
Geralt then started walking towards the house with his daughter in his arms and he wished that that boy would survive it. Because he didn't want to imagine what his death would do with her emotionally.
Ciri was sitting on the floor and laying over the wall. Her eyes were still swollen from crying. She couldn't close her eyes even if she was tired as hell, because all her thoughts was with him. Yennefer, Geralt and Vesemir were trying to bring him back to life almost for a hour. But she didn't want be inside with them. Her heart wouldn't stand to see him in the pain anymore.
So, she was waiting there alone with her thoughts and trying not to think about the worst scenario.
The door opened after a while and Vesemir, Geralt and Yennefer walked out the door. She knew something was wrong because nobody was smiling. They said something to each other, then Vesemir left. Then Geralt and Yennefer came to her.
She stood up, but she was afraid to ask something, because she wasn't ready to hear the answer.
They both looked at her with sadness.
"We tried everything what we could." Yennefer admitted sadly.
Ciri started playing with her fingers to stopped her nervousness.
She continued. "The infection in his arm also caused the sepsis which was already in the high state when we started treating him and.." Her voice failed.
Ciri's face was almost white. She started preparing for the worse.
Geralt caressed Yennefer's back to comfort her. "Your mother wanted to say, that you should go to see him now. Gabriel don't have to survive till the morning." He told her sadly. "I'm really sorry Ciri."
She felt like somebody hit her with the pan into her head. Her whole head started pinching. She managed to swallow. "Thank you for letting me know.." she wasn't able to tell them something more.
Yennefer then hugged her. "I'm sorry baby." She caressed her hair when she pulled away from her. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more." she said with pain in her voice because she knew what Gabriel meant for her daughter.
Ciri squeezed her mother's hand. "I know."
"Go after him, he's awake now." Geralt caressed her face. "It's the time."
She nodded and then she somehow managed to go towards his door and opened it.
She entered inside.
In the whole room was quiet, she could hear only his slightly breathing.
She did a step closer, then she hesitated. She didn't know if she was ready to say goodbye to him. Her heart started beating so fast. She couldn't. She just couldn't do it.. she started stepping back.
"Ciri?" His voice were hoarse.
She puzzled and stopped walking.
"Ciri?" He started turning around on his bed, so he could see her with his eyes.
She came back to the mind. "I'm here Gabriel." She immediately came towards his bed.
His mouth shivered in small smile when he saw her. "You came.."
Her heart wanted to broke. He looked horrible. His face didn't even have any colour anymore. His whole face and hair were wet from the sweat and his voice was so heavy..
She cleared her throat. "Of course I came.." she sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.
He swallowed. "I thought I won't see you till I'll die.."
She tried to act strong even if this words hurt her. "You're not gonna die Gabriel."
He swallowed again. "It's just a question of time.. only some miracle could save me now."
She told him a bit with the frustration. "So, be it miracle then."
He did a sound almost similar to laughing. "You know I don't believe in miracles Cirilla."
Now she couldn't stand it. "I can't do this anymore." she was ready to stood up when he somehow managed to caught her hand and stop her.
"Please, stay with me."
She looked into his eyes which were filled with the pain. "I can't Gabriel.." she shake her head.
"Please.." his voice almost failed.
She was trying to hold her tears. "You can't ask me to watch you die!" She said with frustration.
"Stay with me please." He sighed painfully. "This is the last thing what I want from you. Be with me till the end."
Her heart wasn't to far from breaking into pieces. She swiped away a tear from her eye. "Alright then." She tried to smile, but it was barely a smile. Then she lay down next to him and put her head on his chest.
"Thank you." In her voice were so much gratitude that she wanted to cry again.
"You should rest." she told him with softly voice.
He smiled slightly. "No, I don't have to anymore. I'm dying, I will rest forever then."
She softly squeezed his chest with her hand to comfort herself. "Do not say this. You're not going to die."
"I don't mind it. I made lot of choices which gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die."
"No, you don't." she said with pain in her voice.
"I do and it's alright. Because if I'd have chosen differently I wouldn't have met you.. and I'm so sorry, I did so many things which hurt you."
She swallowed. "It's okay. I forgive you." she whispered.
Gabriel looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "But now I feel it's almost over."
"No, it's not. Don't speak that way.." He was hurting her with every word what he was saying and she didn't know how much she was able to handle.
He found her eyes with his. "It's almost done and I've given everything what I could in this life." He told her honestly.
"Gabe.. please.."
He managed to caught her hand which was resting on his chest. "You know, I've always acted so strong, I let everybody to see a witcher without emotions who cares about nothing.. and I wanted to be that way. I wanted people to see me like that. Because if you have nothing, you can't lose anything right? But inside I was just a broken man.. and this was a side of me which I refused to ever show to the world." he stiffened a sigh. "I've never thought that something would ever make me vulnerable, especially not a person." He swallowed. "But you somehow challenged my emotions. You made me to start feeling something, you made me to face my guilt. I couldn't fake a smile before you anymore and it was killing me. Because you saw me. You saw the real me and I just couldn't understand how the hell you didn't run away from me when you realized who I am.." his voice failed.
She was trying to hold her tears. She was lost of words, she couldn't do anything else, so she just squeezed his hand.
He continued, but he was barely speaking now. "I was getting to know you and you've somehow started making me vulnerable and I realized you're my weakness." He sighed painfully. "You were always my weakness Cirilla.." he whispered.
Her heart almost broke.
"Please, don't talk Gabriel. You need to rest now." Her voice trembled.
"No, I need to tell you this." He swallowed. "I don't want the world to see me like that, but I'm glad I won't die alone. I'm glad you're with me now. At least this worked for me." his mouth shivered in small smile.
She caressed his wet hair with the hand. "You won't die.." the tears started rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't hold it anymore.
"I'd give up everything to touch you a little longer.." he caressed her face. The life from his eyes started to fading away.
"Gabriel.." she squeezed his hand on her face.
He swallowed painfully again. "I know that you love Matthew. That it's always gonna be Matthew.. but you should know I love you." he almost whispered.
In that moment she kissed him on his lips.
She found his eyes with hers. She saw small light which appeared in his eyes.
She wanted to tell him something, but he suddenly closed his eyes.
The tears started rolling down her face even more. She put her head on his chest and started sobbing loudly. She felt he was still slowly breathing, but he didn't have much time..
But she was not ready.
She was not ready to let him go. Not now, but never.
She hugged him tightly. She couldn't even see through her tears.
They were falling down like a waterfalls.
She knew what was coming and she didn't want to accept it.
Geralt opened the door and entered inside. He came to check Gabriel's condition, but also look at Ciri because she didn't come out from his room and it passed almost two hours since she entered inside.
She was laying at his chest. Geralt smiled a bit, because she was sleeping peacefully. The fatigue had to get her and she must fell asleep.
The witcher came closer to the bed and put his hand on Gabriel's forehead. He had still a high temperature. Then he checked his pulse. He sighed. He was still alive, but his pulse was very low to optional values. That meant only one thing, that his body was fighting for life and right know he was going through the worst. The coming hours will show if they managed to save him or not. Now everything depended on how strong his organism was..
He then softly caressed Ciri's hair and turned around to leave.
He started walking away when her voice's stopped him.
"Geralt?" her voice was very quiet.
He slowly turned to her. She managed to sat down on the edge of the bed already.
He looked at her sadly, he saw how desperate face she had. "Are you alright?"
She shakes her head. "No.." the tears started rolling down her face again.
"Ciri, don't cry.." he came towards the bed and then he knelt down in front of her.
"I need to stop this.. those stupid emotions.. I need to stop them." she sobbed.
"Shh.." he caressed her cheek. "Everything will be okay."
She lowered her eyes. She was afraid to look at him. She didn't want to see him like that. "But not for him.."
Geralt sighed. He started to be helpless with her emotions. He knew what he means for her daughter. She couldn't hide her feelings anymore, not even in front of him, but also in front of herself.
That's why their relationship was making him frustrated. But no matter what hatred he felt towards that young witcher, he didn't deserve this. He felt sorry for him and deep down in his heart he was even willing to forgive him.
Geralt smiled at her. "Come. Let's have a cup of tea. Gabriel needs to rest now."
She nodded and swiped away her tears.
Geralt helped her to stand up and they started walking towards the door together.
Suddenly she stopped walking. "Geralt, I need to tell you something."
Geralt stopped walking and turned to her a bit surprised.
"I.. I.. he.." Ciri was searching for words.
The witcher didn't interrupted her, he was giving her time.
She looked straight into his eyes." There's something what you should know about him." She paused. "He is the.."
The witcher interrupted her now. "I know."
"You know?" She got confused. "But.. how?"
"Before you left to the Novigrad, me and Yen met Gabriel on the streets." Geralt crossed his arms. Ciri noticed irritation in his voice and she knew he was still mad at her for it.
The witcher continued calmly. "I asked him for a help because I knew he is experienced witcher. But when we came to the crime scene to look at the bodies, Gabriel started behaving so weirdly. I've never seen him like that before. He told us he was just having some stomach issues, but I didn't believe him. I knew he wasn't telling us the whole truth, but I didn't want to deal with it because maybe he was going through some of his personal stuff. Then I asked him about the victims and his behavior changed completely. Then I knew."
"But.. but what betrayed him?" She was barely speaking because she didn't expect that.
"I must admit he is very good actor, but not matter how hard he tried to cover his uneasiness, his eyes betrayed him. They were filled with the guilt. You know, there's a difference between a bad people which soul is already lost and between people which do bad things, but their soul isn't completely dark. Those people are able to feel guilty because they still have some conscience. And Gabriel has dark past for sure. He isn't doing good things even now, but deep down inside of him there is still something good. Some part of conscience which is able to feel guilty for his sins. That's how I knew he's the Raven. Because he in that moment regretted that he killed those people."
Ciri was speechless. She didn't know what to say.
"I wanted to kill him Ciri."
Her face froze. "What?" She couldn't believe what he just told her. "Why? He didn't do.."
He interrupted her. "Didn't do anything wrong?" Geralt was serious. "Ciri, he's a murderer. You have no idea how many people he has already killed."
She protested. "But so we have killed.."
"In self defense or when we had to, but not an innocent people." Geralt stated.
"But he's not that person anymore.. You don't know him, he's different now." She was trying to defend him.
"I can't trust him anymore."
"Then why did you try to save him then?!" She said with frustration.
"Because I saw your eyes.." he answered her sadly.
She was trying to stay calm. "What do my eyes have to do with it?"
"You care about him. A lot."
She buried words what her father told her and she made emotionless face. "Gabriel told me he's working for Bonhart."
Geralt got surprised, but he didn't show it on himself.
"But he also swear to me that he didn't know that Leo is working for Rience."
"And you believe him?"
"After everything what we went through together and what he told me.. Yes, I believe him." She said honestly. "I believe he's telling the truth."
"Then I believe him too."
She got surprised and confused at the same time. "Really? Just like that? Suddenly you want to believe him?"
Geralt smiled a bit. "I said I wanted to kill him, not that I want to kill him."
Her mouth fell down open. "But, then why all of this? Why we had to have this conversation."
"Because I wanted to see your reaction." The witcher was honest.
Ciri closed her mouth in that moment.
Geralt continued. "You very hurt me when you left with him to Novigrad behind my back Cirilla." He looked into hers eyes.
She saw in his eyes that pain.. She started feeling uneasy because of this.
Geralt started speaking with caring voice. "I was so worried about you. Not only because Rience could find you anywhere, but also because I found out that Gabriel is the Raven and I knew he is very dangerous."
She was trying to hold her tears. "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry I put you through all of this Geralt."
The witcher hugged her in that moment.
She snuggled closer to him. "I'm sorry.. if I would know what I would cause you.. I.."
He pulled away from her. "Don't apologize, what happened that happened. We can't change it now." He smiled at her. "And as much it still hurt me, I have to say that if you wouldn't go to Novigrad with him, then Gabriel would be already dead." He admitted sadly. "But by your reckless decision you saved his life."
In that moment the tears started falling down her cheeks. She couldn't hold her emotions anymore. Because she realized what she really did. She broke heart of her father, so she could save heart of her friend..
Geralt swiped away the tears from her face and then he softly caressed her hair. "Sometimes bad things have to happen before good things can."
Ciri smiled at him through tears.
Geralt smiled at her too. "Now let's have a cup of tea."
She nodded, then she hesitated. "But.. what about him..?"
"We can't do anything to help him. This fight is only up to him right now." Geralt said sadly and kissed her forehead.
Ciri looked at Geralt with sad eyes. Then she took courage and
looked at Gabriel for one last time.
Fight my friend.. she thought.
Then she spread her arms around Geralt and they left from the room together in the hug.