Chapter Text
Queen Calanthe is ill and, to her great dismay, misses a day of court. King Roegner, although a skilled politician, is also on edge because his wife the did not close an eye this night and by proximity Roegner also did not.
The issue of a monster in Cintra's streets is brought before him by a representative of the Guild, a horse dealer. He took the brunt of it when 3 horses were killed in one night. Some fear that the guards are no match for a monster maybe living in the dark corners of the city. They wish for the crown's support of hiring a Witcher in this matter. Roegner is not in favour of a Witcher, completely trusting in the city's own executive, and says he will not support this matter financially or otherwise. When Calanthe hears of this the same evening, she is furious. She would have made a different decision. The illness that prevented her from keeping down anything, that prevented her from having a good nights sleep and prevented her from holding court that day already strained her nerves. Roegner stands by his decision though and after they go to bed Calanthe pretends not to notice that her husband fakes falling asleep to avoid further discussion.
After lying awake until midnight Calanthe finally falls asleep more from exhaustion than real tiredness. She dreams of a horse stable. Of course she does. In her dream she somehow knows that in the otherwise empty stable a horse waits for her in the last box to the right. Even in her dream she sees her own breath from the cold, shivering. When her dream self finally reaches her destination all she finds is a disgusting heap of flesh that might have been a horse some time before. Steam rises from the corpse, the animal was not long dead. Calanthe tries to run in the opposite direction but damn dream logic, she feels like running in a swamp. The feeling of being trapped creeps up and the last thing she sees before waking up in a cold sweat are two yellow, cat like eyes staring at her out of the darkness. The nightgown clings to her trembling body when she awakes. Roegner lies next to her, unaware and sound asleep. She gives herself two moments to calm down. The cool autumn air, that even the embers, still glowing in the bed chamber's fireplace couldn't chase away, keeps Calanthe awake for the rest of the night. The next day she would talk to Roegner about the monster problem.
Of course the king of Cintra was not happy with his Queen's decision to overrule him. His judgement over the horse killing leads to the argument they always had in those situations. Calanthe would not give away an ounce of her powers and responsibilities to Roegner. He was not satisfied by his role in court because he was seen as an accessory to his wife, not the other way around. He knows of the customs of course, he also knows that his marriage to Calanthe two years ago had been a political move, not a union of love and tells her as much. Calanthe's irritated mood on top of her already sometimes headstrong personality makes this fight a particularly nasty one and they say things to each other they should probably not have said.
In the end Calanthe decides that the horse dealer and his wife would be invited for dinner and that the four of them would discuss the matter a second time. They sleep facing away from each other that night.
Calanthe has the same dream over and over, always waking up when her eyes met the yellow ones in the darkness. By the time the dinner comes a week later she has dark rings under her eyes but diplomatically averts every question about them.
Late autumn has the whole of Cintra strong in it's grip and the first minutes of the dinner the Queen, King and their guests spend in front of the fireplace so that the horse merchant and his wife could warm up.
The conversation is a little bit awkward at first. Although Roegner, and Calanthe especially could be called down to earth and, in comparison to other rulers, rather close to their people, there are still two worlds that clash that evening. The castellan had introduced the guests of course, Master Tonnet Lisad and his wife, Mistress Clara but apart from names and titles the two parties know almost nothing about each other. Dinner is served and over a deliciously roasted ham and good vegetables Calanthe learns about the current market of horse trading and that because of the killings prices for some breeds skyrocketed while Tonnet had to sell others under value.
Clara and Roegner who coincidentally both fare from Ebbing discuss their old home, the nostalgia bringing a relaxed mood over the dinner.
Calanthe had decided that her husband would be the one to tell the merchant that they had changed their mind about hiring a Witcher. She had swallowed her pride and reluctantly agreed that it would strengthen the king's position with the people. But only because she knew it was the best for the current situation and that she, other than her husband, had a strong supporting in the general populace.
When the topic finally comes to the reason why the Lisad family had been invited for dinner the Queen and King share a knowing look and Calanthe asks Clara whether she would like to see the royal greenhouse.
Clara's eyes light up and the two women link arms and graciously walk out of the private dining room.
Although the castle was not small by any means the way to the greenhouse is not a long one but Calanthe still has time observe the older woman by her side. Mistress Clara Lisad is not old, but the laugh lines next to her eyes betray her real age. Her dark blonde hair is braided carefully and along with her dress, an exquisite gown with intricate patterns, tell of her status. Calanthe also notices that Clara does not have the working hands of her husband but still does not look like she does nothing all day. "Tell me, are you responsible for the bookkeeping in your husband's business or are you just the one spending the money?" Calanthe asks nonchalantly. Although she was the Queen and the other woman the wife of a merchant Calanthe somehow trusts her and falls into an informal register."No, I don't work with my husband at all. When we met I was 17 years old and I had already worked for some years. I am a midwife. I think most of the merchants district's children were delivered with my help," she tells Calanthe not without pride in her voice. The Queen thinks back to her 15th year, when she paid the lives of 3000 men to be called Lioness of Cintra, and her 17th when she married Roegner.
The women walk the rest of the way chatting about Clara's profession, a field in which Calanthe had rather limited knowledge. The greenhouse was more room than a house, nestled in the far corner of the castle. Hot springs on which the castle was built warm the room to a pleasant temperature and ornate glass panels on three walls let the sun in. Well, not in this moment, it was already dark out. This gives the greenhouse a mysterious atmosphere, the room only illuminated by some candles strategically placed in it. Clara feels like she is in paradise. The room is neatly divided into four quadrants, each of which has it's own theme. One was for the purely decorative flowers, the next for exotic spices, some of which both women could not name from the top of their heads. The third one was more a shallow pond or fountain than a normal flower bed and housed some beautiful water lilies and other underwater plants. The last one was especially interesting for Clara, for it is the one with medicinal plants and herbs. She looks at each species that she recognized and excitedly comments on this and that, while Calanthe sits down on a stone bench nearby. "Your Majesty, this is beautiful! I didn't even know you could have some of these species indoors," Clara remarks still in awe of the sheer number of plants in this room.
"My father built the greenhouse for my mother, who was interested in the great powers some of those species. After he died and my mother left this has become a place for me to remember them," Calanthe answers, unsure why she would tell this private fact about her life to someone she barely knows. Clara looks up from an exceptionally rare specimen, "I remember when King Dagorad died. The responsibilities of the kingdom and it's wars suddenly on your shoulders..." She does not continue, out of fear that she had crossed a line she should not have.
Calanthe does not answer and instead focuses on a strange feeling that suddenly overcomes her. She shivers, although the room is warm enough. "You have a magnificent garden your Majesty, thank you for sharing it with me," Clara says and walks over to the bench where her young Queen sits, staring at a point on the opposite wall. "My pleasure. I think we gave the King and your husband enough time to talk about the problem with the horses." Calanthe answers absently while rising from her place on the bench. Horses. Calanthe blinks and suddenly remembers all the gory details from her reoccurring dream. The devilish details were something she forgot each night seconds after waking up but now they are in her minds eye with full force. This, the warm, humid air and standing up too fast leads to Queen Calanthe unceremoniously vomiting on the nearest flower bed. Clara, standing right next to her instinctively steadies the Queen and helps her sit down again. She kneels in front of her and sees that Calanthe is trembling like a leaf. "Are you feeling better now?", she asks in a soothing tone. Calanthe, who was no stranger to vomiting, something that happened to the best knights before a battle, nods and looks the other woman in the eye, not replying. Clara finds her Queen to be pale and walks over to a plant known for it's capacity to calm an upset stomach. She collects the best looking leafs and puts them in Calanthe's trembling hand. In this moment the Queen looks younger than her 19 years. "Chew those your Majesty, you will feel better in no time."
"Stupid stomach bug, stupid nightmares, stupid shivering," Calanthe curses under her breath. Unsure whether she should call one of the guards placed outside the door or not, she just sits there, waiting for the wave of nausea to be over. "Do you often get sick after eating dinner, your Majesty?" Clara enquires cautiously.
"If it were after dinner I would be happy. The few times I got sick in the last two weeks were before breakfast. This was the cause why I missed court the day your husband came in," Calanthe answers truthfully, not caring about class differences or royal customs for the moment, sharing the story.
Clara could feel a laugh creeping up her throat and can not help herself. "Excuse my laughing your Majesty, but your ladies-in-waiting have done a terrible job educating you in some topics."
The Lioness of Cintra furrows her brows, thinking of her ladies-in-waiting and the thorough education she received. Although the sword fighting lessons had occupied most of her mind at this time. "Careful, Mistress Clara. Tell me what the problem is," Calanthe demands in her harsh regal voice, the warmth completely gone from it.
"Have you bled in the last month, your Majesty?" Clara asks instead and the pieces click so loudly in Calanthe's head that she is afraid the other woman had heard it.
No, she hadn't bled in the last month.
"Congratulations, you're going to have a summer child," Clara says, with a beaming smile on her face, correctly taking the silence as a no.
Calanthe on the other hand could not smile. She puts a hand on her stomach and finds the tiniest bump under the soft fabric of her dress. Her eyes meet Clara's. "I am... I am going to be a...", Calanthe stutters, at a loss for words for the first time in her life, "What do I have to do now?".
"Keep your calm, my Queen. You don't have to do much for the next seven months. Pregnancy sounds scarier than it is, believe me. I've been through this two times myself."
But for Calanthe the question means so much more. An heir to the throne of Cintra was growing under her heart. Her child. So new and unfinished but still something she already loves with all she has. The reason why she was not going to resolve conflict with the sword in the foreseeable future. She probably would not even fit in her armour in some months time. After this child would be born she would have fulfilled her royal duty of producing an heir. The only thing a Queen was needed for.
The thought that the Kingdom of Cintra might be very content with her rule does not cross her mind.
"I wont tell anybody, my Queen. And you shouldn't too. At least until the winter solstice. Come see me around that time if you want," Clara advises the younger woman.
The fact that there would be an heir to Cintra soon could be of interest to opposing factions and not every pregnancy had a good ending, Clara knew.
"Should we go now?" she asks the still pale Calanthe, who in turn nods and rises, slower this time. They lock arms again and leave the greenhouse for the dining hall.
After the Queen and King decide that the monster problem would be taken care of by a Witcher, Calanthe's nightmares stop just as sudden as they had begun.