Chapter Text
You were holding onto Geralt’s hand like a vice to avoid getting lost in the crowds of Novigrad. You hated large cities but you required supplies and his swords desperately needed repair. He led you confidently from shop to shop and once you were inside with only the merchant and a few other people, you did the talking. You worked well together in that regard, his large and intimidating form kept you safe outside and your smooth talking allowed him to stay quiet when faced with the shopkeepers. You had learned a long time ago that you had to be extra polite to humans if you wanted to survive and you had therefore honed your “people skills”. Geralt would never say it out loud but he loved shopping with you and if holding your hand was a large part of his enjoyment, that was his secret to keep.
You were just saying hello to Hattori outside his smithy when a commotion nearby draw your attention. The crowd parted anxiously for a messenger wearing the Nilfgaardian royal colours and you wondered who they were here for. “Geralt of Rivia,” the short man announced in a shrill voice. The Witcher turned around reluctantly and he felt increasingly uncomfortable with all the eyes that were now on him. You wanted to let go of him and disappear in the crowd but he held onto you as if you were his anchor and maybe that was true. You gently squeezed his hand and you were rewarded with a small smile.
“Geralt of Rivia,” the messenger repeated, “You are hereby officially invited to the coronation of our new Empress of Nilfgaard, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, daughter of our beloved Emperor Emhyr var Emreis. You may bring one guest and you are advised to inform the Grand Palace about personal arrangements before the event.” You whistled quietly, wow it was really happening. The Nilfgaardian courier handed Geralt an official looking envelope and him and his accompanying royal guard left the square. Hattori ushered you inside to get away from the crowd that was openly staring at you and you felt immensely grateful.
Geralt was stunned and for a long moment, the three of you stood in awkward silence. He knew that Ciri had chosen this path and yet the reality of it hadn’t really hit him until now. She was really going to be Empress of all of Nilfgaard and he didn’t know if he should be proud of or scared for her. Possibly both. “Well, that’s very exciting. Do give my regards to her,” Éibhear exclaimed and excused himself to the back room to work on Geralt’s new swords. You smiled softly at your Witcher and his heart threatened to jump out of his chest. You always had that effect on him and he had long accepted it as part of existence.
“Nilfgaard is a long way down the continent, you better start travelling immediately,” you stated with forced cheerfulness. You were going to miss him while he was away. “We,” he grunted and you stared at him with wide eyes. “What?” “We,” he repeated more clearly and you were sure had heard him correctly this time. He wanted to take you of all people as his guest for the coronation of the new Empress? You didn’t respond for a long moment and he feared that he had overstepped by not asking you and instead assuming that you would accompany him.
Before he could backtrack on this statement you clapped your hands excitedly and then flung your arms around him. “I’ve never been to Nilfgaard. And this way I finally get to meet the famous Ciri” You could sense his laugh rumbling through is body as he held you close and your heart was beating rapidly in your chest. He easily picked up on your quickened pulse and a feeling of warm contentment spread through his body. You started planning the details and Geralt insisted that you would use the gold attached to the invitation to hire a carriage to get you all the way to Nilfgaard safely and comfortably.
The next day he hired a messenger to deliver information regarding your arrival to the imperial palace and you spent a good amount of time picking out the best provisions for the journey. “What about appropriate clothes?”, you enquired and Geralt pointed out that the invitation stated both of you would be dressed by the chamberlain on your arrival. He had asked Elihal to share both of your measurements from a previous visit and had included that information in the message sent to Nilfgaard. “Looks like we are all set,” you responded when he finished explaining and you threw him one of your bright smiles that he adored so much.
He cleared his throat and tried to focus on the next steps rather than the tender look on your face. He was looking forward to seeing Ciri again, it had been a long time and had only received a few letters during that period. You hoped Ciri would like you and you were intimidated by the idea of facing an entire imperial court of people. But being with Geralt made it all worthwhile and you were pleased that he was taking you. The carriage ride to Nilfgaard was boring and slow and you felt like it would never end until the landscape finally started changing and people at the inns were speaking a hard sounding language you didn’t understand.
Finally, you arrived at the City of Nilfgaard and you watched in stunned silence as the imperial palace came into view. “Well, it’s certainly called City of the Golden Towers for a reason,” you blurted out and Geralt let out a laugh beside you. “This might be old news for a wordly Witcher such as yourself,” you stated in a mocking tone, “but I am just an elf from the Aedirnian forests who is terrified by crowds.” You giggled at your own words and he thought it was the most delightful sound. In his usual gruff tone he responded “I will keep you safe.” and your heart skipped a beat.
You arrived and after paying the carriage drive – you had left Roach with Priscilla in Novigrad – you were standing in front of the palace that seemed so enormous it was threatening to swallow you. Geralt could hear your heart racing and the smell of sour sweat wafted off of you which he took as a sign of agitation. He turned towards you and the expression on your face was downright terrified. “Geralt, I can’t..” your voice broke off and you felt the strong urge to run away and hide in the nearby woods.
He took your face into his hands and looked directly into your eyes. “Yes, you can,” he said in the most soothing voice he could muster and he felt you starting to relax. Before he could overthink his actions he moved closer to you and pressed his lips against your forehead. You blushed a lovely pink and he counted that as a success. You smiled up at him and with renewed confidence you grabbed his hand and moved towards the entrance. He let himself be led, his lips tingling slightly from the memory and aftertaste of your skin.
The chamberlain greeted you both with a polite smile and to his credit he only glanced at your ears once and was nothing but pleasant throughout the interaction. He led you and Geralt to separate changing rooms and instructed you to choose an ensemble from the mannequins in front of you. You had never worn, let alone owned such intricate and extravagant clothing and it took you an embarrassingly long time to choose your outfit. It was all black and had the Nilfgaardian sun stitched onto the sleeves with a thread that shone like gold in the light of the fireplace.
You left the room to meet with Geralt who let out an audible gasp when he spotted you. You let your eyes roam over his outfit and you had to admit that while you loved his Witcher armour, he did look fantastic dressed in these lavish materials. Geralt wanted to compliment you but the words kept getting stuck in his throat as he let his gaze wander over your form. You looked almost ethereal and he swore that he would invest in formal clothing for you once you were back from your visit. You smiled at each other and the chamberlain awkwardly cleared this throat to grab your attention.
He led you down winded corridors and through an elegant looking garden to finally arrive at what you assumed was Ciri’s room. Before the chamberlain had the chance to formally announce your arrival, the door flung open and a whirlwind of white hair ran out and jumped into Geralt’s waiting arms. “Geralt! You’re here! Oh, I’ve missed you so much”, Ciri exclaimed and your heart warmed at the obvious affection shared between the two. His smile was easy and soft and Ciri looked at him as if he were the stars in the night sky. You knew the feeling.
Geralt quickly introduced you and Ciri enveloped you in a hug as well. You held onto the woman and you immediately experienced the same feeling of security you associated with your Witcher. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Cirilla,” you declared softly and she laughed amicably. “Please, Ciri is fine. Not even Emhyr calls me Cirilla any more.” You nodded and you could feel Geralt’s eyes on you. He thought his heart might burst from happiness at seeing you get along so well with his daughter and he couldn’t hold back a wide grin.
Ciri ushered you inside the room that appeared to be a study and you moved to the side to give the two of them space to reconnect. You found a few books that were in the common tongue and you sat down in a comfortable armchair in front of the fireplace while their quiet conversation washed over you. You felt relaxed despite the extravagant surroundings and for a moment you could almost forget that you were surrounded by so many other people, most of them humans. The journey had been tiring and you noticed yourself drifting off.
A large hand on your shoulder brought you back to reality and you looked up to see Geralt’s shadow above you. “Hello there,” you mumbled sleepily and he thought it was the most adorable thing. He bent down to gently kiss your forehead and you heard a surprised yelp coming from where you assumed Ciri was standing. Your face felt warm and you got off the chair to smile at both of them. “I apologise for falling asleep,” you muttered but Ciri shook her head. “Don’t worry about it at all. Unfortunately, I have a dreadfully boring meeting with my father’s advisors coming up so you’ll have to excuse me.” She hugged you both goodbye and a moment later you and Geralt were on your way to your rooms.