FAINA WATCHED IN DISGUST AS KING FOLTEST DEVOURED THE MEAT IN FRONT OF HIM,

"Miss Merigold, you were dispatched to settle a family affair, not to enlist a mutant mercenary and his whore for a game of sleuthing."

Faina clenched her jaw, forcing herself not to speak out. She glanced over at Geralt, who narrowed his eyes at the man,

"This is no game, Captain. Tonight is a full moon, and Geralt and Faina have already proved themselves to be invaluable. We believe we can cure the creature." Triss defended,

"You say she's a girl. Then you will refer to her as Her Royal Highness." The Captain stated,

"Segelin, I believe urgency warrants flexibility in court decorum." The man from the mines walked over to the Captain,

"The Witcher's theory is nonsense. Princess Adda was the people's angel." The Captain argued, "Who'd wish to murder her?"

"What about her lover?" Geralt suggested,

Faina watched as the king paused in his eating. Why was Princess Adda's lover a sensitive subject for him?

"Seditious rumours. Idle courtesans trading out boredom for jealousy." The Captain stepped forward,

"Perhaps if you called off your guards, if we were able to search the abandoned castle, we could find clues as to who cursed her." Triss mediated,

"Except this Witcher would kill the princess as she sleeps, and collect the miner's coin."

"Call her a princess. Call her a unicorn if you'd like to. She grew inside Adda, feeding on her petrified womb."

"Have you no respect?" The Captain growled,

"Mutating." Geralt approached him and the Captain put a hand on the hilt of his sword, "Growing for years till she got so hungry she was forced to slither out. Rotten muscle, bent bones, two spidery legs, claws dragging in the dirt. An overgrown abortion."

Faina winced at the imagery. But noticed Geralt's eyes also on the king, who still hasn't taken a bite, listening to the Witcher's words,

"Enough."

"Your Highness?"

"Leave." Foltest growled,

They all began walking towards the doors and Geralt opened them, allowing Triss and the King's advisors to walk through before stopping Faina, pulling her back before slamming the doors shut and locking them.

Faina watched as Geralt took more steps back into the room, leaning against the chair opposite of the king, "Who is the princess' father?"

"My men will kill you both, Witcher."

Geralt approached him further, "Hmm." He smirked, "It's funny. You learn that your sister was murdered and you didn't even flinch. But the moment I mention the girl's father..." Faina noticed how tense the king got, "Why were you never married?"

Faina walked forward, grabbing some grapes from the centrepiece, and went back to the chair, pulling it out and sitting down, staring at the king as she plopped a grape into her mouth.

The king stared at her, "You are in the presence of a king."

"Exactly my point." Geralt replied, "Why not produce your own heir? Why not kill the striga and avoid this revolt? Why drag this all out?"

The king turned to look at the Witcher, his breaths quickening,

"So..." Faina swallowed the grape and leaned forward, planting her elbows on the table, causing the king to return his attention back to her, "Between the three of us... who's the striga's father?"

The king turned away from her intense stares and stood, "I remember hearing stories about Witchers when I was a child. Is it true what they say? That the mutations that grant you your abilities also erase your emotions? Must be." He walked towards Geralt and Faina stood, not knowing of what was going to come next, "'Cause only a man devoid of all heart could accuse a brother of bedding his murdered sister while urging him to kill her."

Faina bit her lip. It took all her strength not to disagree with the king. Geralt did have a heart. He cared, a lot, about what people said about him. He hated having the title 'Butcher of Blaviken'. And when he killed that woman in the middle of the burned down village, he mourned. When the mage tried to take her body away, he threatened to cut off his head.

When Faina was poisoned, he went out of his way to travel to Tretogor to find the cure.

He cared a lot more than people think he does.

The doors opened and a guard grabbed Faina by the hair, tilting her head back and placing a sword at her throat,

King Foltest raised his hand and they paused, "Leave Temeria. Never return."

The guard dropped his sword from her throat and pushed her towards Geralt as he began walking towards the door. Geralt steadied her, quickly checking for any injury before gripping her wrist softly and leading her out of the room.

"C'mon." He growled,

"Where are we going?" Faina asked, struggling to keep up with his angry pace,

"To the castle."