[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
Third Person POV
Northern kingdoms.
...
...
"I will win against him!" Ciri said confidently as they sat at a table with some elderly men playing Gwent, a game Madara was seeing for the first time. Of course, being the most popular game on the continent, it existed in Cintra, but Madara had never played or watched players before.
However, there he was, while Ciri played with the older men after Madara bought a deck from a man offering it for sale in the square. Ciri immediately wanted to buy it.
Madara ended up buying it, even though she didn't know the rules. She was taught by the men and seemed to be having a lot of fun while Madara gave her some money to bet with.
Of course, seeing that man had alerted him, so much so that he left Ciri there playing to pay attention to his surroundings. The man simply disappeared, but now Madara knew he had found them somehow, and there was no point in just grabbing Ciri and leaving the city. He was already aware of where they would be...
'Why appear right in front of us...' Madara murmured, still ignoring Ciri losing money, which wasn't a concern given the amount he actually had. He focused on the place, searching for any sign of the demon.
Madara had created a set of rules over the years in this world, and one of them was especially made for Gaunter O'Dim: never, under any circumstances, accept his help. That thing feeds on human souls that he can imprison after granting wishes and favors. Like an agent of deceit, he was not trustworthy at all, and as far as Madara knew, Ciri had never interacted with him in the games, even with all her power from the Elder Blood, which led him to one conclusion.
'Is he after me?' Madara asked himself. That demon wasn't someone who would let Ciri go if he knew her true power, so the only thing left to believe was that it was the fame Madara had built in Cintra over the past few years that made the demon mark him.
There were few people in this world that Madara could count on one hand who truly concerned him, and Gaunter O'Dim was one of them. He didn't know the demon's real power. After all, Geralt had defeated him in a riddle contest. Demons were in a much higher category than the monsters of this world. Madara didn't have real knowledge, but he believed they were far above even the ancient vampires.
He had no doubt he could be stronger than a demon at his full power, but would 22% really be enough? There was too much vague information about the enemy's strength. Either way, he had to be more cautious from now on.
"I lost again?!" Madara heard Ciri's lamenting voice beside him, finally pulling him out of his thoughts about demons.
"I think so... girl, it was a good play, but you still have a lot to learn. Hahahaha!" The man laughed as Ciri had to hand over some coins.
"Let's go again!" she insisted, determined to beat him.
"Alright, but money in my pocket!" the man declared.
"Man, you don't feel ashamed of taking money from kids?" some men next to him complained.
"The girl wants to play, so it's fine by me. I'm just doing what she's asking!" the man shamelessly insisted.
Madara looked at the game while Ciri began to shuffle her set. Madara sighed; the set was a novice one with no important cards... so for Ciri, it was difficult to win against an intermediate deck from what he could see in the hands of another man.
"Madara..." Ciri called him softly, seeing him looking at her game.
"..." He looked at her.
"Do you have any tips... I've already lost 5 times, and the money you gave me to bet is running out!" she complained, and Madara, not knowing how to change the situation, as everything was stacked against Ciri, said,
"Just trust your intuition." He wasn't sure if that would help her, but the girl nodded as if it were a great piece of advice and narrowed her green eyes at the game as they resumed playing.
Madara saw people dancing, others eating, chatting in groups, some playing night games, and others drinking, but there was no sign of that man, while Ciri continued to play, placing cards on the field and drawing more with a bonus card she had. Her deck was from the North, against another from the North.
Ciri finally played her last card, managing to freeze the first line of soldiers, which surrounded most of her opponent's attack, while she focused on the backline with her catapults in the final move.
"Did I...?" The man saw his strategy being destroyed as the girl applied a 2x1 against him.
"Did I win?" Ciri was equally surprised as she exclaimed, before jumping up.
"I won!!! Look, Madara, I won!" She seemed excited about winning her game, which made Madara raise an eyebrow at her.
"It worked, your tip worked!" She said in admiration, as if Madara had the answer to everything. After all, she had really focused on her intuition, starting to play randomly, but with something guiding her to act in a certain way, while her blood did the work for it. Her opponent was surprised by the girl's luck with every move, losing to her in the end.
"Hahahaha! You lost, your wife is going to kill you!" His companion teased him.
"Damn...!" The man knew he would face a very delicate situation at home with the news of losing coins in a game, regardless of whether it was to a girl or not. After all, Ciri, in her last move, wagered all her coins, which essentially matched the amount she had lost earlier, trusting her intuition.
"I won! You owe me gold!" Ciri exclaimed with a silly, joyful smile, excited by the thrill of her great victory.
"Hey, girl. How about we negotiate... what if you leave the money, and I give you a rare card from my deck?" He spoke carefully to the girl, although he wanted to trick her now, the piercing gaze of the boy standing beside her gave him chills.
"A card...?" Ciri murmured, not knowing what was better.
"Accept the card," Madara spoke from the side, and she looked at him before nodding.
"Alright, give me the card!" She exclaimed with a smile as the man reluctantly handed over one of his best cards.
In the end, Ciri stopped playing, and Madara took her to eat something while the festival began to empty out as people started leaving.
"My son went to war with King Foltest's summons... I'm so afraid that I can't enjoy this festival anymore. I'll take my children home." A woman passed by the two, talking with her friend. This kind of conversation was common throughout the square, as even though they were at a festival, the war was ongoing in the south.
"Madara... Why are you so tense..." Ciri looked at him with some concern, seeing Madara more alert than usual.
The thing he had been looking for hadn't appeared again, so he just sighed. "I guess you're right..." He lowered his shoulders, seeming as though the threat had left, though Madara still believed they had been marked.
"See... And I'm so happy! This night really has been one of the best I've ever had in my life, much better than the balls in Cintra..." She said excitedly.
"The life of common folk has its privileges..." Madara remarked.
"Yes... not having to worry about etiquette or how you should control your words or laughter... it's so free... do you think we could live like this?" She asked, looking at more couples dancing.
"Maybe... but I think it's difficult..." He didn't believe it at all, but he didn't want to discourage the girl.
"Anyway, I'll do everything I can so we can live like this!" Ciri said with a firm tone.
"Do you want anything else? We'll be leaving soon." Madara asked as she nodded, pointing at other food stalls as she went to get something more to eat, with Madara accompanying her the entire time, letting her enjoy it.
In the end, they left the city, returning to the camp, where a tent was set up with a clone hidden in the trees to stand guard.
They shared the large tent but had separate beds as they lay down to sleep, after Madara filled the place with clones to ensure their safety.
"Madara..." Ciri called him, turning towards him as he merely turned his head to look at her.
"Thank you..." she murmured with a sincere smile, and he just nodded, but for Ciri, that was enough as she began to drift off to sleep.
The next day, she woke up to Madara packing up the tent while she glanced at her still black hair.
"Don't wash it yet. We need to go back to the city before we leave." He said.
"The city?" She looked at him surprised.
"Yes... there's... an issue I can't resolve, and someone will handle it for me." Madara murmured, sounding a bit distant as Ciri looked at him curiously, finding Madara's demeanor strange.
"Really? What can you not resolve?!" She exclaimed, not believing there was something he couldn't handle.
"Just come along." Madara said simply, and Ciri nodded, starting to gather her things as well.
In the end, everything was ready, and Madara burned everything left behind to avoid attracting attention from any possible pursuers, and they headed toward the city.
The festival had finally ended, and the city seemed to be returning to normal with shops reopening. He made his way to the tailor they had visited the day before.
"Young man! You're back, and you brought a companion!" The man greeted them excitedly, seeing the boy spending so much money on clothes for the girl.
"Yes, your wife is here... I need her to handle the issue I asked for." Madara spoke calmly.
"Ah, of course, one moment! Darling!" The man called upstairs before his wife followed him down to the shop floor.
"You're here... I see you brought the girl you mentioned. What's your name, young lady?" she asked Ciri.
"Falka." Ciri said the name Madara had asked her to come up with as a pseudonym when they were training in Verden, a name she would use all the time.
"Hello, I'm Jundiai, please, follow me." The woman requested, and Ciri looked a little surprised at Madara, silently asking for instructions on what to do.
Madara just nodded for her to follow the woman, and with no choice, they went upstairs. One, two, three hours passed, and Ciri returned with a bag and a face as red as a pepper.
"Put this away..." she asked in a timid tone, unable to look Madara in the eyes.
He simply nodded, not wanting to touch on the subject, and placed the bag inside a scroll without the shopkeeper noticing. Madara said his goodbyes with Ciri, and they left the city shortly after, heading east again.
Neither of them spoke as Ciri remained flushed, glancing at Madara from time to time, while he didn't look back at her. They disappeared into the forest shortly after.
Ciri had a very long conversation with that woman—a conversation for girls. Madara knew Ciri was of the age where she would start becoming a woman, and he didn't want to deal with something he didn't understand. So, he asked the woman to give Ciri certain explanations after paying her. The woman gave her intimate clothing and sanitary supplies so Ciri could manage the situation on her own and not panic over possible bleeding during their travels.
While Ciri talked with the woman, she finally learned about things she hadn't known regarding the dynamics between men and women. After all, she had been taught how to behave and respect her future husband as someone of royalty, but no one had ever taught her these things because she had never had her menstrual cycle before. So, after learning, she was extremely embarrassed, thinking that people created babies with kisses.
*Raccoon Here:*
Lol, I had to address this, after all, it's a natural thing to happen, and I didn't want Madara to have to deal with it. Ciri had this issue at Kaer Morhen, and only Triss was able to help her when it first happened, while she knew nothing about it.
I made these two episodes to not only resolve this issue but also to add more immersion into this world, with things Madara might encounter, from interactions with farmers to festivals, battles against monsters, and even war.