Redemption

Good news

When Roche had first come to Geralt at his vineyard in Toussant, asking the witcher for his assistance in convincing Iorveth to join his cause. He was certain he must have been in some kind of surrealistic dream, after all, Roche was a well-known hater of nohumans, Iorveth especially.

"Let me make sure I'm hearing this right." Geralt looked at the Blue Stripes commander. "You want to join forces with Iorveth, and his scoia'tael, to somehow thwart Emperor Emhyr." Geralt continued.

Roche stood in front of him with Ves at his side, as usual, except instead of his Blue Stripes uniform, he wore a simple pair of trousers, and a black gambeson. However, his head was still adorned with his usual black chaperon. He looked back at Geralt with an expression that said a multitude about how much he hated the position he was in. He, and Iorveth go back a long time, and every encounter they had, one of them wound up badly wounded. He had always figured he would finally kill that swiving elf someday, not be in need of his help.

"Believe me when I say, if I could think of any other way I'd do it. However, I don't have that luxury, we need the scoia'tael, and that means we need Iorveth." His tone was both insistent, and reluctant.

Geralt leaned back against the wall of his house, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What about your Blue Stripes, the best of the best in guerilla warfare?" Geralt didn't hide the sarcasm in his tone.

"After the fiasco with assisting Dijkstra to assassinate Radovid, most of my unit deserted, I've only a handful including Ves." Roche gestured to the blond woman standing next to him. "The Blue Stripes as they were, simply doesn't exist." He finished.

Geralt regarded him for a while, then shook his head.

"So what is it that is so important, that the enemy to all nonhumans, needs nonhumans to assist him with?" Geralt had to admit his curiosity was peaked.

Roche cast a glance around him, then looked back at Geralt.

"To assassinate Emhyr var Emreis." He spoke clearly, but held his voice low so as not to be overheard.

Geralt pushed off the wall, shaking his head.

"I don't know about that Roche, something like that could put Ciri in danger." Geralt stated.

For the last three years, she had been learning how to become the Empress of Nilfguard, when her father Emhyr stepped down. She could be present when such a thing happened, and that may put her life in danger. He wasn't that concerned with how she may feel about Emhyr's death, he had hardly been much of a father to her, for her to be that attached to him. Geralt had been more of a father to her, and he knew their relationship was strong. However, he couldn't rule out the possibility that an attempt at Emhyr's life could be an attempt on hers as well.

"If my contacts are right, Ciri will be safe, and sound in Vizema, nowhere near her father," Roche reassured his friend.

"Are you certain?" Geralt had to be sure.

Roche nodded his head.

"Fairly certain, I'll know more when I meet them in Novigrad. However, from all I've heard, Ciri will not be around." He continued to reassure Geralt.

Geralt cast a glance at the scenery around them, the sun was shining high in the sky, and he could feel its warmth soaking into his every pore. The last remnants of the rain shower from the night before was still left in the form of small puddles on the ground here, and there.

"And you think Iorveth will want to help you with this." Geralt still wasn't convinced.

"Why wouldn't he, Emhyr has managed fuck up his plans for a free state for nonhumans. Not to mention the torture he went through at the hands of Nilfguard." Roche explained his reasoning.