#Calanthe of Cintra | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jay-arts-t · 11 months

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Sometimes I just like to think about what it could've been if Geralt had gotten Ciri right after Pavetta and Duny died. If Calanthe was so weighed down by grief she realizes she can't take care of Ciri. So she orders Moussack to go find Geralt to collect Ciri. Imagining Geralt in a random tavern somewhere in Temeria, slowly making his way up to Kaer Morhen for the winter as autumn is approaching. Him having a gut feeling he should head up early, he thinks it's because something is wrong with Vesemir so he's anxious to make it through. But Roach needs to rest and well, it wouldn't hurt to get some extra supplies for the winter. Certainly wouldn't hurt to get some extra booze so he has relief from Lambert's grating voice on his ears. Besides, he and Eskel can stay up late and drink to their hearts content up in his room like they used to sneak around when they were teens.

Then out of the blue he sees Moussack, and dread fills his entire body. He doesn't keep up with news outside of what Dandelion tells him. So when Moussack is telling him Calanthe is summoning him he's thinking "oh fuck, she's changed her mind and is going to execute me."

But Moussack reassures him he's not going to be harmed. Calanthe is asking for him because of his child surprise. And now Geralt is really worried. What happened to them? Are they okay? Are they hurt? Did they die? They're only a few months old, there's so much that could've gone wrong. So he agrees to go with Moussack.

Calanthe looks a mess when Geralt sees her. Eist is by her side as always, trying to comfort her. Pavetta and Duny are nowhere in sight and it's making Geralt extremely antsy. Calanthe tells him the news, her voice is hoarse from all the crying she's been doing. Geralt sympathizes with them, gives them his condolences. And then that's when he realizes "oh. OH. OH NO". Sure enough Calanthe tells him she can't take care of herself, how could she care for a baby. Geralt refutes telling her "they're your grandchild, I don't want to rip them away-" and Calanthe tells him then it's a girl. And for a split second his brain gives the helpful thought of "oh I have a daughter" and Geralt is having an internal meltdown right there in the throne room. But he can't refuse. His entire basis for not coming back and claiming her is because she has a family who cares about her. But now that family is saying that they can't care for her, not because they don't love her, but because they do. So Geralt agrees to take her.

The first time he meets her he is entirely captivated by how small and precious she is. The moment he holds her he feels overwhelmed with such a fierce protectiveness and he can't help but absolutely adore her. He is trying so hard to stay stoic and unemotional but the moment he's alone with Ciri back in that old tavern he'd been at he just holds her and smiles. If he'd been a normal man, he probably would've burst into tears by how happy he was. (he did later once she got settled into Kaer Morhen, when he and Eskel did end up drinking up in his room. They're talking about the usual things, and then he looked over to her in her makeshift crib and just started bawling. Eskel freaks out and asks him what's wrong and he replies "I just love her so much."... Yes Eskel teared up.)

Then he has to go through the lovely moments of "how the fuck do you raise a baby" which Vesemir watches with so much amusement. Geralt raided most of Kaer Morhen's library and Nenneke's office for books about parenting. (Kaer Morhen has none, unsurprisingly.) He eventually asks Eskel to go to Oxenfurt and grab Dandelion and any books about parenting, childhood development, psychology and women's health he can find. (He is DREADING eventually having The Talk with Ciri but he won't be unprepared.) Dandelion is completely awestruck with Kaer Morhen of course however, nothing shocks him more than seeing Geralt looking bone tired with a 5 month old baby wailing in his arms, trying to soothe her.

"uh... What ya got there, Geralt?"

"H e l p."

Where's Yennefer? What about Yennefer?? Geralt is hesitant at first to even tell Yennefer he has a kid. But she sends him a letter one day, asking him where he is now that it's coming up on spring. (Ciri's first bday!!! Yay!!!! Also oh gods planning a birthday?!?!?!?? That's a thing??????) So he does tell her, and she understandably to her character demands to see this child surprise. So again, sends Eskel on out (pls Geralt, he's your childhood best friend, not your errand boy.) to go get Yennefer. Yennefer storms through the main hall, not even acknowledging Lambert and Vesemir, and right up to Geralt. How did she manage to find her way through the halls without ever being there before? Geralt doesn't know and he's scared by it. Yennefer spots Ciri, who's doing her tummy time. To which she's very fussy about and gives the nastiest glares an almost 1 year old can to her father. Yennefer is absolutely gobsmacked that Geralt was being genuine. She points to Ciri, then to Geralt, then back to Ciri, to Geralt.

"YOU?????? HOW????"

"I'm really bad at making jokes."

Yennefer adores Ciri, but Ciri is a little skeptical of her. Who is this strange woman????? Where is her dad?????? Where's her other dad (Dandelion)???? How dare she smell nice and be warm???? Ugh as if she'd let her feed her!!! No way! Yennefer is always completely drenched with baby food whenever she attempts to feed Ciri. Geralt tries so hard not to laugh at her. Ciri is absolutely seething by the end of it and is only contained when Geralt picks her up and holds her securely. Then it's like little devil Ciri never existed, she's all smiles and babbling happily to her dad. Yennefer gets really disheartened over it. Late at night she ends up crying over it, thinking it wouldn't matter if she was able to have kids or not; Ciri proves she'd be a horrible mother anyway. Geralt doesn't know what to say at first, but he knows it's not true. Yennefer is trying her best, it's just that Ciri is really fussy. She even fusses sometimes when Dandelion holds her. He tries to comfort Yen, and ends up deciding the best thing to do is hold her and tell her that she's doing amazing. He doesn't think she believes him because she's still got a very somber look on her face the next day. She becomes reluctant to take up care of Ciri because of the incident. Well about after the third day of this Ciri gets fussy again. Geralt is taking a well deserved nap day. He's back in his room snoozing away. Yennefer and Dandelion are with Ciri in the library, one of the warmest places in the keep. Dandelion wipes his hands of the ink that stains them and picks her up and checks if she's soiled. She isn't, so he asks if she's hungry. She thrashes around in his hold and turns in search of Yennefer and starts grabbing towards her. So Dandelion hands her over to Yen. The moment Ciri's resting against Yennefer she settles down.

"huh, guess she just wanted her mommy." Dandelion comments and Yennefer starts crying. (Dandelion's face morphed from aww to OH FUCK)

The bigger Ciri gets the more rambunctious and energetic. Geralt couldn't be prouder that they're all raising her to be genuine to herself and that they've broken the generational trauma. Vesemir pats Geralt on the shoulder one day and tells him "I'm proud of you, Wolf" and damn, if that doesn't make him want to cry. He doesn't of course, only meeting Ciri made him cry from joy. And oh how she gives Lambert a run for his money. It's hilarious to see a 60-something year old argue with a 4 year old. They get into the most stupid arguments too. "blue is better than red!" Or "I'm taller than you" which is the most absurd because it's always Ciri who starts it. Geralt thinks it's because Lambert is the shortest besides Vesemir. But Vesemir has only become short due to his old age, and Ciri already gives him a hard time for that. ("Why are you so fat and old? Aren't you a Witcher like Daddy?" She said once and Vesemir just paused and looked at her like "why would you say that to me". She burst into a giggle fit at his crushed expression.)

The argument will always, without fail, go:

C: I'm taller than you.

L: no you're not? I'm 5'11!

C: well I'm 8 feet tall!!!!

L: more like 2 feet tall!

C: NO! SEE

Then she'll stand on the chair so she towers over Lambert.

L: fine well I'm older.

C: no??? My birthday is first

L: NO ITS NOT?

C: YEAH IT IS

L: NO APRIL IS BEFORE MAY. AND IM 67, YOU'RE 4

C: uhhhhh I hate to break it to you, but no you're not. You've been lied to your whole life.

L: W H AT WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE????

C: uhmmmmm god.

Then when Coën finally meets one of the Wolves and comes up to Kaer Morhen he's shocked to see someone so young. At the time Ciri was around 7. She calls him ugly and walks away to the stables. Coën is just left flabbergasted while Lambert and Eskel are laughing their asses off. Geralt apologizes to him, while trying to hold in his laughter. Coën becomes like an older brother to Ciri, and he gets on her good side by helping her prank Lambert.

When Ciri hits 12 she does get her period, and Geralt is like "OH GOD OH FUCK HOW DO I TALK TO HER ABOUT THIS I DONT WANT TO MAKE IT-" and Yennefer walks into the room and goes "I told her, we're good."

Then comes the "boy talk" Where Ciri brought up that a character in a romance book was attractive and Geralt went into "No one is good enough for my baby girl" dad mode and brashly announced "you're not allowed to date boys until you're 21."

Yennefer slaps him on the arm and Ciri looks at him almost offended.

"jokes on you I don't even know if I LIKE boys. Maybe I just like this character's personality." She replies sassily. Geralt cannot argue with that logic. (And yes 2 months later, she goes on a day trip with Yen and talks to a girl her age. She comes back and Geralt asks her how it went and she says "I definitely like girls." And walks up to her room to take a nap. Geralt celebrates as soon as she leaves "YES!!! I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SOME BRUTE MESSING WITH MY DAUGHTER FUCK YEAH" Yennefer reminds him that some women are just as bad and he crumples to the floor in agony. Now he has to worry about brutish women hurting his daughter.)

Essentially, I just love that Geralt has a daughter, and that he's so proud of her and loves her so much. Their relationship is just so 🥹❤️ I adore them.

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multifandomfix · 9 days

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Beyond The Call Of Duty — Calanthe

Summary: You’re Ciri’s handmaiden, and a close confidant to the young princess, so when she finds out about your feelings for her grandmother, Queen Calanthe, you fear her seeing it as a betrayal to your duty.

Word Count: 977

Warnings: Some angst, tiny bit steamy at the end

You weren’t but 17 when you started caring for the newborn princess. Over the years you went from nanny to handmaiden, as the princess began to grow from a babe into a young woman. But most importantly, you became a friend and confidante for the girl who would one day be a queen.

You’d had your share of hardships that you had helped Ciri to survive and endure, and your presence in her life had helped shape the woman she was becoming. When her parents died, she only had you and her grandmother, Queen Calanthe, to rely on.

You’d always adored Calanthe, she was every bit a queen, a warrior and a friend. Yet respect and admiration had blurred over the years into something much deeper for you. You loved her.

Out of your sense of duty to Ciri, as well as to Calanthe herself, you never breathed the words aloud. There were times when you were absolutely fine with that decision, and other times where your heart ached at the mere sight of Calanthe. Even in those moments, you said nothing.

Being as busy as she was, Ciri hardly ever saw her grandmother and you at the same time. It was usually one or the other. You got her ready for dinners and for dances, and helped to make her more comfortable when they were over. And her grandmother was there for the middle of all of it.

The times she did see the two of you together, she started to notice a pattern. You had always been humble and kind in Calanthe’s presence, but there were times when you looked at her and your eyes held nothing but sadness. It took Ciri several years to understand the meaning of that sadness, but once she did, things changed.

One evening, as you brushed the princess’s long white hair, she asked you a question. You’d paused mid-stroke when the words had come out of her mouth.

“How long have you loved her?”

You tried to resume your brushing as casually as you could manage given how much her question had shaken you. “I don’t know what you mean,” you replied, as quickly as you were able to recover your voice.

“You know precisely what I mean,” Ciri insisted, trying to catch your eye in the mirror. You refused to meet her gaze.

It was then that Ciri spun around in her chair, her hair slipping from your hands as she looked to you with a pleading expression. “Answer me, please. I have a right to know.”

You supposed that was true enough. Yet still, you felt as if saying it would be a betrayal of Ciri’s trust. You were meant to be her handmaid and nothing more. Even if Ciri did consider you a friend, that would all be over when you finally told her of the secret you’d been keeping for so many, many years.

“I don’t know exactly how long it’s been,” you finally answered. It was the truth. The change from admiration to love had not been something that simply occurred one night. It had taken months, maybe years to realize that your feelings had changed at all.

“But you love her still?” You felt a pull of longing in your chest, all but answering the princess’s question.

“I do.”

“How good to know.” The voice came from the doorway, where you and Ciri both looked to see Calanthe standing there.

“I—” you swallowed, feeling a lump rising in your throat as you tried to explain. “I never meant anything improper.”

“I know. You’ve been a faithful servant for many years. You could have thrown that all away to throw yourself at me, lord knows others have done so. But you chose your duty. Why?”

What was it with this family and the hard questions, you wondered as you tried to formulate an answer. “It’s always come first,” you settled on. “It was more important to me to be by Ciri’s side and support your family than it was to take a foolish chance on my own selfish desires.”

“I don’t know if I’d say they were foolish,” Calanthe responded. For a moment, you weren’t sure what she meant by that. When your face changed from confusion to realization, Calanthe spoke to her granddaughter. “Cirilla, the room please, just for a moment.”

“Of course.” Ciri dismissed herself and shut the door behind her, granting you and Calanthe some privacy.

“I do admire your dedication, but happiness is not selfish. I believe you have earned your share of it, if you’re willing to take it.”

Even in the candlelight, you could see the glint of challenge in Calanthe’s eye. Was she really presenting you with such an opportunity? To be happy? To be hers? You didn’t wish to presume in case you were wrong but…her offer may not last forever.

Already standing so close, it was not difficult for you to bridge the gap between your bodies. It was as if your body had willed itself towards her. It was without thinking that you kissed her. It was desperate, perhaps more so than you would have liked for your first, but it was what you needed if it was to be your last with her.

She kissed you back, matching your energy and biting your bottom lip. When you finally pulled away, you were left with heaving breaths as you waited for your heart to return to its normal rhythm.

“I hope you know that you need not deny yourself any longer. You have always been a part of this family and I could ask for no one more loyal to have at my side. You may continue on as Ciri’s handmaid at your own discretion. Regardless what you decide, I hope you will remain in our lives in whatever capacity you deem fit.”

For anon

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