The Two of Sodden Hill
Yennefer was making her way through the mud, her long black boots getting completely ruined by the dirt. She didn’t care. She was on her way to her friend, her love, her everything. Triss. When she had seen the fire consuming the love of her life, the screams that came from Triss, something inside of her snapped. She had lost all control, all of her magic had gotten out of hand.
Everything that happened next was a big blur to her. She knew that she had fallen to her knees, an unnatural scream escaping her mouth. She could remember the feeling, how her magic was bursting into the world, draining her of all energy.
Apparently it had ended the battle of Sodden. The mages who had been hit by her purple lightning were left unrecognizable. Some people looked at her and whispered about her being a hero. Some whispered about a monster. To her, it didn’t matter. She did what she had to do, to save Triss. She would have sacrificed the world if it would have kept the chestnut haired woman alive.
Yennefer had woken up on a clean bed in a tent. Apparently after her magic had left her empty, she had lost consciousness. “Triss?” That was the first word that left her mouth. “She is alive.” It was the only thing she could get out of the nurse.
Now she was on her way to the sorceress her tent. She didn’t care about the dirt that was covering her clothes, about the mud on her boots, about the rain hitting her face. All she could think about was seeing those cornflower blue eyes, seeing for herself that the woman was alive and well.
She finally arrived to the tent she had to be in. She took a moment to take a deep breath, to put her raven-black hair behind her ear. Then she entered. The inside of the tent was light, several candles filling the space. There was a table, a chest filled with some books and a bed. And on the bed, Triss lay down. She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.
“Triss…” Yennefer whispered. There came no reaction. She crossed the space until she was standing next to the bed, and sank on her knees. The woman lying on the bed looked like Triss, but it was as if it was just a shell. She was empty on the inside.
Yennefer could feel tears were filling her eyes, but she fought against them. She had to be the strong one, she had to fight for the two of them. Her hand took Triss’s, she was cold as ice. Yennefer pressed a kiss to the back of her love’s hand.
“Triss, darling, I’m here…. I am so sorry that they hurt you. Seeing you caught in that fire… I was so scared that I would be too late, that you would be gone. I should have seen it coming, I should have done a better job at protecting you. I will never forgive myself for this.” Yen’s voice broke. It was as if hearing this, Triss finally woke up.
She turned her head towards the raven sorceress. “Yenna…” she whispered. Yen’s head snapped up, and she looked Triss in the eye. “This is not your fault Yenna…” Yennefer swallowed, it was as if a there was a crop in her throat. “Of course it is Triss!!! I promised to always protect you, didn’t I? Now look at you… I failed. This is because of me!”
Triss chuckled. “You really do always have to be the serious one, don’t you? Yenna, stop putting the blame on your shoulders. I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew the dangers of a battle between mages. And about you keeping your promise… I am alive, am I not? I heard that is thanks to you. If you wouldn’t have been there, I would have been dead for certain. You saved me.”
Yennefer smiled at the love of her life. The hatred she was feeling towards herself hadn’t eased a tiny bit, but Triss did have a point. She was still alive. “I won’t let anything take you away from me darling… Never. You are my life.” Triss smiled. “Now, are you hurt somewhere? I’m sure those nurses didn’t do a proper job at taking care of you.” Triss’s smile froze on her face, and Yennefer immediately noticed this. “You are hurt. Show me.”
But Triss didn’t want to show her wounds to Yennefer. Her hand tightened the grip on the blanked, her eyes looking scared. “No Yenna, I don’t want to.” Yennefer her face turned into a grimace. “I am not asking Triss, I am ordering you. Show me.” When Triss didn’t listen, Yennefer waved her hand. The blanked lowered itself, so she could see the red-sorceress her upper-body.
“Hey, no fare!” Triss yelled, with a sad look on her face. Yennefer looked at the woman and gasped. Her entire upper body was covered in burn scares. Her neck, breasts, stomach… She couldn’t see how far down they went. It took a second before she realized that Triss was crying.
“You find me ugly now, don’t you…” the woman sniffed. “I can see the look on your face Yenna. You’re disgusted by the scars... You will never want to touch me again. I will lose you, I just know it.” Yennefer her mouth fell open. “What? Triss, no!!! You are still the beautiful sorceress that I fell in love with in Aretuza! You are mine, no matter what you look like! And I will always love you!”
The tears were rolling over Triss her face, and Yennefer cupped her cheek with her hand. She kissed away the tears, then placed her head on Triss’s chest. Her hand she then placed on a part of the scars, rubbing the skin with her thumb.
“I love you Triss, and we will get through this. We will get through this together.” Triss smiled faintly. “Together Yenna. With you I can handle the world.”
