[Chapter Size: 2400 Words.]
Third Person POV
Kaedwen.
...
...
The Scoia'tael were a group that began to emerge in the North due to the prejudice that everyone had against non-humans. Their activities soon started to spread over the last year, as the situation escalated with Francesca Findabair allying with the Nilfgaardian Empire to conquer the North. The elves suffered even more discrimination, turning the struggle into one of hatred rather than equality while they tried to survive.
The Scoia'tael were mostly elves, but they were not limited to them. Dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and half-elves were also among their ranks, as other races had been discriminated against ever since, especially in the eastern part of the continent, in Redania, with the rise of the new religion, the Eternal Fire.
This group acted like highway bandits, capturing wagons and looting them, sometimes leaving countless human corpses behind. They used the forests of the continent as their hideouts, lurking near major cities, waiting for wagons and travelers to cross their path.
Because of this, Henselt had suggested wiping out the non-humans from his kingdom once and for all, asserting that they could be involved with the Scoia'tael. His open prejudice extended not only to non-humans but also to witchers and even the sorcerers of his own court. With his cruel personality, he devised a plan that had been in preparation for over two months, now finally about to be executed.
The king wanted to be more involved in the situation, even considering going in person, but due to the turmoil with Kaer Morhen and the curse he was dealing with, he was unable to participate as he wished. Instead, he simply ordered his men to eliminate all non-human communities in the regions near Pontar, Gwenllech, and Buina, which lay to the west of the kingdom.
The small non-human villages had been built in response to the treatment they had received over the years, forming a community that lived in this region while exchanging goods and services among themselves, creating their own society.
At first, the king tolerated this, seeing that they posed no threat to his sovereignty or the possibility of forming an army. With the additional tax revenue, it even became somewhat profitable for him.
Everything seemed normal among the dwarves, elves, and other races in the villages and communities of that area. But on this day, dwarves were working, carrying wood for their forges when they suddenly heard the sound of galloping hooves approaching along the road.
"What is that?" One of the four dwarves at the entrance of the small town narrowed his eyes as he watched the approaching group.
It didn't take long for the black unicorn banner to appear among the raised poles, while the dwarves stared in confusion at King Henselt's men.
A group of twenty horsemen approached swiftly, halting their horses right in front of them, eyeing the dwarves with suspicion. The dwarves nearly jumped back, thinking they were about to be trampled.
"I want to speak with the leader of this village," the human said in an arrogant tone.
"..." The dwarf standing at the front of the group narrowed his eyes, glaring at the men. "Why are the kingdom's knights here?" he simply asked.
"That's none of your concern, dwarf. You'd better call your leader—no more questions," the knight growled at him.
"Damn it... filthy humans. Go fetch Cribe," the dwarf told another while crossing his arms at the knights.
Their arrival had, of course, drawn the attention of the non-human village. People of different sizes began stepping out of their homes, watching the group of knights at the entrance. Naturally, everyone was wary of the situation.
An elf emerged from the middle of the village after being called by the dwarf. He had been working in the fields, cultivating some vegetables, and came as quickly as possible upon hearing that men from the kingdom were there.
He approached them, looking suspicious, obviously, while brushing some dirt off his clothes as he got closer. "Kingdom knights? How can I help you?" he asked cautiously. It wasn't common for men like these to be there, which clearly meant trouble.
"I am here under the orders of King Henselt," the knight began, pulling out a paper and unfolding it to read it aloud while the entire village, filled with various races, gathered near the entrance, watching. Many of the knights in the group looked at them with utter disdain.
"We are here under the orders of King Henselt to report to the kingdom that we are under martial law, and a tax must be collected exclusively for the army," he began.
"Tax? What do you mean?" the elf asked.
"I mean that the king is raising an army to fight Nilfgaard. Since the threat from the south has returned, we are collecting taxes. The amount is written on this paper," the knight said, pointing at the document as the elf stepped closer and took it.
"This... is thirty times what we pay!!" the man exclaimed, stunned. "You want everything we have?" he asked, still in shock.
"That's the price. You're lucky it's a one-time tax. It will only be collected once," the knight replied.
"But this seems suspicious! The war ended nearly two years ago, and we haven't heard anything about Nilfgaard..." he commented, glancing at the group.
"What do you know about the South, dwarf? You live here, isolated. You wouldn't know a thing. And do you dare to doubt King Henselt's word? Damn non-humans!" one of the knights muttered, spitting on the ground in disgust.
"What did you say?" a dwarf growled. "Why don't you get off that horse so we can talk with our fists?" he snapped, while the knight instinctively placed a hand on his sword.
However, the leader of the group raised a hand, cutting off the tension.
"Enough of this argument! We are here for the tax. The king needs to defend the North, and everyone must contribute. You're not the only ones being charged," he paused and narrowed his eyes. "So don't be a fool and refuse. We have the right to enter your homes and take all your wealth. Is that what you want?"
"But this is too much! We don't have that kind of money!" the elf said angrily. It was excessive for such a small village.
"Find a way. We'll be back in a few hours, and I expect you to have the money ready," the knight said, turning around and riding off with the other soldiers following behind.
The elf watched them go with a dark expression.
"This seems suspicious..." the dwarf who had argued with the soldier muttered.
"But it doesn't matter. After all, we've never been in a situation like this..." he said, heading back to the village.
"What are we going to do, Cribe?" another elf asked.
"Should we give them the money? So suddenly..." another non-human commented.
"Yes, we have to gather the money. Those guys intend to kill us," a dwarf responded.
"I think so too..." Cribe said.
A meeting was held among the villagers. Some refused to pay, but did they have a choice? In the end, everyone started pooling their savings, giving up everything they could to protect their homes—after all, they had nowhere else to go so suddenly.
They even wanted to ask for help from other non-human villages in the region, since they had a trade network among them, but they couldn't leave on that day just like that.
A few hours later, the knights returned. The elf, Cribe, stepped forward, holding several bags filled with gold coins and other valuable belongings from the villagers.
"This is everything we have. It's all we can contribute to King Henselt. We have nothing left beyond this," he said.
The knight glanced at the amount and nodded.
"Very well. I will deliver this to the king. He will decide what happens next." Without even counting or inspecting the bags, he simply took them, turned around, and rode off down the road with his men.
"What do you think about this?" a dwarf murmured, watching the knights leave.
"This seems very strange... They will return..." Cribe said.
"Yes. I want everyone to have anything they can use to defend themselves in hand," the elf then warned everyone. "Those knights... I recognize that look. They are planning something, and it will happen tonight."
He turned to his wife and children, who stood watching him with concern.
"Everyone, lock your houses tonight. Use anything sharp—a knife, a hoe, anything!" There was nowhere to run. All that was left was to wait for the worst.
The entire village was on edge as families of various races returned to their homes. In the sky, thunder began to echo, announcing a storm that would come that very night at dusk.
"What will happen to us?" Cribe's wife murmured as she entered the house with her husband and children.
The elf remained silent, watching through the window, scanning for any signs of danger before turning to his family. After a moment of hesitation, he took a deep breath.
"You will leave the village in secret tonight."
He had a wife and two sons, aged 16 and 12, who widened their eyes upon hearing that.
The eldest stomped his foot, outraged. "Father, you can't be serious! You want us to abandon the village?"
"I know that look, son. These people will kill us without mercy... I've seen that look too many times when I had to flee from human territories. Humans are cruel... one moment they smile at you, the next, they're stabbing you in the back. My parents died like that, and I had to run..." he told his family.
The elf stepped closer to his eldest son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You must take your mother and brother far from here, hide. Gather food and some supplies and pack them in your backpacks," he said, pausing for a moment.
"You... you must leave this kingdom," he said with a sigh at the end.
"But... what about you?" his wife stepped forward, her voice trembling. "You're coming with us, aren't you?"
The elf looked away and sighed.
"I have to stay in the village. I've been responsible for this place for too long. I can't abandon these people now."
"No! Father, don't do this!" his eldest son protested, his voice breaking.
"There is no time for discussion. Go now! Pack your things!" He glanced anxiously at the window again, watching the sky as the thunder grew louder and more intense.
As the night deepened, his wife and two sons slipped out through the back door and made their way into the forest, running through the woods as the rain began to pour heavily. The sound of raindrops drowned out any other noise. The elf used the storm to cover their tracks and prevent the knights from following his family.
But that didn't mean the danger had passed.
As his family ran through the undergrowth, he heard, in the distance, the sound of galloping horses approaching the village entrance. Through the treetops, he could see torches illuminating the entrance to the village.
A massive group of knights was advancing—much larger than before.
The dwarf rushed out of his house, quickly spotting the group approaching the village. This time, they were simply marching straight through the entrance. He was gripping a blacksmith's tool in his hands.
"What are you doing here?! Didn't we already give you the money?!" he demanded, narrowing his eyes, prepared to fight.
The same knight who had taken the money back at the camp smirked cynically. "Isn't it obvious? We're here to do our job."
Before the dwarf could react, the knight lunged forward with a spear. He tried to defend himself with his hoe, but he had no chance. The spear pierced his chest, and he let out a scream of pain before collapsing to the ground.
"Burn all the houses!" the knights' leader shouted. "Kill them all!"
Immediately, chaos erupted.
Dozens of soldiers began pouring in from the road. It wasn't just the twenty knights from before—more than a hundred warriors had come, ready for slaughter. The village fell into panic.
The elf who led the village rushed out of his home as soon as he saw the carnage. Houses were being set ablaze, people were being dragged out and slaughtered on the spot. He stood frozen for a moment, horrified by the nightmare unfolding before him.
Then his eyes landed on a knight tearing the clothes off an elven girl—one he knew well. She was the daughter of his friend. She tried to scream for help, but fear and desperation consumed everyone as they fought for their lives.
Realizing that no one was paying attention to him, the elf clenched his jaw and gripped an axe tightly in his hands. He had to act.
"Let her go!" he roared, charging toward the knight.
He swung a machete—a tool he used for harvesting—striking the soldier with all his strength. The blade didn't pierce the metal armor, but the force of the blow made the knight stumble.
"You bastard!" the man growled furiously.
Quickly, he turned his sword and slashed at the village chief's leg. The elf cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground as blood poured from his wound. But in the moment of distraction, the elven girl managed to escape, fleeing into the burning village.
The elf's vision blurred as he turned his gaze toward the inferno engulfing his home. His people were being slaughtered like animals.
"Damned humans..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face.
Hatred began to boil inside him, but his strength was leaving him. He heard approaching footsteps and looked up just in time to see the same knight who had wounded him. The man raised his sword, ready to finish him off.
"Filthy abomination!" the knight spat, preparing to strike.
But the attack never came.
Suddenly, a spray of blood erupted into the air. The elf watched as the knight's blade wavered for a moment before his body dropped to its knees. His severed head rolled to the side.
The elf blinked, dazed.
Then, a lightning bolt illuminated the sky. For a brief moment, he saw a figure standing before him.
A man cloaked in black, an eerie presence, with red clouds drawn across his robes.
The elf had never seen anything like it before.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the hooded man vanished.
But those strange red clouds on his clothing burned into the elf's memory.
----
Raccoon Here:
I didn't find any information on how this actually happened in the original work, so I will be creating my own version. It is known that Henselt did indeed orchestrate a massacre, but there aren't many details about it.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 195 - The Chaos Between Humans and Non-Humans 03.
Chapter 200 - A Conversation About Plans.
Chapter 210 - The True Powers of Ciri
Chapter 219 - Nothing like a vision of the future to convince him.
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