{Everything I was told my whole life was a lie

[anewtruth]

Who: Princess Cirilla of Centra anewtruth [Netflix canon-4th Wall Visitor] & OTA
What: Crisis On Infinite Dreamwidths catch-all
When: Aug 12-18, 2022
Where: MetaHumans universe, Sunset Falls
Content Warnings: Updated as needed
Other Notes: HMU on Ciri's HMD / @ loyalwolf[#3540] on plurk[/discord] for something specific!

help me find a new truth.

Comments

i. Library (as I wing the hell out of this as best I can rn)

[cichy]

Between one coughing, drowning breath and the next, Pavetta finds herself somewhere else, falling bonelessly and uncoordinatedly down on streets she most assuredly doesn’t know. The last thing she remembers is… a ship. Duny. Their argument. Falling overboard. Drowning. Dying. She’s dead. She’s supposed to be dead. But she very plainly isn’t. No, she’s coughing and breathless but breathing, her dress sodden and clinging to her skin. Breathing,, her heart pounding in her chest. Two things that would be quite absent if she were dead.

Cirilla. At least Cirilla is safe from Duny and his machinations. Safe with Calanthe. No one will keep her daughter safer than her mother will. The Lioness of Cintra will see that no harm comes to her granddaughter. That makes her breathe a little bit easier. Just a bit.

Drawing herself to her feet, she gathers herself. Pavetta isn’t her mother. She’s quiet where Calanthe is forceful, preferring books and music to swords and battle. But she can be every inch as commanding when circumstances call for it. And they do, now. She needs information, to discover where it is she’s found herself. How they’d brought her here.

It takes her no time at all to realise that she does not belong, standing out painfully in her sodden gown in a style that doesn’t resemble any clothes she’s seen here in this place. And she would like to be dry.

Her attention is drawn instead by the library. Clothing can wait. Books have always a love of hers, and what better way to learn of this world? She doesn’t know what it is that she’s looking for, her fingertips trailing along the spines as she peruses the book shelves, but perhaps she’ll know it when she sees it.

She takes her time. So much so that her gown is well on the way to drying before she’s chosen a single book.

[anewtruth]

The library. That’s the best place for information, no matter where she’s ended up. And at least she’s gotten a decent enough explanation of what’s happening from Yennefer and Jaskier. Not that it makes sense, but she’s stopped trying to make sense of her life by now. Every time she thinks she knows what’s going on, a new curve is thrown into the road and she’s lucky to not go careening off a mountain’s ledge for it.

She browses idly through the aisles of books, row after row, not seeking anything in particular just yet, just browsing. Seeing what’s on offer. There are so many different sections, and she isn’t entirely certain what some of it means but surely at least some of it is genuine history and not simply an oral tale put to parchment.

She turns down another aisle, but she isn’t prepared for what she sees when she does. A gasp escapes her and she stands there, feet rooted to the spot, mouth slightly agape as she stares at what appears to be her mother at the other end of the row.

[cichy]

Pavetta hears the gasp and turns, a book of fairy tales in her hand. She is about to ask what's wrong when she sees her, really truly sees the girl, and goes still in shock. She knows those eyes. Those are her eyes. And she knows that face. She's seen her, before.

She had looked up, from her young daughter lying in her bed... to see this girl. As surely as she had been standing in the room with them. And she knows. Had known then, deep in her heart, who she was. And her heart aches.

Her hand covers her mouth. "Cirilla?"

[anewtruth]

She sees her, but Ciri isn't sure she can believe her. Is she real? Another vision of some kind? It wouldn't be the first time, after all. And how would her mother know it was her?

Despite her caution, Ciri finds herself slowly walking down the aisle. "Mother...?" she whispers, her voice shaky, her features soft, wary, scared, and hopeful all at once.

[cichy]

Pavetta chokes back a sob at that softly whispered 'mother...?' and then she is rushing down the aisle, the book of fairy tales falling from her hand forgotten as she rushes to embrace her daughter. "Oh my darling Cirilla," she murmurs, tears trickling down her cheeks.

[anewtruth]

"How...?" she breathes out, still staring at her as though she's seen a ghost. And. Well- she has, hasn't she? And it wouldn't be the first time.

She halts the woman before she snatches her up in a hug, hands on her shoulders to keep her at just that tiny bit of distance. "How do I know you're real?" she asks, her eyes swimming with unspilled tears as she tries to take in every inch of her.