Ep. 10 — "A Shard of Ice" with Charlotte of Vengerberg Glamarye

Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye returns to join Alyssa from GoodMorhen to discuss Henry Cavill’s favorite short story from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Sword of Destiny, “A Shard of Ice.” Very important bits include: the deep-rooted emotions and insecurities in Geralt and Yennefer’s relationship, adapting The Snow Queen, and the importance of communication in traditional and untraditional relationships. As Charlotte puts it: “This chapter is about everyone's facades, the weight of those masks, and the toll it takes on their relationships.”

Receive 10% off every purchase at glamarye.com with code: HANZA.

This episode is available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

Transcript

Content Warning

ALYSSA: Hey, everyone. Before we get started, I just wanted to give you a warning that this particular episode of Breakfast in Beauclair is not safe for work for explicit and mature themes. So, if you need to not listen with your mother-in-law, or your children, or at work, I just wanted to give you a heads up so you can enjoy it at a later time.

Cold Open

CHARLOTTE: No. ‘There's not enough room for both of us in this here, sorceress.’

ALYSSA: Ew. Not that attitude. 

CHARLOTTE: [Singing] Like, y'all should just get together… Have a good time!

Introduction

[Breakfast in Beauclair theme music by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Welcome to Breakfast in Beauclair, a global Witcher Podcast. My name is Alyssa from GoodMorhen, and I’ll be your host as you, I, and our international hanza accompany Geralt of Rivia and his destiny, Cirilla of Cintra, across The Continent.

[Release]

Thank you to everyone who participated in our community cover of “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher”: Abbe, Alycia, Charli, Franzi, Gari, Gustavo, The Beekeeper, Dana Meadbh, Shaun, Sofia, Sylvia, and Tracie. Check it out on the Breakfast in Beauclair YouTube, IGTV, Facebook, and Twitter.

The show is out tomorrow, Friday December 20! Have fun!

[Patron Announcements]

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[Episode Details]

As for this episode, Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye returns to discuss Henry Cavill’s favorite short story from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Sword of Destiny, “A Shard of Ice.” Together, we’ll go from raunchy to gut-wrenching as we pull back the curtain and explore the deep-rooted emotions and insecurities in Geralt and Yennefer’s relationship, Sapkowski’s adaptation of The Snow Queen, more of Charlotte’s famous witch store anecdotes, and the importance of communication in traditional and untraditional relationships. As Charlotte wonderfully puts it: “This chapter is about everyone's facades, the weight of those masks, and the toll it takes on their relationships.”

Charlotte also has an evergreen promo running in her shop! As a listener of the podcast, get 10% off her beautiful Witcher-themed creme perfumes anytime with code: HANZA. Check out glamarye.com for lore-accurate scents from Yennefer, Philippa, Lytta, and Triss—with more to come!

During the mid-episode break, Lars from Witcherflix shares viewing information for tomorrow’s Season 1 release and summaries of new promotional videos and interviews.

After the episode, head over to r/thehanza and jump into our community discussion with your thoughts, reactions to the episode, or bring up new themes and ideas that we didn’t cover.

Without further ado, let’s get to this episode’s short story, “A Shard of Ice.”

Discussion

[Breakfast in Beauclair stinger by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Welcome to Breakfast in Beauclair. My name is Alyssa and, today, I'm really excited to welcome back Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye. Hi, Charlotte. 

CHARLOTTE: Hello.

ALYSSA: So, some of you may be familiar with Charlotte. She joined us for Episode 2, "A Grain of Truth." Charlotte, what's been going on with you? What's new?

CHARLOTTE: Oh, well, I have been working diligently on my newest product for my little shop. I make lore-accurate Witcher perfumes. If you guys listened to the last episode, that's what I do. Other than that, I've just been working my butt off at my other two jobs and making perfume.

ALYSSA: And it's amazing. I'm still, like, obsessed with the perfumes that I got from you. And I still use my Yennefer Lilac and Gooseberry cream a lot. 

CHARLOTTE: Awesome. 

ALYSSA: I think I'm about, like, halfway through, and it's still so beautiful. And the scent has just remained. And I really love the product that you made. And it's absolutely wonderful. 

CHARLOTTE: Thank you. 

ALYSSA: Yeah. So, today, Charlotte and I will be discussing “A Shard of Ice.”, which is the second short story in Andrzej Sapkowski’s Sword of Destiny. When I think about the story as a whole, it really feels like a very strong character development piece. Geralt and Yennefer specifically, we see them in a very dynamic way, which is really exciting.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. Instead of them just being sort of like, “Oh, they have a relationship.” You know, you hear about it in the books previously. But you don't get a lot of intimate details about the relationship. And this chapter really throws you right in there. It's great. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm. Yeah. I mean, at the time we're recording this Episode 7, which covered "The Voice of Reason" came out not too long ago. And in Episode 7, we talked quite a bit about how the Voice of Reason gave us a little bit of insight into Geralt’s world, although kind of removed. Because, a lot of the time, Geralt was reflecting on his life. I feel like, in this chapter in “A Shard of Ice,” really get to see not only what he thinks of himself or what we can observe about his character in almost an isolated sense, but we really get to see how he and Yennefer react to each other and how their relationship evolves from what we see in this chapter until the end of the saga.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. I love it. I love really getting in there and getting into the nitty-gritty of their relationship, because you hear so much, like, speculation about it from other characters in the book. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: People have some pretty strong opinions about Geralt and Yennefer’s relationship. And, now, we finally get the inside scoop.

ALYSSA: Exactly. It does take us to the chapter itself. So, in Part I, Geralt battles a tentacled creature in a midden outside of a town’s walls. Charlotte, what did you think of this little introduction to “A Shard of Ice”?

CHARLOTTE: It was interesting to see Geralt taking work inside of the city. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: You know, usually, there's people around, but it's not in such a densely populated area.

ALYSSA: Right.

CHARLOTTE: And it's usually not in the place where all of the human refuse goes. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: He's fought in crypts, and in forests, and weird places, but, basically, in a shit pit is, like, new for the readers. 

ALYSSA: Yeah. I mean our wonderful hero-boy-man is up to his chest in garbage fighting a creature that, from the description, kind of sounds like an octopus/squid. You don't really hear what it is. As a reader, you're very much thrown into the action. There's some very wonderful metaphors that they used to describe it. It's very descriptive. Especially as you're reading about this battle between Geralt and this yet unnamed creature, you get phrases such as the rubbish heap erupted, throwing up viscous, foul-smelling slime, fragments of pots, rotten rags and pale threads of sauerkraut, and from beneath it all burst an enormous, bulbous body, as deformed as a grotesque potato, lashing the air with three tentacles and the stump of a fourth.

CHARLOTTE: So, when I first heard this description, I was immediately reminded of the monster at the gate of the Mines of Moria. So, have you seen Lord of the Rings?

ALYSSA: I mean, yes, but, like, not well enough to know. 

CHARLOTTE: There's a scene in the movie where a tentacled monster comes out. It just reminded me of that. It's a monster that shows up in so many fantasy books. It's that tentacled guy. Awesome. That one obvious antagonist that just wants to kill everything and is nasty.

ALYSSA: This description keeps going. There's one sentence in particular. It says, “The monster groaned, flapped around, unfolding onto the pile of muck like a punctured bladder, emitting palpable, warm gusts of stench.”

CHARLOTTE: It's a shit octopus basically. 

ALYSSA: Shit squid. 

CHARLOTTE: Yes.

ALYSSA: I mean it's very interesting to see a new kind of monster and a new kind of environment. And we'll learn a lot more about the kind of monsters that are new to the world, but this is one of them, which is exciting.

CHARLOTTE: The shit squid.

ALYSSA: #Shitsquid.

CHARLOTTE: The one thing that I thought was kind of neat about this little intro was that, towards the end of the fight, like, once he's slaying the shit squid and it's like slogging out of the muck, the author notes that Geralt starts to feel the elixirs wearing off. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm. Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: And he starts to get, like, shaky and, like, Geralt was just, like, drugged up for this fight.

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: Like, he couldn't have done it sober. He had to get those Witcher potions out. 

ALYSSA: We have references to Witcher elixirs briefly in The Witcher Episode 1 or Chapter I. Off the top of my head, I don't remember if he takes them in any other chapter in The Last Wish. But he definitely takes them before his fight with the striga.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. It definitely seems like he takes some before particularly difficult fights. 

ALYSSA: Yeah. 

CHARLOTTE: It's interesting that the author noted the comedown.

ALYSSA: Yeah. By the time this episode comes out, it'll be, I think, December for this episode and the premiere of Season One of Netflix’s, The Witcher. 

CHARLOTTE: Oh, my god. 

ALYSSA: I mean, at the time of recording, we're still over a month away, but we do get a glimpse of Geralt souped up on Witcher elixirs. We see like his blacked out eyes as he's about to fight a Kikimora in the trailer. We’ll not only get to see, you know, how he takes them, what happens during fights, but, also, as you kind of said, the comedown.

CHARLOTTE: And I mean, honestly, those were my favorite scenes of both of the trailers. Drugged up Geralt. Like, yes, you know, that's what I wanna see. That’s some potent stuff. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: I gotta get my hands on some of those witcher drugs.

ALYSSA: Maybe that's what comes next in your product line. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah.

ALYSSA: 21 Jump Street, but it's Charlotte. Charlotte is the perp.

CHARLOTTE: Hey, kids.

ALYSSA: In Part II, Geralt recovers after the zeugl battle with Yennefer in a room at an inn. They discuss the town and the man who Yennefer is here to see, Istredd. So, we get like an intimate scene between Yennefer and Geralt. We haven't really seen them interact comfortably like this. Ever. We met her in the Last Wish. And they did have some brief scenes together, but it was a very fiery first meeting. We saw them a little bit in The Bounds of Reason, which is the chapter that precedes this one. And there are very few moments of intimacy between them. It's a lot of animosity throughout The Bounds of Reason. So, we're finally seeing them comfortable with each other, which is new, I think, as a reader.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. This is the juicy stuff right here.

ALYSSA: So, the chapter starts off and Geralt is just covered in crap. And Yennefer asks him if he wants a bath. He says, “Yes.” And she asks him if he wants seawater or freshwater. And she brings in a cloud and fills a bathtub with seawater, which is incredible.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, it's interesting. You get to see this use of magic in daily life -- 

ALYSSA: Mhmm. Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: —and when she deems it necessary.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: And, so, she brings in this cloud of seawater, drops it in the tub, and then he's like, “Oh, my fucking god! That water is cold as hell.” And she's like, “Okay. Well, mhmm, no, you get cold water, because I say so. It's better for you.”

ALYSSA: Yeah. And I think she also does mention that the spell to heat the water makes her nauseous. So, she's like, “It's not worth feeling sick over it. It'll tell you good anyway.”

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. She's like, “Rude. I just filled that whole tub for you. And you're gonna ask me to warm it up too? Jeez!”

ALYSSA: And this is something that continually comes up during the chapter. Geralt asks for something, Yennefer says, “No,” and Geralt is just like, “Ah, there's no point in arguing.”

CHARLOTTE: Good man.

ALYSSA: Yennefer is getting ready for bed. She’s, like, brushing her hair and removing her makeup. And Geralt is recovering. But the conversation that they have starts with the zeugl. It's really interesting to have a monster in a city. And Yennefer acknowledges this. She says, “Even in a town it’s easy for a witcher to find work, you don’t have to roam through the wilds at all. You know, Istredd maintains it’s becoming a general rule. The place of every creature from the forests and swamps that becomes extinct is occupied by something else, some new mutation, adapted to the artificial environment created by people. And she continues to say, “Istredd is right. Look for yourself; pseudorats in sewers and cellars, zeugls in rubbish dumps, neocorises in polluted moats and sewers, taggirs in millponds. It’s virtually symbiosis, don’t you think? Yes, witchers can be kept busy in towns, too. I think one day you’ll settle in a city for good." And Geralt continues thinking, “I’d rather drop dead,” but he did not say it aloud. Contradicting Yennefer, as he knew, inevitably, led to a fight, and a fight with Yennefer was not the safest thing.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. It's interesting seeing their interactions together, because, even in this brief interaction at the beginning of the chapter, you know who's the dom in this relationship? 

ALYSSA: Exactly. 

CHARLOTTE: And I think this is where people get a lot of their, like, negative ideas about Yennefer. It’s that, like, she doesn't take any shit. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: She knows exactly what she wants. And, like, if you're going to spend time with her, that means that you're gonna have to do things the way she wants you to do them. I do like how they sort of mention how monsters are adapting to places and cities, because it's a parallel, you know, with the real world. And a lot of what Sapkowski does is he parallels reality in his fantasy, which I really like about it. Like, he addresses actual real-world issues in this fantasy world. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: Whereas, in like most normal fairy tales, it's more about morality and stuff. It's, like, in this particular set of stories, it's a reflection of our current state. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: You know, there's like urban coyotes, the adaptation of certain species to the refuse of human activity. Changing the environment too much can invite all kinds of chaos.

ALYSSA: I would agree it's absolutely a reflection on the consequences of human society and our intrusion on land. These are themes that continually come up. You know, we see it in Chapter V/Episode 5, The Edge of the World. We see how it affects elves. Right now, we're seeing how it affects the adaptation of monsters to human society. And then we're gonna see it in future chapters as well, very, very soon. This is something that we continually see the author discuss in a variety of different ways, which is quite nice to have a multifaceted understanding of a theme.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. And, in this particular chapter, when Yennefer is talking about how, “Oh, Istredd is right. You know, Istredd, Istredd, Istredd.” Geralt starts to exhibit symptoms of jealousy. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: Geralt is just like, “Ugh, why do you keep talking about this guy? Why is he so interesting to you?”

ALYSSA: Yeah. At this time, we really don't know. This is our first introduction to this character. Just in Yennefer’s mention of him and in Geralt’s questioning about it. As you said, Yennefer is like Istredd this, Istredd that. And Geralt asks, “Are you seeing him again tomorrow?” And she said, “Yes, first thing.” And that's really it. And it's not a lot. So, Yennefer examines Geralt just to make sure that nothing got damaged with witcher elixirs. He wouldn't necessarily have felt anything. And, as she's doing that, he notices a bird in the room. He asks, like, “What's that? How did it get here?” And she tells them, “It's a Kestrel.” Geralt says, “That's not a Kestrel. I know Kestrel. They don't look like that.” And Yennefer says that it's an enchanted kestrel, and that she made it. He asks her, “Why? What – what's it for?” And she just says, “I need it,” and cuts off the conversation.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, it's interesting. Like, Yennefer has this penchant for keeping a lot of secrets, but expecting everybody to be completely honest with her. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: It's like, “Oh, what's it for? What is that?” She's like, “Oh, you don't need to know. I just need it, but you need to be honest with me about most of everything.”

ALYSSA: So, we do get this interesting note about Yennefer and what Geralt notes are her character quirks. Yennefer gets into bed. The excerpt itself says, “She never doused lights; she could not bear to fall asleep in the dark. Whether an oil lamp, a lantern, or a candle, it had to burn right down. Always. One more foible. Yennefer had a remarkable number of foibles.”

CHARLOTTE: So, I think this is really interesting. 

ALYSSA: I do too. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. It's a really fascinating little blurb. And it's extremely intimate as well. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: One of the things I really like about this moment with Geralt and Yennefer is you get insight into her intimate moments. What I mean by that is, like, during this whole scene, she's taking off all of her cosmetics, and she's performing these like almost ritualistic beauty rites at her vanity. What I thought was interesting about all these little foibles, the candle thing was fascinating, because she's an enchantress. Her whole facade is an illusion for the most part. She creates an image of herself that she projects to people. I feel like all of these, like, "foibles" are actually like very specific rituals for keeping up this facade. Not being able to go to sleep in the dark, like, that's almost like a childhood trauma sounding thing. 

ALYSSA: Exactly.

CHARLOTTE: Really deep set childhood insecurity, which is very intimate and very sweet and kind of cute. 

ALYSSA: That was my suspicion too. It’s that it's something that you don't really expect from her character as hardened as it is on the outside to need this one little very strange quirk.

CHARLOTTE: Well, coming from someone who used to work in a witch store, like, whenever I see these particular "foibles," like, referenced in the books about the enchantresses and, like, their habits,  some of them are kind of familiar to me. And they're based in old depictions of old witchcraft.

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: Candle magic and lamp magic is a whole sub sect of witchcraft. And, so, part of me is like, “Okay. Well, maybe, maybe she is just scared of the dark or maybe she has to do that every night. Maybe it messes up some sort of ongoing spell that she has to continually refresh, like, every night.”

ALYSSA: Interesting. Is there anything that those are traditionally used for; candle magic or lamp magic?

CHARLOTTE: Well, from my understanding, you can use it for just about anything. Candles are a tool for focusing. Any sort of like lit object that's on fire, it's an easy thing to focus on. If you ignore it, you're gonna burn your house down. 

ALYSSA: Valid. Okay.

CHARLOTTE: So, candle magic just to get you to focus on what it is you want out of the situation. 

ALYSSA: Okay.

CHARLOTTE: And as long as you pay attention to the candle that you lit for this specific reason and you're gonna be thinking about that thing that it is that you want. It's all about focusing your intention. And don't burn your house down. 

ALYSSA: Gotcha. 

CHARLOTTE: Usually with candle magic, if you can manage it, you do have to let it burn all the way down. But, like, not if that means, you know, you have to leave your house and get groceries and stuff. You know, you blow the thing out. And then you come back, and you light it again when you can watch it. But, ideally, you let the candle burn all the way down. 

ALYSSA: Huh.

CHARLOTTE: And, so, that's how I was like, “Oh, that sounds really familiar, hmm.”

ALYSSA: I wonder, like, if we were to examine the scene or her mental state, at this point in their relationship or in her character journey, you know, what those intentions might be, what that focus could be at this time.

CHARLOTTE: Hmm.

ALYSSA: That might be a really interesting thing to return to later in the discussion after we have, like, a full understanding of her character. But, you know, in this moment, she has a very specific desire. 

CHARLOTTE: This is true.

ALYSSA: So yeah, Geralt and Yennefer are tucked into bed. He starts to get intimate with her. And then she not only picks up where he's leaving off, but she literally picks it up. 

CHARLOTTE: Yes, she does. 

ALYSSA: Geralt talks about her using the most practical spells, because our boy has the equivalent of a whiskey dick after his Witcher elixirs.

CHARLOTTE: Oh, yeah, definitely. Like, they're cuddling up and getting all frisky. And, you know, Yennefer is like, “Geralt, you've taken elixirs. Hehehe.” And he's like, “Oh, I'm just tired.” And she’s like, “Don't worry about it. I gotta spell for that.” Whoopsy.

ALYSSA: That’s supposed to be what happens. So, she fixes his elixir dick basically. 

CHARLOTTE: Sorry. That sounds – elixir dick. Oh, my god.

ALYSSA: It doesn't sound any better that way, but that's – like, you said, not what it is.

CHARLOTTE: It's pretty great. No, that – that's what it is. Do you suffer from elixir dick? Try this spell that's been used probably a billion times. 

ALYSSA: Charlotte's new product.

CHARLOTTE: Oh, god. No, no, no.

ALYSSA: They're interrupted, unfortunately, by the black kestrel in the corner. So, as they're, you know, getting intimate, the black kestrel calls, and then Yennefer looks at it. And she turns her head away, and she sighs. The exposition notes that it’s very sadly. This is when we're first introduced to the title of the story, "A Shard of Ice," and the concept of it within the narrative itself. She's a little distracted. She's very pensive. And she asks him, “Do you know what the name of this town means? Aedd Gynvael?” Geralt responds, “No. Is it in the elven speech?” She says, “Yes. It means a shard of ice.” And she goes through, you know, this multi-page monologue in which she says, “Among the elves, there is a legend about a Winter Queen who travels the land during snow-storms in a sleigh drawn by white horses. As she rides, she casts hard, sharp, tiny shards of ice around her, and woe betide anyone whose eye or heart is pierced by one of them. That person is then lost. No longer will anything gladden them; they find anything that doesn’t have the whiteness of snow ugly, obnoxious, repugnant. They will not find peace, will abandon everything, and will set off after the Queen, in pursuit of their dream and love. Naturally, they will never find it and will die of longing. Apparently here, in this town, something like that happened in times long gone. It’s a beautiful legend, isn’t it?” Geralt kind of brushes this off saying like, “Oh, my god, elves can make anything pretty. Like, this is probably dumb.” She says, “Witcher, there’s no romance in you. And I… I like elven legends, they are so captivating. What a pity humans don’t have any legends like that. Perhaps one day they will? Perhaps they’ll create some? But what would human legends deal with? All around, wherever one looks, there’s greyness and dullness. Even things which begin beautifully lead swiftly to boredom and dreariness, to that human ritual, that wearisome rhythm called life. Oh, Geralt, it’s not easy being a sorceress, but comparing it to mundane, human existence,” and the Witcher has fallen asleep. 

CHARLOTTE: Awww. This has happened to me, too. Like, I don't know about you.

ALYSSA: Definitely.

CHARLOTTE: Trying to talk about some deep shit, like, late at night with somebody laying in bed next to me, and they're just gone. Yeah. They just – they just start snoring. I'm like, “Oh, okay.”

ALYSSA: Like, I wasn't done.

CHARLOTTE: So, I thought this part was really cute. I mean she's basically just recounting the story of the Snow Queen. 

ALYSSA: Yes.

CHARLOTTE: By Hans Christian Andersen.

ALYSSA: Yey.

CHARLOTTE: This is, you know, again Sapkowski doing that thing where he weaves well-known fairy tales into his story. The Snow Queen is actually a story that's pretty dear to my heart. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: I love this story as a kid. And, if you haven't read Hans Christian Andersen's story, I highly recommend watching this. It's a children's animation. And it's narrated by Sigourney Weaver. And, basically, it's Sigourney Weaver reading the story of the Snow Queen to this, like, really old school, like, early 90s animation depiction of it. It's phenomenal. So, just as on the side, y'all should check that out. It's really cool. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: But I also like the part where Yennefer gets kind of meta about, “Oh, you know, the elves have such beautiful fairy tales. I wonder if the humans will ever have stories like that. Maybe one day.”

ALYSSA: I know especially when you read in contrast with the entire series and then you have to go back and look for details. It's incredibly interesting. That line that she's like, “I wonder what kind of legends humans will have.” And we really get to jump into that exact concept in the very last book, "Lady of the Lake."

CHARLOTTE: It's neat. I like that he does this, because he paints this picture of The Witcher world as one that could have existed previous to ours, but, like, from a prior time. You know, maybe there was a point in time when elves, and dwarves, and magicians existed. But, eventually, humans took over. And, so, we rewrote all these fairy tales like the Elven tale of the Snow Queen, you know, into our mythology. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: And I also like how Yennefer alludes to her love for romance. I like romance too. Totally, down with it. But Geralt, like, while she's talking about it, he's basically just like, “That was just a peasant's explanation of the Wild Hunt, blah, blah, blah, logic, logic, logic.

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: Blah, blah, blah. And she's like, “Can you please just stop? I like romantic stuff. Like, can you just stop with your logical crap for just one second?”

ALYSSA: It's really interesting, because, as we've already spoken about, we're seeing a much different side to Yennefer in the scene where it's just her and Geralt by themselves. We see some of these deep-set fantasies, and these personality traits, and desires that we didn't see in The Last Wish, and we got a small glimpse of in The Bounds of Reason, where we talked about Yennefer's infertility and her desire for children. But we're, you know, really getting to see her be comfortable and be intimate with Geralt, you know, not just physically, because we get that too but also mentally and emotionally intimate with Geralt. And all of that grinds to a halt. So, from here, we move into Part III, Geralt has woken up in the morning. Yennefer is gone. That puts the Witcher in a very sour mood. He roams the town, finding Mayor Herbolth to follow up on a reward for taking care of the zeugl. He meets the mayor, who alludes to a longstanding relationship between Istredd and Yennefer and warns him against interfering with the sorcerer. The witcher also meets Cicada, the mayor’s hired sword.

CHARLOTTE: So, one of my favorite parts, in the beginning of this section, is that when Geralt wakes up, you know, Yennefer is not there. She's gone. She's disappeared, but all of her stuff is still on the vanity. So, like, all of the things that she was taking off last night. She's got laid out. Sapkowski describes the mess on the vanity as strewn around like dice after a prophecy ritual. Just, like, eyeliner and, like, blush.

ALYSSA: Yeah. 

CHARLOTTE: Brushes. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: Perfume. And just whatever just like all over the place, because it looks like she left in kind of a hurry.

ALYSSA: It was just super uncharacteristic of her—

CHARLOTTE: Yeah.

ALYSSA: —as I think both Geralt and the narrator know. 

CHARLOTTE: Mhmm. They’re like, “Usually, she puts everything away, nice and neat. But, no, this morning, she just sort of left everything lying around.” And they allude to her perfume in this chapter too. Her perfume is lingering in the air, but she's not there. She's present in her fragrance, but she's absent in reality. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: I did note that this actually was the first appearance of something that she uses that smells like lilac and gooseberries. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: This is a theory that I have, right? This, this is my weird little fan theory about the enchantresses and what they smell like, because, you know, I'm all about this. I think that like enchantresses make most of the concoctions that they use on their face, right? Like, some other stuff is, like, really banal and common. Like, charcoal that they use around their eyes. And other stuff that they use is, like, really complicated and weird to, like, keep them looking young forever. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: My theory is that enchantresses impart, like, their personality into the things that they're making. And they don't actually choose what it smells like.

ALYSSA: Ooh, interesting.

CHARLOTTE: But it takes on a fragrance based on who is making it. So, like, for example, like, if Yennefer makes Glamarye, her Glamarye always comes out smelling like lilac and gooseberry. And, like, if Philippa makes Glamarye, she uses the exact same recipe, but her Glamarye comes out smelling like cinnamon and muskroot. 

ALYSSA: Aha!

CHARLOTTE: It seems like most of Yennefer cosmetics are imparted with this fragrance. 

ALYSSA: Interesting. 

CHARLOTTE: So, like, it's not just the Glamarye. Like, she does have little vials of things. And, like, she fragrances her hair with different stuff, but it's like all of her cosmetics smell like this. And that's my little fan theory. Thank you. My roommate thinks that they’re enchantresses. They can control everything. And they pick that specifically. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: But I think that it's imparted by who made it. 

ALYSSA: That's really interesting.

CHARLOTTE: Thank you for your time. We can move on now. 

ALYSSA: After Geralt wakes up and we, you know, get on with the chapter, he's so miserable. Nothing is making him happy, the poor guy. And there's some really interesting world-building moments that we get in the prose. He did not enjoy being in Aedd Gynvael, a small town which he deemed to be a nasty parody of all the small towns he knew; it was grotesquely noisier, dirtier, more oppressive and more irritating. Geralt goes around the town. He's miserable. He tries to take a bath. And he comes out smelling wonderful like soap, and he's still miserable.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. And I think, in the bath house, they, like, didn't even offer him a whore, which he thought was equally irritating. Like, he didn't want one. But, like, it would have been nice if they'd offered him a whore. You know what I mean?

ALYSSA: Yeah. You know, for me living in New York, this happens every single morning and the evening on the commute. Just all these little things that are just like slightly irritating. Just like living in a big city. 

CHARLOTTE: And they didn't even give you a whore.

ALYSSA: And they didn't even offer me a whore. No. But it's just like you get into the subway platform, and the subway doors close. And the subway leaves. And then you get onto the subway, and someone didn't take off their backpack on public transportation. So, now, you're getting shoved in the back with someone's canteen. And then like you get off the train, and, like, someone's on their phone on the stairs. And it's, like, all these itty-bitty tiny things that really don't matter, that it's just like, “This shouldn't ruin my day, but it's making me incredibly displeased right now.” 

CHARLOTTE: Which is interesting because like, “Oh, what do you know? Geralt is having feelings.”

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: Ooh.

ALYSSA: All these little annoyances are getting to him. And it's just one of those things that we never really see this side of him. You know, not to this degree at least. Christ, we get a lot. He's just deeply, deeply unhappy.

CHARLOTTE: You know, he’s having some very human emotions here.

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: You know, one of the things that I thought was interesting about the town, there's all this, you know, interstitial racism going on. Everybody hates everybody right now. And, in this town, it's like that's very, very present. There's posters up everywhere that say, you know, “Hang the Elves.” You know, “Elves to the scaffold.” And then, like, the elves are being shitty to Geralt. Everyone's just being really shitty to each other. 

ALYSSA: It makes for a very specific environment to have to navigate. There's a lot in the social classes that we ourselves can kind of infer or that we learn as the series moves on. But it has a great impact on the way that people conduct themselves in the world. Referring back to The Edge of the World, the relationships between humans and elves is very, very distraught and very tense. Some have assimilated, you know, as we see briefly in this chapter. As we saw in the title story, The Last Wish, there's still definitely a lot of racial tension. As Geralt’s aimlessly walking around after his bath, he eventually goes looking for the mayor to try to get payment for the zeugl. He gets sent to the marketplace. He got sent back. He gets sent to an elf, who had sent him to the market. And it's just an absolute mess. Eventually, he finds the mayor in the market, but, before he can get to him, he's intercepted by this man, Cicada. And we get a very interesting description of him. He's a hired sword. This man, Cicada, confronts the Witcher. We get a very interesting note from the narration that says, “‘Aha,’ the man said. ‘I know you. The Witcher, isn’t it? To see Herbolth?’ Geralt nodded, watching the man’s hands the whole time. He knew it would be dangerous to take his eyes off them. ‘I’ve heard of you, the bane of monsters,’ said the yellow-haired man, also vigilantly observing Geralt’s hands. ‘Although I don’t think we’ve ever met, you must also have heard of me. I’m Ivo Mirce. But everyone calls me Cicada.’ The Witcher nodded to indicate he had heard of him. He also knew the price that had been offered for Cicada’s head in Vizima, Caelf and Vattweir. Had he been asked his opinion he would have said it was a low price. But he had not been asked.”

CHARLOTTE: Wooh.

ALYSSA: We now know that this is someone who's notorious throughout a number of different regions on the continent, who apparently now works for this mayor. So, even without meeting the mayor, we're getting an understanding of who he is based on the company that he keeps or that he's hired, I should say. This man, Cicada, kind of puts on this big show to Geralt, asking him for a sword, and then, when Geralt just kind of hands it to him indifferently, he's like, “How meek, not a word of protest. I knew the rumors about you were exaggerated. I'd like you to ask for my sword one day; then you'd see my answer.” Aah. There's a lot of bravado. And this is the theme that we see throughout the whole chapter.

CHARLOTTE: Geralt just can't get a break. Like, everybody's just testing him. 

ALYSSA: Mhmm.

CHARLOTTE: And he's just really sick of everybody just giving him shit—

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: the entire time he's been here. I mean as any person would be in this sort of situation.

ALYSSA: Yeah. This relationship between Cicada and Geralt becomes one stress point for the Witcher. 

CHARLOTTE: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: Geralt actually has the opportunity to ask the mayor, “Why do you need someone like Cicada?” So, apparently there's a lot of political unrest and uncertainty in the area. Mayor Herbolth says that, having Cicada, keeps him in power, whereas everyone else turns seasonally. Every new viceroy that comes, replaces all the castellan in the region. So, because Herbolth has Cicada and he basically sent out Cicada to do a job for a specific viceroy, no one messes with him now. So, he just kind of stays in power. But you get a little taste of this racism also, because he says, “No one knows why viceroys keep changing, because anyway every second one is a half-elf or quarter-elf; accursed blood and race. Everything bad is the fault of the elves. So, we now know that he's racist, that he probably hired an assassination against one of the viceroys in order to remain in power, that he believes he needs a hired thug to maintain his chokehold on this region. So, that's the mayor.

CHARLOTTE: A shitty little town. A shitty little mayor.

ALYSSA: And, you know, Geralt says, “I feel like this place is hostile to me,” like he says it in passing with Yennefer. You know, from this chapter, it really does feel that way. 

CHARLOTTE: It's a hostile work environment. 

ALYSSA: Someone call HR.

CHARLOTTE: This guy, Cicada, needs to go.

ALYSSA: Geralt tries to haggle for payment, and Herbolth haggles back. Eventually, they met on a price. Geralt gives recommendations for how to follow up. Making sure that there's no zeugl spawned in the midden. Herbolth says, “Well, can’t you take care of that in, like, a month?” And Geralt says, “Nope, I'm not staying here for that long. I have no intention of staying here that long. I'm getting the hell out of this shitty town as soon as possible.” Herbolth starts baiting him. He says, “Really? You came here with that black-haired witch, what was it again, I forget… Guinevere, wasn’t it? You’ve taken lodgings with her at The Sturgeon. In a single chamber, they say.” Geralt responds, “And what of it?” Herbolth continues, “Well, whenever she comes to Aedd Gynvael, she does not leave so quickly. It’s not the first time she’s been here. [...] But the wizard Istredd is an important figure here, mark you. Indispensable to this municipality. Invaluable, I’d say. People hold him in high regard, locals and outsiders, too. We don’t stick our noses in his sorcery and especially not in his other matters.” What we're getting in this dialogue between Herbolth and Geralt, he's taunting Geralt with the possibility that Yennefer has been in a longstanding relationship with Istredd.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. At this point, everybody seems to be trying to drop hints to him.

ALYSSA: Which isn't great. Like, we've already established that he has insecurities about her relationship with Istredd. And, now, he's getting it externally from people who he doesn't even know and doesn't seem to like.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. And they seem to know her and her goings on about the town—

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: —a bit more intimately than he does. 

ALYSSA: You know, it's only the two people in a relationship that really know the workings and the depths of it. But it's not great to have someone external to your relationship telling you these things.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. He's just confirming all of Geralt’s original concerns.

ALYSSA: So, before we get to the end of the chapter, Geralt closes his conversation with Herbolth and goes back to Cicada to get his sword. Cicada beats him. So, Geralt has already been taunted by Herbolth about Yennefer. And Cicada, basically, makes this annoying proposition to Geralt, “More or less, if the two of us were in an alleyway, who do you think would come out the other side?” Geralt is just like, “I don't have fucking time for this.” And Cicada is like, “No, really. Like, who do you think would win? If I caught you in an alleyway, what do you think would happen?”

CHARLOTTE: He seems to kind of keep his cool around Cicada though. And the tone I get from his interaction with Cicada is just that of like a bored and, like, mildly annoyed god figure. You know what I mean? It’s like Cicada to Geralt is exactly what his name implies. Some irritating, loud insect. And, as much as Cicada continually tries to bait him, Geralt just like is not giving Cicada what Cicada wants out of the conversation. Unfortunately, it's riling Cicada up even more that Geralt is pretty nonplussed about his aggressive behavior.

ALYSSA: Cicada also cites a number of misconceptions about witchers. And this comes up continually through the chapter. This conversation or debate about what witchers feel or can they feel. Most people assume not. Cicada, in a specific excerpt, he says, “Smoke in the eyes, Witcher, nothing but smoke. You witchers frighten people like a beekeeper frightens his bees with smoke and stench, with your stony faces, with all your talk and those rumours, which you probably spread about yourselves. They say you can’t feel like people can. That’s lies. If one of you was properly stabbed, you’d feel it. And Cicada down the passage continues, “It intrigues me how much truth there is in what folk say. That you’re so good in a fight, you witchers, because there’s no heart, soul, mercy or conscience in you. And that suffices? Because they say the same about me, for example. And not without reason. So I’m terribly interested which of us, after going into that alley, would come out of it alive. What? Worth a wager? What do you think?”

CHARLOTTE: It's a pretty morbid curiosity. 

ALYSSA: You know, that's all that's driving Cicada right now: his own ego and his own notoriety.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. And the whole theme throughout this chapter is like, “Can Geralt feel? Does he feel like a normal human being? Does he have emotions? Can he feel pain?” Everybody in the town seems to think he's, like, untouchable. He feels no pain. He has no emotions whatsoever. And this is the general feeling about witchers, you know, in most towns. It’s that they are emotionless, insensitive killing machines. And it's like this facade that Geralt has to put on, because it really seems like everybody's trying to get him to react and prove everything that they've heard about him wrong and that he's only human.

ALYSSA: I wonder how much of it is almost like self-fulfilling prophecy. We did hear that he had a lot of bravado. And then he saw himself as a knight errant in “The Voice of Reason”, when he had a very long monologue to Iola. But then we see him now like older, and wiser, and jaded, and wisened, and he just doesn't really react. So, it's kind of a question of is he just letting people believe what they want to believe, is he acting to people's expectations, or is this really just him. We're not totally sure. In Par IV, Geralt, having gone to Istredd’s home seeking Yennefer, joins the sorcerer for a conversation, learning in the process and Yennefer has had ongoing relationships with them both. Both revealing that she had slept with them between the night and morning. So, this section is incredibly, incredibly dense. And, in it, we finally meet Istredd. Apparently, Geralt has gone to Istredd's home looking for Yennefer. She wasn't there, but Istredd invited him in anyway. So, they start to kind of dance around each other. The feeling that you get as a reader is that they both know they're meeting their rival. At least, at first, it's incredibly indirect and awkward and tense. And they're both trying to look for a gap in the armor on the other. That's kind of the feeling that you get throughout this whole interaction.

CHARLOTTE: I think Geralt said something about he was confused as to why Istredd even invited him in. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: Yennefer wasn't there, but Istredd still invited him in to talk to him. Geralt's experience with wizards like Istredd has usually been, like, if they want to talk to him, it's mostly just a precursor to them talking about reasons why they don't like him. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: And Geralt is like, “I don't really know if I want to do this right now. Like, I don’t really know if I want to sit here and listen to you just talk shit about me.” You get a little bit of background, you know, when they're talking about Istredd's relationship with Yennefer and also about how wizards view witchers -- 

ALYSSA: Yes.

CHARLOTTE: —and, basically, anybody that uses any kind of magic other than wizards or enchantresses.

ALYSSA: Mhmm. As you said, we get a much deeper understanding of the relationships between each of these characters and world building, which is nice. In the very first part of it, we're introduced to the setting. There's a very wonderful opening here, in which Geralt’s kind of observing all the weird things that Istredd has around his home and his office. This is where we get the famous unicorn. Yennefer's famous unicorn. Geralt basically looks around and says there's a lot of weird stuff here, but it's nothing compared to what Yennefer had in her home when he lived with her in Vengerberg for six months. This is where we get the passage. “She also possessed a very expertly stuffed unicorn, on whose back she liked to make love. Geralt was of the opinion that if there existed a place less suitable for having sex it was probably only the back of a live unicorn.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. This part's great. He just starts imagining all the places where he's had sex with the Yennefer. Like, “Wow, he's talking to Istredd.”

ALYSSA: Yeah. 

CHARLOTTE: And it's just like, “Oh, my god.”

ALYSSA: And I also wonder, like, can Istredd read his thoughts. Does Istredd  know that he's doing this? 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, I was wondering that so.

ALYSSA: But, as Charlotte said, we really get to hear about Geralt’s romps with Yennefer and very briefly and very superficial part of their relationship. But he does say, “Unlike him, who considered his bed a luxury and valued all the possible uses of that marvellous piece of furniture, Yennefer was capable of being extremely extravagant.” And then it goes into all the details of where they did it. It says, “But the unicorn was the worst. One happy day, however, the dummy broke beneath them, split and fell apart, supplying much amusement.”

CHARLOTTE: And there you have it, the story of the unicorn.

ALYSSA: Which makes itself known on your own logo too!

CHARLOTTE: It’s here. I did include the famous unicorn.

[Alyssa laughs]

ALYSSA: This section is incredibly, incredibly dense. You get pages and pages of dialogue between Istredd and Geralt. They're continually trying to undermine the other in trying to figure each other out, because they've both heard a ton about each other through Yennefer. But this is their first time meeting.

CHARLOTTE: Geralt starts, like, questioning Istredd about all the crap that he has in his fancy tower. Istredd’s reactions are actually kind of surprising when Geralt starts to talk about it. He's like, “What's in that bottle? You know, is it the blood of the virgin? Do you really need all this horrible, gory stuff to do your magic?” Istredd is, basically, just like, “It's all sort of a facade.” He's actually very straightforward with Geralt, which I don't think Geralt was expecting like at all.

ALYSSA: Istredd specifically says, “Call it what you will, even simple envy, but here lies the cause of the animosity. It annoys us when we see magic–a craft we were taught to treat as an elite art, a privilege of the few and a sacred mystery–in the hands of laymen and dilettantes.”

CHARLOTTE: Though, it’s basically just like, “I went through a lot to get to where I am. My life was difficult. And I was taught that this is supposed to be a high art form for the select few. If people knew just anybody could do it, then we would basically have rampant chaos. But, if you tell them that, in order to do magic, you need like the blood of a freshly chopped baby hand, then, like, they're unlikely to do the magic if you tell them stuff like that. I don't know if any of the listeners or if you have ever read Terry Pratchett’s books. He did the Discworld Series. There's witchers and wizards in that series, too. And there's a word for that that Terry Pratchett made up. A word for like the skulls, and the bones, and the jars of blood, and the stuff all stacked up on the shelves, and it's called boffo. 

ALYSSA: Okay.

CHARLOTTE: Boffo is just what you like put in your house to freak people out. It's a building of a facade basically. What we're learning from Istredd is that, like, magic, basically, anybody can do it. You don't necessarily need all this nasty, scary stuff, but they spread that out into the world. So, that people stay away from it.

ALYSSA: Just like a museum of, like, weird paraphernalia. And we do get to learn not only what sorcerers think of witchers and other casts, but we do get to hear a little bit about sorcerers has a cast of their own. So, Geralt talks about the aging process for sorcerers. Sorcerers, some of the better ones, Geralt notes, are capable of curbing the ageing process permanently at any age they choose. So, he notes that sorcerers commonly picked middle aged, something that was well-earned, wise, and trustworthy looking. Whereas sorceresses tended to prefer attractiveness. So, looking younger. It's continually noted that Yennefer looks like she's in her 20s. Whereas, Geralt notes here that Istredd looks like his, like, a well-earned 40.

CHARLOTTE: Like, I love the description that they give of Istredd. It's like “Oh, he had straight, slightly grizzled shoulder-length hair, numerous wrinkles on his forehead.” And that section where Geralt doesn't know if the profundity and wisdom in his benign gray eyes were natural or brought on by charms. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: I'm starting to think that Geralt, like, despite himself, actually, kind of likes Istredd. That might just be me, but, for someone to think that his eyes were full of profundity, and wisdom. And they were benign. And he didn't know if it was natural or a magic that made them like that. I’m like, “Whoa! Geralt. All right.”

ALYSSA: These are also things that Yennefer does herself to make herself look more attractive, or more trustworthy, or more experienced in our profession. And I wonder if he obviously knows about it from Yennefe,r but kind of ignores it. But, on Istredd, it just annoys him.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. I think that it annoys him even more because of how straightforward and honest. Istredd has been with him up to this point. 

ALYSSA: Oh, yeah. 

CHARLOTTE: He's like, “I don't want to like you. Why are you being like this? Dang it. Why are your eyes so nice?”

ALYSSA: I mean, you know, despite his benign eyes, we do get a lot of animosity and tension that happens in their dialogue. And Geralt instinctively and biologically reacts to this. There's a note that says, “Geralt had had enough of the discussion, of pussyfooting around, of the feeling of anxiety which was crawling over the nape of his neck and his back like a snail.” This is not something that we ever get from Geralt at this point. Something that shakes him not just physically, not just in terms of his witchers senses in a battle. This is like hitting the core of who he is emotionally and mentally.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, because it's got to do at Yennefer. He's basically just like, “Why did you invite me in? Why do you want to talk to me? I wasn't here to see you. But you sat me down at the table and started talking to me about how magic is reserved for special people. Like, that's not why I'm here. Why am I actually here? You brought me in here to talk to me about something specific. So, just like out with it, what's going on? I've got anxiety snails on the back of my neck.”

ALYSSA: #anxietysnails. So, eventually, it comes out that, obviously, it's about Yennefer. We find out that she's been having this relationship with Istredd. She's been having this relationship with Geralt. And, now, Istredd has proposed to Yennefer. Istredd says they've had this very long relationship. And it was non-committal. But he said, “That non-committal partnership is widely practiced among members of our profession. It's just that it's suddenly stopped suiting me.” You can kind of assume that maybe this has to do with Geralt. Maybe this has to do with other things.  But, for whatever reason, Istredd proposes to Yennefer and asks her to stay with him permanently.

CHARLOTTE: So, he's done with polyamory. And, now, he wants to be monogamous.

ALYSSA: Yes. Geralt just like, “Wait. What?” Istredd tells him to go screw off. And that's basically that. He tells the Witcher like, “She's lollygagging on this decision because of you. Hmm. I would like you to remove yourself, please.” And he basically, like, throws it in his face that Geralt has left before, and that Yennefer has told Istredd that Geralt has left before.

CHARLOTTE: Awww.

ALYSSA: I know. It's not great. And it comes up earlier in the chapter. Yennefer brings up the fact that Geralt left her in Vengerberg after their six months together. And Geralt, at some point, says like, “I thought we weren't gonna bring that up.” And then here is Istredd now bringing that up. It's a little rough for Geralt right now.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, that's a pretty big breach of trust. It's like, “I thought that was just between you and me. Now, it's between you, me, and Istredd.”

ALYSSA: But I mean Geralt is not really thrown off. I mean he is a little bit, but he keeps going and saying, “That was then. This is now. She's with me. Screw your proposal. Screw your desperation to keep her here. Like, what do you take me for?” And Istredd says, “You're passing romance? She's gonna stay with me. You're just the bra on her dog's tail, and she's gonna come back. She's just fascinated with you, and she'll be fascinated with you as long as she wants to be. And she'll throw you in the gutter. And she'll come back to me.” Haaa.

CHARLOTTE: Istredd is saying that the only reason he's sitting down and talking to Geralt about it is because Geralt is not supposed to have any emotion.

ALYSSA: Which is what I would assume very painful for Geralt. Istredd says things like, “I'm asking you for something which I can ask of a witcher, but which I couldn't ask of a man. And that you don't have emotions. I can ask you this logically. You can't give her the stability and the emotional support that a real human can give her. So, why are you sticking around? You're only fabricating the idea of love based on the fact that she hasn't kicked you away the same way that everyone else has. You don't even know what these things are. You just assume you know what they are, because it's different than everything else you've experienced. It's fake. So, you can't really give her that. I can. Get out.” He says things like, “You're a mutant. You're created like that in order to do your job. You cannot feel anything. What you take for emotion is cellular somatic memory if you know what those words mean.”

CHARLOTTE: Oh, my god.

ALYSSA: It goes a lot like that. “I want to give Yenna understanding and stability, affection and happiness. Could you, hand on heart, pledge the same? No, you couldn’t. Those are meaningless words to you.” Geralt is just berated with this idea. We already heard it from Cicada. We're hearing it from Istredd, and it's just nails in the coffin.

CHARLOTTE: We have everybody who is just like, “You don't feel. You don't feel.”

ALYSSA: And we're gonna, you know, see, in the next section, how this gets to Geralt and how it affects them. Geralt pushes back. He says, “Well, if Yenna is dragging her feet on your proposal, that's not because of me. It's because of her. It's because of you. Like, that's nothing to do with me. I have a right to my relationship with her. You can't throw me out.” This whole section ends in such an awkward, awful way. At the end of this conversation, Geralt just had enough. And he decides to go in for the kill. He says, “My right to this relationship with Yennefer is greater than your right to your relationship with Yennefer, because she slept with me last night.”

CHARLOTTE: Oh, my god.

ALYSSA: And Istredd says, “Oh, is that so? Well, she slept with me this morning. So, draw your own conclusions from that.” They basically just tell each other to go to hell. And they have nothing else to say to each other. It's – aah, it's really, really awkward.

CHARLOTTE: Damn, Yennefer. Geralt in the night, Istredd in the morning? My goodness.

ALYSSA: I know. I know. But it's one of those things that there's no reason why these two would have or should have met. And here they are bragging about getting laid with the same woman to each other as a sticking point. And then now they're just like, “Now, what?”

CHARLOTTE: Waste fighting over a girl. They've devolved into.

ALYSSA: It seems to bring out the worst in them; this battle of ego and this entitlement to her. And neither of them seem to have really talked to her about it.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. She's obvi absent during this whole conversation. 

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: And, like, y'all, this is not how relationships work. You need to have open communication with everybody involved.

ALYSSA: Yeah. She's not president any of this. And they each shouldn't get the upper hand. And then they both drop a bombshell. And then everything is demolished.

CHARLOTTE: It's very ape-like. Very much the natural order. You know, men must fight other men to gain women. 

ALYSSA: Like—

CHARLOTTE: You gotta leave town. There's only room in this town for one of us, and you gotta go, bro.

ALYSSA: And I mean, as simplified as Charlotte and I are making it sound, the dialogue is actually very well written. And it's very interesting to see, as you read it, how they play off each other and how they answer and subvert each other throughout the conversation.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. They're both very witty and very sharp with their dialogue.

ALYSSA: So, before we get to the consequences of Geralt’s conversation with Istredd, we’re going to hand it over to Lars from WitcherFlix for recent news on the upcoming Netflix show. When we come back, Charlotte and I will continue our discussion of “A Shard of Ice.”

“Tidings from Toussaint”

[“Tidings from Toussaint” theme music by Bettina Campomanes]

LARS FROM WITCHERFLIX: Hey, it's Lars from Witcherflix and this is “Tidings from Toussaint.” This is the final episode before the Witcher show on Netflix is released, so let's jump right into it.

So, let's start with the most important facts about the release of the show: It will be available on Friday, December 20 on Netflix. The first season will consist of 8 episodes; all of them will be released at the same time. The show will be available at 12 am Pacific Standard Time. This means it will be available at 5 am in Argentina and Brazil, at 8 am in the UK and Portugal, at 9 am in Germany, France and Poland, at 11 am in Moscow, Turkey and Saudi-Arabia and at 6 pm in Sydney and Melbourne.

The biggest news of the last two weeks were arguably the third and final trailer and the three featurettes introducing our three main characters Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri. The videos were full of awesome scenes - new and old. Finally we saw our beloved bard Jaskier from the front, arguing with Geralt. We also had our first pictures of the mage Vilgefortz. We saw a young Yennefer from the times when she was a hunchback, there were several awesome shots of Cahir with his winged helmet, the menacing Nilfgaardian army, mages and sorceresses having a great council and even a scene where we saw Geralt and Yennefer kissing. To watch the trailer and the featurettes, visit breakfastinbeauclair.com.

  • Final trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb90gqGYP9c

  • Geralt feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LiD3i9DS_c

  • Yennefer feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZDPuYeQQNM

  • Ciri feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQPxD-GbF2c

Moreover we learned a lot about Henry Cavill, his relationship with Geralt and the Witcher books and how important this character is to him. In an interview with Omelete he talked about how he was influenced by the Witcher video games. They were his first introduction to the Witcher. He was also asked the most important question when it comes to the games: Triss or Yennefer. Henry answered: “Speaking as myself? Hmm. As a fan of The Witcher. Well, I can only speak for the games, because that was my first introduction to the question and I think I, when I was playing the game… This is a good way of actually avoiding any ownership of this. When I was playing the games, I chose Yennefer.” He also answered the question about his favorite short story from the Witcher books. His answer was "A Shard Of Ice". He added: "I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone who’s reading the books, but [that’s the story] where Geralt and Yennefer are seemingly happy. Seemingly happy. That one really tore a hole in my heart.” He also talked about his favorite character, this time in an interview with ClickTheCity.com. He said: "I do like Yennefer as a character, and Ciri's a fascinating character read. But character wise, there are some magnificent characters, especially in the books. And Regis was a character which I enjoyed reading a lot. He he happens later on. He's a very, very interesting character. And that dynamic between Geralt and Regis is interesting."

In an extensive set report on Polygon.com we also learned a lot about Henry Cavill on the Witcher set: "While most of The Witcher's extras brandish fake swords, the one Cavill wilds is real. The actor was heavily involved in the design process. […] Cavill took the lived-in practicality of his costume to the next level; [showrunner Lauren S.] Hissrich even caught her star making breakfast and occasionally sleeping in his armor to imbue the costume with a sense of bespoke history." Wow, this is real determination. Henry was born to play Geralt.

  • https://redanianintelligence.com/2019/12/11/henry-cavill-reveals-the-love-interest-he-chose-in-the-witcher-games-and-more/

  • https://www.clickthecity.com/tv/a/38612/qa-with-the-witchers-henry-cavill-and-lauren-hissrich-for-netflixs-new-fantasy-series

  • https://www.polygon.com/2019/12/12/20995768/the-witcher-netflix-season-1-geralt-costume-swords-monsters-set

In other news IndieWire has relased two songs from the Official Witcher soundtrack, composed by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli. The first track is called "Geralt of Rivia" and is almost definitely Geralt's main theme. This is what the composers have to say about this song: "'Geralt of Rivia' is one of the first pieces of music viewers hear in “The Witcher,” and it is set to become one the series’ most identifiable elements. Every episode’s title sequence features an arrangement of the theme, and the track will vary depending on the overall tone and soundscape of each episode." The second song is called "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" and is sung by Joey Batey, the actor who plays Jaskier. IndieWire writes the following about this song: "While “Geralt of Rivia” is a complex and multi-faceted track, “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher” is a comparably streamlined arrangement. The piece is performed by series bard Jaskier n the show, and bits and pieces of the track are scattered throughout the episode it appears in before the full song is unveiled near the episode’s conclusion. The track begins rather simply, with some subdued lute playing and somber lyrics, but gradually builds up with additional instruments and more excitable vocals.” To listen to these songs, visit breakfastinbeauclair.com again.

  • https://www.indiewire.com/2019/12/the-witcher-song-premieres-exclusive-1202194676/

Well, guys, that's it for me for today. I hope you have the best of times watching season 1 of the show. This is the day we have all been waiting for for over 2 and a half years and I hope it's a great one. We'll talk again in the next episode of Breakfast in Beauclair. Until then, thanks again for listening and good luck on the path!

[“Tidings from Toussaint” theme music by Bettina Campomanes]

DISCUSSION

ALYSSA: Hey everyone! Welcome back from the break. I’m here with Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye discussing “A Shard of Ice” from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Sword of Destiny. When we left off, Geralt had found himself staying with Yennefer in the town of Aedd Gynvael, home to one of Yennefer’s former lovers, the sorcerer Istredd, causing tensions between the witcher and sorcerer and uncertainty about both of their relationships with Yennefer. In Part V, Yennefer confronts the Witcher about her relationship with Istredd and his proposal. So, we're finally seeing the fallout of Geralt and Istredd’s conversation, which means Yennefer having to talk to Geralt openly about her conversations and relationships with Istredd.

CHARLOTTE: Jeez, about time! Like, damn, girl, what are you doing? 

ALYSSA: I know. I know. Open communication is really important in any relationship, but especially in polyamorous ones, y'all. 

CHARLOTTE: Ugh. Yeah.

ALYSSA: Definitely, when you think about expectations. Always talk about expectations with your partner, especially when there are loads of partners. Secrecy does not behoove anybody.

CHARLOTTE: Istredd definitely took the upper hand in this one. He initiated an entire conversation all on his own. He started the communication rolling. Here we go. All right. It's rolling now. Here – here comes Yennefer. 

ALYSSA: A couple of parts ago, Yennefer and Geralt are having a very intimate moment in this inn together. I mean this is the backdrop for the physical and emotional intimacy that we saw earlier in the chapter. And, now, it's a place of just like tension. You can feel the tension in their dialogue and, presumably, in the room as well.

CHARLOTTE: It was comfortable in there before. They had a sense of safety and intimacy. And, now, she's coming in, and he is not quite so chill about the whole situation. And she being a psychic and a sorceress picks up on it immediately.

ALYSSA: Yennefer just kind of barges in. Geralt says nothing as he is wont to do. Yennefer says, “I’ll answer any questions at once. You don’t even have to ask them. Yes, it’s true that, when I came with you to Aedd Gynvael, I was coming to meet Istredd. And I knew I would go to bed with him. I didn’t expect it to come out, that you’d boast about it to each other. I know how you feel now. And I’m sorry about that, but, no, I don’t feel guilty.”

CHARLOTTE: I thought that was kind of interesting. She was like, “I know how you feel now? And I'm sorry about that. But, no, I don't feel guilty.” I’m like, “What do you mean I know how you feel now? Like, you know how Geralt felt when he was sleeping with other people. And it was awkward for him. Is that what she means?”

ALYSSA: I wonder if it's more that, like, in the context of their relationship, we can assume that, when they discuss years being between the time that Geralt slept with Yennefer in Vengerberg until now, that quite a lot of time has passed. And they've been on and off presumably for a while. So, I wonder if it has more to do with – in the beginning of their relationship, he abandoned her. 

CHARLOTTE: Mhmm.

ALYSSA: So, I wonder if it has something to do with she has never known how he really felt about her. And the fact that he's just, like, barged into some sorcerers home and put his stake in the ground. Maybe that's what she was referring to when she says I know how you feel now and I'm sorry that this has affected you in such a way. At least, that would be my assumption.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, it could go either way. I do kind of like her maturity in confronting Geralt about it. I mean slash immaturity also, because I don't know why she waited so long. She just like comes right into the room. She's like, “All right. Shall we begin? Let's talk about it. We're gonna sit down. We're gonna have a talk about this situation.” Like, no beating around the bush whatsoever. I love that about her.

ALYSSA: She's very, very, very forward, which we've always gotten from her as a character. And, just because the relationship with Geralt has again become intimate, doesn't change that about her character. She finally tells Geralt the details of her relationship with Istredd and the depth of it. She says things like they've known each other for years. They could  understand each other wordlessly. And that probably doesn't feel great for Geralt.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. It's, at this point, where I started questioning how long she's been with Istredd, how long has this relationship between her and Istredd  been going on. From what I understand enchantresses can live hundreds of years. So, I'm just kind of like, “Oh, man. Like, how far back does this go? Was, like, Geralt the newest, like, wrench in the wheel? Like, oh, no, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with you.”

ALYSSA: Yeah. I think that expectation is there for everybody. But it didn't seem to be there for Geralt until people started nitpicking at his insecurities. And this really comes up in his dialogue with Yennefer. She tells him all this stuff about Istredd. And he's very resigned about it. He just says, “You know, I won't stand in your way.” And she gets angry at him. She's like, “If you were in my way, I would have gotten rid of you.” And then she goes through all the ways in which she could have gotten rid of him. Everything from just saying goodbye to, like, going through all the trouble of compacting him down and putting him into, like, amber, which is very silly. But she does say like, “If you were an issue, I would have gotten rid of you. That's not the problem. The problem is that I love both of you.” I don't know. We see a lot of Geralt’s insecurities, as I said, come out. And he starts quoting his conversations with Istredd and Cicada and parroting back the things that they said to him. He says, “The fact that I’m saddened… the fact that I know I’m losing you… is cellular memory. The remnants of feelings in a mutant purged of emotion—” And she cuts them off saying, “I can’t stand it when you talk like that! I can’t bear it when you use that word. Don’t ever use that word in my presence. Never!” And he says, “Does it change the fact? After all, I am a mutant.” And she says, “There is no fact. Don’t utter that word in front of me.” It's a sore point for both of them. And I think, to an extent, we know why Geralt is upset by it, because people are telling him all these things that seem to define him as an individual based on his profession, based on his mutation. But we don't really know explicitly why this bothers Yennefer. Presumably, it's the same, but she sees the emotion in Geralt. She sees the depth in Geralt dismissing himself as a mutant and lowering himself in his own eyes and in her eyes as such probably upsets her.

CHARLOTTE: Oh, yeah, definitely. I love when she goes through all the ways that she could have gotten rid of him if she wanted to. I feel like that just encapsulates her entire feeling about the situation, where he's like, “Oh, you know, I won't stand in your way. I'm a mutant. I can't feel anything bloody fucking blah.” She's just like, “You're an idiot. If I didn't want you, I wouldn't be here.” She doesn't need to hear like, “Oh, go ahead. I won't stand in your way.” That's the last thing that she wants to hear from someone that she's definitely gone out of her way to, like, try and be with.

ALYSSA: And especially coming back to someone who has hurt her before. We kind of get the sense here that these are two people that, one, have no idea what the hell they're doing in a traditional monogamous relationship. They're both trying to justify why they're unworthy of love. And this is something that seems to be, I think, in my opinion, very deeply rooted in the core of their character and their values. That they just believe they're unworthy of love. Geralt, because he's a mutant, he is doubling down on this idea that he can't feel emotion. Whereas, Yennefer has put up all these walls around her. And we'll get to the metaphor of a shard of ice, but she herself is an illusion and that she's a fantasy. This fear that, when people see beyond the fantasy and beyond the facade, that they're gonna be disappointed. They are these two broken people, who want to be loved, but don't feel they're worthy of love. And then, therefore, don't feel that they can fulfill the other. It's a lot. It's a lot for them to have their own baggage and try to bring it into this relationship.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. And, at this point in the story, he actually starts admitting out loud to Yennefer that, despite what everyone is saying to him and what everyone assumes, he has feelings. He straight up says to Yennefer whoever’s job it was to blot out all of those emotional connections during the Trial of the Grasses botched the job. 

ALYSSA: And that's absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. Obviously, you know, whether or not that's true, whether or not the preconception that witchers are incapable of emotion is actually real in the Trial of the Grasses, and that Geralt was a botched job, or whether it's simply just misconception and perception. It's still very heartbreaking to see him subscribe to the idea. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. It's like everyone expects him to be impenetrable. And, for someone who is clearly, you know, penetrable, that is a huge facade to have to hold up all the time. Like, this chapter is, like, about everyone's facade, and, like, the weight of holding up that mask, and, like, the toll that it takes on them and their relationships.

ALYSSA: Exactly. There was this one brief exchange between Geralt and Yennefer, in which he says, “You promised to answer my questions. Questions I don’t even have to ask. One remains; the most important. The one I’ve never asked you. Which I’ve been afraid to ask. Answer it.” And Yennefer answers, “I’m incapable of it, Geralt.” And he says,”I don’t believe you, Yen. I know you too well.” And she shuts him down saying, “No one can know a sorceress well.” “Answer my question, Yen.” And she says, “My answer is: I don’t know.” “But what kind of answer is that?” At least, I assume from the context of the conversation that he was asking if she loved him. She eventually in the rest of the chapter tries to ask if he loves her. Neither of them will give an answer.

CHARLOTTE: Reading this and then hearing their conversation with each other, it was, like, kind of infuriating. Because I’m like, “Y'all say you love each other and kiss and makeup. And everything will be fine.” And they just start talking and all of these, like, really hazy metaphors, asking you really vague questions, and giving really vague answers, and just basically confusing each other.

ALYSSA: This is exactly where we get to the theme of "A Shard of Ice," the title of the chapter. They start talking metaphorically in loops and circles about how Yennefer represents this ice queen. And Geralt has been, you know, stabbed in the eye by one of her shards of ice. And everything around him he sees as repugnant, and he just desires Yennefer. Yennefer says, again, master metaphors, “The Elf Queen, desires warmth. That’s her secret. She just wants intimacy, that she wants relationship, that she wants warmth. But she can’t have it, because the warmth that ultimately creates that connection would also ruin the illusion in the way that holding a shard of ice would just melt it.” So, this idea of trying to hold on to something that is unattainable and not only unattainable, but the fact that you hold it at all ruins it. It’s I think what they're kind of dancing around here as well on top of this kind of blind love.

CHARLOTTE: I think it's kind of cute how they start talking within the confines of this fairytale and relating its story to their situation in an attempt to describe how they feel to each other. Geralt, who is normally Mr. Logical, “I don't like fantasy blahdy-blah,” suddenly starts speaking in these like romantic fairytale metaphors. He's like trying so hard to get his feelings across to Yen. She loves this story. She stated that she loves these stories. He's just like, “You know, maybe if we start talking about our relationship within this context, maybe we can clarify how we feel about each other in some way.” I think it was actually kind of sweet for him to start talking that way and, like, humoring her and her love of these fairytales. 

ALYSSA: Hmm. Interesting.

CHARLOTTE: Even though he did previously say he's like, “That's just a story describing the phenomenon of the Wild Hunt. And that doesn't mean anything.” Now, he's, like, pulling it into his life and using it as a way to explain himself to someone else. Like, that's how you're supposed to use poetry. That's how you're supposed to use fairy tales. They communicate things that other people have issues trying to communicate. It’s just nice that he was doing that. Yeah. Throughout this entire chapter, I was basically just like, “Just admit that you love each other. Goddamn it. Just say that you love each other or just have a – have sex or something. Just say you love each other, and it's fine. Everyone will be happy.”

ALYSSA: The section closes with something, you know, new and very interesting and a new kind of magic, which Geralt creates this creational magic. Neither of them are able to answer this question, “Do you love me?” Yennefer, as in not response, takes Geralt’s hand and, from it, creates another black kestrel, which joins the first one. She starts musing to herself that she needs them both. And I was wrong to believe that I would only need one. And her tangent here and her musing is a little confusing. Like, you, as a reader, don't really know what's going on or why she's exactly saying this. But she's kind of talking to herself it seems like. She says, “There are gifts which may not be accepted, if one is unable to… reciprocate them… with something equally precious. Otherwise such a gift will slip through the fingers, melt like a shard of ice gripped in the hand. Then only regret, the sense of loss and hurt will remain…” So, she makes this kestrel. We don't exactly know its purpose, but she starts asking, “What is the truth?” So, they start mulling over this idea. Yennefer, specifically, she says, “Emotions, whims and lies, fascinations and games. Feelings and their absence. Gifts, which may not be accepted. Lies and truth. What is truth? The negation of lies? Or the statement of a fact? And if the fact is a lie, what then is the truth? Who is full of feelings which torment him, and who is the empty carapace of a cold skull? Who? What is truth, Geralt? What is the essence of truth?” And he says, “I don’t know, Yen. Tell me.” “No,” she said and lowered her eyes. For the first time. He had never seen her do that before. Never. “No,” she repeated. “I cannot, Geralt. I cannot tell you that. That bird, begotten from the touch of your hand, will tell you. Bird? What is the essence of truth?” “Truth,” the kestrel said, “is a shard of ice.”

CHARLOTTE: I really like how, during their dialogue, she sort of, like, refers to herself as the Snow Queen. The section where she lowers her eyes, and he's never seen her do that before. I had my guesses about what she was doing that about. And maybe it has something to do with parts of herself that she's still concealing. And she's basically just like, “I can't tell you the truth. I can't show you the truth. I'll never be able to, and that's why I can't get too close to you.”

ALYSSA: And it makes a very interesting contrast between everything that Geralt said in the second section. Geralt continually says, “Yennefer is not going to answer him. Yennefer gonna say no. It's not worth the fight with Yennefer.” And, here, he specifically demands something of her. He says, “Tell me the truth.” And she says, “No.” And then that's when she lowers her eyes. 

CHARLOTTE: Oh, it's rough. 

ALYSSA: I think you're right. She's probably concealing of a realization that she's already had. So, in Part VI, Geralt confronts Istredd at the sorcerer’s excavation site. They agree to duel to the death in the morning for her, both admitting how foolish they feel in doing so.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. He just sort of, like, randomly finds himself down by the excavation site again. 

ALYSSA: What a creep. Geralt ends up at the excavation site. Istredd, obviously, sees him. They have a chat. The gist of the chat is like, “I hate you. You hate me. Let's get together, and kill each other.”

CHARLOTTE: I just heard that in the Barney song.

ALYSSA: I kind of started going that way in my head. And I'm like, “I shouldn't sing this.” That's basically the gist of it. And they're just like, “Yeah, let's dual.” Istredd, apparently, finally found out Geralt has been a constant in her life as well. So, he finally acknowledges that Geralt isn't a fleeting romance. Everyone else's fleeting romance, but he matters and Geralt matters. Therefore, there's no room for both of them. And this is a decision that they make without Yennefer.

CHARLOTTE: Their dialogue there is just kind of cute. They have a lot of similarities in their banter. Neither one of them want to admit that they're, like, sort of similar intellectually.

ALYSSA: And they both seem to know her on the same level and have the same kind of expectations and anticipations for what she's going to do and how she's going to handle this. So, it's everything from Istredd saying, “Geralt, Yenna hasn’t the slightest intention of choosing between us, were we even to assume she’s capable of choosing.” And then he says, “We'll have to decide for her.” And Geralt goes back to the metaphor of the ice queen, and he says, “There's nothing wrong with me. I've got something in my eye.” Yeah. Which is a very subtle allusion to that ice queen getting a shard of ice in the eyes of passers by.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. And I'm like, “Uh huh, Yennefer is totally the snow queen, 100 percent.”

ALYSSA: And, suddenly, Geralt’s speaking in metaphors. Shocking. So, they go back and forth. And there's this whole funny little thing. It says, “They stood still for a moment, not looking at each other. The sorcerer finally muttered something to himself, kicked a lump of clay, and crushed it under his heel. ‘Geralt?’ ‘What?’ ‘Do you feel foolish, by any chance?’ ‘Yes, I do,’ the Witcher reluctantly admitted. ‘That’s a relief,’ Istredd muttered. ‘Because I feel like an utter dolt. I never expected I’d ever have to fight a witcher to the death over a woman.’ ‘I know how you feel, Istredd.’”

CHARLOTTE: This is where I'm like, “Aah.” You know, like, they both feel dumb about it. They both realize they're being idiots. 

ALYSSA: Yeah. 

CHARLOTTE: I see them as children in this scene. You know what I mean? Like, they've almost, like, regressed to boyhood. You know, Istredd is just, like, kicking a piece of dirt around, just looking at his feet, being like, “Do you feel dumb?” And Geralt’s like, “Yeah. I do kind of feel creeped out.” And they’re like, “Yeah, this is stupid. Oh, well.” It's really sad. And it's also really cute. I feel like they'd be friends. In any other situation, I feel like they would be friends, the way they talk to each other.

ALYSSA: The situation definitely brings out the exact same reaction in both of them to the point that Istredd makes an observation. And Geralt says, “I know,” continually. “Do you feel foolish? Yes, I do, too. I feel dumb. I know how you feel. Needless to say, you know that whichever one of us survives, will have to flee at once and hide from Yenna at the end of the world.” And he says, “I do And needless to say, you count on being able to go back to her when she simmers down? Of course.” They both again have decided this between themselves without Yennefer, but they both have the exact same expectation for her and how she's gonna react based on their intimate relationships with her.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. One's got a shard in the eye, and the other is got a shard in the heart. 

ALYSSA: Awww. Oh, no.

CHARLOTTE: Uh huh. She got him both. 

ALYSSA: It becomes widely known that the two of them have agreed to this duel. And, in Part VII, Mayor Herbolth tries to bribe the witcher into leaving before the duel. Geralt threatens the mayor, and Cicada steps in, taking him away, leaving Geralt annoyed at the end table. We basically just got a brief exchange between the mayor and Geralt. The mayor tries to give the witcher, I think, like 100 somethings – whatever the local currency is, which is more than the Witcher got for the zeugl, just to get them to leave town. Geralt says, “No.”

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. They're like, “We need the wizard. Don't kill the wizard.”

ALYSSA: Geralt says like, “You're not gonna bribe me away from this.” And Herbolth says, “You know, I tried to get you to leave nicely, but I can't believe you both are going to cut yourselves up over some slut.” Geralt draws a dagger and just stabs it between Herbolt fingers in a very, very threatening way. Cicada steps in and asks if there's any trouble, and Herbolth says, “No.” And he leaves. 

CHARLOTTE: When he gets annoyed, Geralt, he’s having feelings again. He’s feeling things. Now, he feels angry and annoyed.

ALYSSA: And, again, it's not something that we normally see from Gerlalt. How much time the narration is spending on his inner monologue. It says like, “I’m annoyed,” he realised in amazement. This is not something that he normally feels himself. And his emotions are kind of bubbling up to the surface in a way that they wouldn't normally, which is out of character for him or, at least, out of character enough that it surprises him. 

CHARLOTTE: He says, “How cold it is.” And he gets up. It's like, “Oh, I wonder why you're feeling cold? Is it because you've been touched by the snow queen? Oooh.” 

ALYSSA: The lores. As will be important in the next section, it's noted that there is a man with a ratty face in this inn. Geralt leaves his dagger embedded in the table, and he also makes a big show of leaving coins as payment and flashes where his coin purse is. Chapter VIII, the witcher is mugged in an alleyway. So, it notes that he didn't hear or sense the swing of a club, but he still acted instinctively. And he goes to reach for his dagger. It's not there.

CHARLOTTE: How did he end up in an alleyway with no weapons somehow? Did he stop bringing them with him? I'm confused. 

ALYSSA: I mean he essentially allows himself to get mugged. He sets it up so that he can get mugged. He leaves his weapons. He flashes his purse. And it's two men. One of whom, upon realizing that it's a witcher, bugs the hell out. And he's like, “Aah! The evil!” and then runs off. But the person who stays is the ratty-faced man from the previous section. And he's kneeling on Geralt’s chest and says, “Next time...next time you feel like killing yourself, Witcher, don’t drag other people into it. Just hang yourself in the stable from your reins.”

CHARLOTTE: God, it's like this town has been trying to pick a fight with Geralt from the moment he gets there. He finally gives the town an opportunity to pick a goddamn fight with him, and the people are just like, “Go hang yourself.”

ALYSSA: He's a witcher. He notes in the section that his senses and his instincts aren't something that can be taken away from him. And he's like cellular memory, “I'm a mutant. And I react like a mutant.” And we can see how, even in his inner monologue, everything that everyone's been saying to him is really getting to him.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. I mean did he have a death wish? Why did he go out unarmed?

ALYSSA: And, again, we're gonna see parallels to Istredd. A lot of the things that we see Geralt experience, I think, based on the conversations between him and Istredd, we can also assume that Istredd is feeling these things. And we see that in Section IX. In Part IX, Cicada tries to fight the witcher in an alleyway and is quickly knocked out. The witcher reaches the agreed dueling grounds and is surprised to learn that Istredd intends to battle him with a sword. He learns that the sorcerer received a farewell letter from Yennefer, sent with a kestrel, and he knows that one will be waiting for him as well. Geralt, the day after he's been knocked out in the alleyway and mugged, wakes up in the morning ready for his fight with Istredd. There's a note that he glances up at the sun. “A glorious day,” he thought. “A glorious day for a fight.” We finally see Cicada tried to cash in on this wager that he wanted to set with Geralt. He basically ambushes Geralt in an alleyway with other men. It's quite funny, because Cicada is trying to intimidate the witcher. And the witcher is just like, “I don't have time for this.” There's this funny thing where he's like – Geralt just says, “Get out of my way.” And Cicada yells, “Stop! Didn’t you hear what I said? We’re going to fight! I’m challenging you! We’ll soon see who’s the better man!” And it just says, “Geralt shrugged without slowing down.” Again, Cicada just keeps trying to egg Geralt on. And it says, “Geralt walked on, forcing Cicada to retreat, to walk clumsily backwards.” And it’s just a very, very funny scene.

CHARLOTTE: He's gonna keep walking towards you.

ALYSSA: It just keeps going. And Cicada says like, “What else do I have to do to you? Spit in your ugly face?” Geralt says, “Go ahead and spit.” The section says, “Cicada stopped and indeed took a breath, pursing his lips to spit. He was watching the Witcher’s eyes, not his hands, and that was a mistake. Geralt, still not slowing down, struck him very fast, without a backswing, just flexing from the knees, his fist encased in the spiked glove. He punched Cicada right in the mouth, straight in his twisted lips. They split, exploding like mashed cherries. The Witcher crouched and struck once again, in the same place, this time from a short backswing, et cetera, et cetera. And Cicada gets knocked out and is left kind of groping in the mud for a tooth.”

CHARLOTTE: The visual. I just love that description of his lips bursting open like mash cherries. Like, “Oh, yeah. I know exactly what that looks like.” Oof!. That's pretty rough. Finally, Cicada gets what he wants, which is apparently god mode versus regular dude.

ALYSSA: Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: It's, like, all of the interactions of Geralt and Cicada have just been, like, “Geralt is bored with you. You are nothing but an irritating bug. Why are you still talking?” And he just gets creamed. We were all expecting it to happen. It finally happened. Thank god.

ALYSSA: Presumably, much to Cicada’s surprise, he really thought he stood a chance. And he doesn't kill him. He doesn't really escalate the situation. He diffuses the situation as fast as possible, because Cicada is just a distraction and an obstacle in order to get to the real fight, which is, in his mind, against Istredd. Uhmm. So, Geralt makes this way there. He gets to the town square, which is where they agreed to meet. He noticed that a black bird with ruffled feathers sat on the sorcerer’s shoulder. It was a kestrel. Geralt notices that Istredd has a very beautiful sword, but, obviously, not what he was expecting considering they were making jokes/thinly-veiled threats about how Istredd would just smoke Geralt with magic. That's not the case. Istredd brings a sword. Geralt notes this. And it surprises him to the point of pause. And he asks, “Why with swords?” Istredd gets very fidgety. And Geralt says, “Why?” Like, “Answer me. Why with swords?” He wants to know where the kestrel came from. Geralt has a lot of questions about Istredd’s erratic behavior. Istredd says, “The Kestrel, it came at dawn. It brought a letter, a very short one. I know it by heart.” And the letter said, “Farewell, Val. Forgive me. There are gifts which one may not accept, and there is nothing in me I could repay you with. And that is the truth, Val. Truth is a shard of ice.” Geralt hears this. And it seems that he has a lot more insight. We've gotten this metaphor through Geralt’s conversations with Yennefer. So, Geralt himself is informed about what this letter really means as is the reader. It seems like Istredd does not. That he has no idea what's happening and why it's happening. He wanted this proposal, and she's gone, which causes him to kind of go on the same suicide mission that Geralt did the night before. Geralt allowed himself to get mugged. Istredd is trying to get himself killed by Geralt, because he can't imagine living without Yennefer.

CHARLOTTE: Originally, on the first read-through of this story, I had thought that Istredd was just trying to be, like, chivalrous by only using a sword. You know what I mean? Like—

ALYSSA: It will be a fair fight if they both use the same weapons. Yeah.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. Or, like, fisticuffs or something. You know, like, we’ll settle this with fisticuffs instead. But, on my, like, second and third read-throughs, it became pretty clear that he just wanted to have the shit beat out of him. He wants to die at this point, because he's been refused. 

ALYSSA: Geralt doesn't take that bait. Istredd is trying to get him to fight. Geralt just says, “No.” He doesn't engage with Istredd. He actually quotes back what that ratty-face man said to him in the alleyway during the mugging. He says, “Don't drag other people into your suicide. If you must, hang yourself in the stable from your reins.” He just turns to walk away. You get this huge outpouring of emotion from Istredd. He says, “Geralt!” the sorcerer screamed and his voice suddenly cracked, jarring the ear with a false, wrong note. “I’m not giving up! She won’t run away from me! I’ll follow her to Vengerberg. I’ll follow her to the end of the world. I’ll find her! I’ll never give her up! Know that!” And Geralt just says, “Farewell, Istredd.” The chapter closes referring to Geralt. He was thinking about the letter waiting for him in the inn. He speeded up. He knew that a black kestrel, wet from the rain, holding a letter in its curved beak, was waiting for him on the bed-head. He wanted to read the letter as soon as possible, even though he knew what was in it.

CHARLOTTE: So, what, what do you think was in it?

ALYSSA: Oh, the, the exact same letter or something very similar in Yennefer’s belief that she can't reciprocate what Geralt could give her. I would assume. And, again, this goes back to our conversation about the fact that they don't really feel like they're deserving of love.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. I think so, too. Originally, I was sort of leaning toward the kestrel having something positive to say to Geralt. Maybe that was just me having hopeful thoughts about their situation. I was like, “Oh, well, you know, Istredd got the sad kestrel, and maybe Geralt got the happy kestrel. But it's unlikely, especially considering they both feel exactly the same. And Yennefer has basically done the same thing to both of them with her little ice shards. She's left them both with a kestrel talking about shards of ice. 

ALYSSA: What a present. 

CHARLOTTE: Our beautiful snow queen. 

ALYSSA: I mean, in the beginning of the chapter, she had the first kestrel before Geralt’s even finished with the zeugl. And then it's not until later in the chapter that she says to herself, “I was wrong to think I would only need one.” What do you think changed for her? And do you think that the intention was only to have one kestrel for Istredd?

CHARLOTTE: Oh, man, that's a tough one. When she was talking to Geralt about what it is she needs out of a relationship via the confines of the Snow Queen fairy tale that they were referencing, she sort of, like, goes off on a tangent towards the end and is asking herself who is the empty skull and who is overflowing with emotions. And she's questioning the traits of these two men in her life. At least, that's kind of how I took it. She has this ability to choose. Like, she doesn't know who's empty and who is overflowing. And, originally, it seemed like she thought Istredd was the one that was, like, full of emotions and able to offer that sort of emotional support, and, you know, other types of stability as opposed to Geralt, who everyone says is empty and unfeeling. I feel like, with her time spent with him in the city, I think that her idea about those two men flipped around. I think she's starting to realize Istredd might be the empty skull. And the one who is overflowing with emotion is actually Geralt. Do you want emotional and financial stability and comfort? Or do you want to go with the one who, like, you know, really gets you going and, like, really lights your fire and all that stuff? Being in love with two people at once, trying to make that work, it's complicated. And you start seeing reflections of the other person within the other person that you're with. Honestly, I feel like her opinion about both of them sort of flipped around and that her inability to choose sort of disappeared, because she sort of came to the realization that, if she wants that kind of stability, that means that she has to be held close. And, if someone holds her close, then her illusion melts away. That's what Istredd wants. Istredd wants to keep her close. And, like’ she can't have that, because her illusion, this facade that she's holding up will melt away. I think she, she chose Geralt specifically, because Geralt won't do that. He won't try to hold her close like Istredd well. I mean Geralt has never made a proposal like that to her and probably never will.

ALYSSA: It was interesting hearing you read that brief passage, like, kind of out of context in that she was wondering, like, who was the one overflowing with emotion, who was the empty skull, because it was almost – she was wondering, “Are you overflowing with emotion? Are you an Istredd overflowing with emotion, and I'm the empty skull? Can I not reciprocate the love in so many words that the two of you want to give?” And that's why she removes herself from the situation from both of them. That's why she abandons both opportunities with Geralt and Istredd. I did happen to mention, as we were talking about it, that it seemed her talking out loud to herself rather than really addressing Geralt at certain points in that conversation. And I wonder if that might be part of that, where she's closing in on herself, where we're seeing this unexpected insight into her own worlds and inner monologue. It might be very self deprecating. “I'm not worthy of this. I'm the emotionless one. I'm the one who can't provide for these men.” And then that's that. We already know that she's upset and insecure about her own infertility. I wonder if she's upset and insecure about her own ability to provide emotional stability, too.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. I think that's definitely a possibility for sure. It wasn't actually something that I had considered before. 

ALYSSA: Mean neither. The magic of life shows.

CHARLOTTE: You're probably right in that she wasn't counting on having to let them both go originally. Like, I, I don't think she counted on having to do that with both of them, because she didn't count on them boasting to each other about having sex with her.

ALYSSA: Yeah, that was dumb.

CHARLOTTE: That was the main thing. 

ALYSSA: I mean we're never gonna know.

CHARLOTTE: It's really sad. Like, the whole chapter is very sad. It starts off uncomfortable. And then it gets kind of hopeful, because you get to see this intimate relationship. And, like, finally, he gets in like real intimacy with substance instead of just some whore in a bath house. Oh, it just – it never lasts long enough. You know, it always just disappears. Sex for Istredd.

ALYSSA: Oh, absolutely. It's really heartbreaking and really tragic to see them both at the end, but I think it gives us a long way up as we go into the rest of the saga, too. We don't know if it's the lowest point in the relationship between Geralt and Yennefer. We do know that they have yet again broken up. And we can infer that this is a point where they both feel that they're not ready or that they're not worthy of love for very deep-set reasons. Geralt, because he's been continually told and berated with this idea that he's incapable of emotion. And, Yennefer, because she doesn't believe that she can provide for others. And that she craves intimacy. And that she craves warmth, but she doesn't feel like it's something that she can hold on to. Otherwise, she'll ruin it. Otherwise, she'll ruin the illusion and perception and relationship that she has with other people. So, she needs to keep them at an arm's distance.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. It does leave me looking forward to whenever they happen to meet up again. And, like, how that's gonna go.

ALYSSA: It opens up a lot of possibility for everyone who's reading along with us or who's new to the Witcher saga but has played the games for example. When I came in through the games without having any knowledge of the lore and then went back and read the books, I was like, “Oh, oh, I get it.” If you'd like, let's say jump into the third game as I did and I think as you did to Charlotte, there's a lot of confusion about what the hell their relationship is in the third Witcher game if you have no context for it. So, it's very interesting through The Last Wish, Bounds of Reason, and, now, A Shard of Ice to see the early stages of the relationship and how that might play out through the rest of the saga. And then through the sequels that CD Projekt Red created, and then through the Witcher show, through the Netflix show.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. I'm looking forward to the depiction of Yennefer. Really looking forward to that.

ALYSSA: The day that we're recording, they actually dropped a whole bunch of new promo images. And we got to see a whole lot of pictures of Anya Chalotra as Yennefer. And they are iconic. Absolutely, iconic.

CHARLOTTE: Even the tiny clip in the – like, the preview that I and everybody else got to see of the newest trailer, yeah, we actually got to hear her speaking in character a little more. Her voice. Oh, my god.

ALYSSA: It is sultry. I'm here for it. Love a sultry voice.

CHARLOTTE: I was like, “Oh, yeah,” at least in that tiny little fraction of a second of a clip that I got to see. It was pretty spot on.

ALYSSA: I think it'll be really exciting. And I'm sure that this will catapult them. Actually, the day of recording, the announcement that Season 2 has been approved and is moving into pre-production just came out today. So, that's really exciting as well that they've already been greenlit for another season.

CHARLOTTE: Nice. It’s very exciting.

ALYSSA: Looking back on this chapter, Charlotte, is there anything that you took away from it?

CHARLOTTE: I definitely relate a lot to Yennefer in this chapter, I guess, personally. I know – I know exactly how she feels, which is funny because I wasn't really sure about assigning her the feeling of not being able to provide and having this like self-deprecating attitude, because I always sort of viewed her as not a very self-deprecating character. She always really seems to hold herself in pretty high esteem. But the more I look into it, the more I realized that she's actually very fragile. And I can relate. And Geralt has feelings. What do you know? 

ALYSSA: He does.

CHARLOTTE: It's not a secret, you know, at least not to the readers. People should communicate in relationships. And Geralt should allow Yennefer Istredd, because Geralt has his own little side things going on. You know, they should just communicate better about it.

ALYSSA: I know I've said that throughout the episode. But, yes, if you're in a relationship, no matter what kind of relationship it is, whether it’s traditional, untraditional, always communicate with your partner. Try to create an environment not just for yourself, but also for your partner, where you feel safe communicating with them, where you feel you could be honest and authentic with them about your wants and your needs, and that they'll at least be acknowledged and thought through by your partner or partners. Again, traditional and untraditional relationships, open communication. 

CHARLOTTE: It's key.

ALYSSA: That's a lot of the cause of relationship and marital turmoil. Just take the time to create the right environment for you and your partners, because you don't want kestrel wet from the rain in your bed. And, as I've said, I think it's really important to see here where the beginnings of their relationship are so that we can see kind of the growth throughout the rest of the saga. You know, from these points, from The Last Wish, from The Bounds of Reason, from A Shard of Ice and see how they develop both individually and dynamically together.

CHARLOTTE: Another big takeaway is that everyone is putting up a facade. And it doesn't really matter what you think originally about a person or an individual. Everyone is hiding something. Just to be aware of that, makes it possible to be more gentle around other people. Try to understand what it is they're going through. Don't assume, just because they're big, strong monster hunter, that – you know, that they don't cry alone at night. 

ALYSSA: Aww. You know, Lucky from Britney Spears plays aggressively in the background.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. Like, even if you're a badass sexy sorceress, don't just assume—

ALYSSA: Yeah. 

CHARLOTTE: —that – who that person actually is.

ALYSSA: I mean, just because she's independent, just because she's powerful, it doesn't mean that she doesn't want partnership, that she doesn't want love and warmth and intimacy.

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. Just be gentle with each other. Realize everybody's putting up a facade of some kind. Yeah. That's my takeaway.

ALYSSA: We have so much more ahead of us to learn about the relationship as well. So, that is it for our show today. Charlotte, thank you so much for joining us for this episode, and thank you to our hanza for listening. Remind us of where we can find you and anything that we can help you with

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. My website is glamarye.com. I make witcher-themed glamarye perfume for various characters. So, you can find me and my products there. We've also got Facebook under Vengerberg Glamarye and an Instagram under that same name. If you're interested in taking a look, come check out my tiny little store.

ALYSSA: And you should absolutely check out Charlotte's site, Vengerberg Glamarye. She makes really incredible perfumes. And you do ship internationally, too.

CHARLOTTE: I do. I attempt to. Yes.

ALYSSA: So, wherever you are in the world, check out her shop. It's absolutely incredible.

CHARLOTTE: Thank you very much for having me again. I really enjoy doing this.

ALYSSA: Yeah. Absolutely. It's so, so nice to have people who are also creators in the Witcher community joining me on the show. So, it's lovely having you back. And, if you, listeners, would like to go back to Charlotte's complete journey in creating Vengerberg Glamarye, go check out Episode 2, A Grain of Truth. And that takes up the second half of the episode after the Witcherflix break. And you can hear all about how she started her shop, which is absolutely fascinating. Next episode, we’re coming back to New York to welcome back Chris from Episode 1 and his friend, Adi, who originally introduced him to the Witcher saga, to discuss more hijinks and adventures with the Bard and Witcher and The Eternal Flame.

Outro & Credits

[Breakfast in Beauclair theme music by MojoFilter Media]

ALYSSA: Thanks for joining us at the breakfast table! For show notes, transcripts of each episode, and a complete list of our social platforms and listening services, head over to breakfastinbeauclair.com.

Breakfast in Beauclair is created by Alyssa from GoodMorhen. It’s hosted by Alyssa with the “Tidings from Toussaint” News Segment by Lars from WitcherFlix. The show is edited by Alyssa with the Breakfast in Beauclair theme by MojoFilter Media and the “Tidings from Toussaint” theme by Bettina Campomanes.

Breakfast in Beauclair is produced by Alyssa in New York City with Luis of Kovir, The Owner of The Churlish Porpoise, Coolguyhenry, Arix the Godling, Katie (The Redhead of Toussaint), Jacob, Mahakam Elder Joe, Julie, Sylvia of Skellige, Will P., Brandon, Jamison, Ayvo of Gulet, and Eric, The Bear of Beauclair.

Special thanks to Charlotte for joining us for this episode and our international hanza for their support.

Transcriptionist: Rachelle Rose Bacharo
Editor: Krizia Casil

 

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