Good day everyone,
I hope you are all having a good day, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things gaming and literature. Today I will be doing an analysis and review of the seventh book from The Witcher series, and the fifth book of The Witcher Saga, by Andrzej Sapkowski, entitled The Lady of the Lake. Within I will break down the chapters and give an overview of what happens within the story, with a conclusion on the overall book at the end. This will be done in a six part series for this book due to the number of chapters, so keep an eye out for the remaining parts to follow.
Other Parts to this Book
The Witcher Saga - The Lady of the Lake - Part I
The Witcher Saga - The Lady of the Lake - Part II
The Witcher Saga - The Lady of the Lake - Part III
The Witcher Saga - The Lady of the Lake - Part IV
The Witcher Saga - The Lady of the Lake - Part V
Chapter 3
Geralt is walking through the darkness, like in Condwiramurs vision, when he is suddenly attacked and caught off guard. The Witcher is agile and strong though, and manages to slay his attacker, a kurolishek, which is often mistaken as a Basilisk. After letting the beast bleed out, Geralt takes it back to Reynart de Bois-Fresnes, the Chequered Knight Geralt had encountered in the forest with the druids. They discuss what can be made from the beast, and Reynart knows he can convince the local coopers guild in Toussaint to pay a handsome price for it. Mounting their horses with the dead beast, they ride for the inn to complete the trade.
As they rode towards the inn Geralt and Reynart were accompanied by Regis, Angoulême, and Cahir who had his head wound healed by the druidesses. Milva was being treated by the same druidesses, while Dandelion was with Duchess Anarietta. Reynart went about explaining how Dandelion had become known as Viscount Julian, a story Angoulême was determined to know.
Duke Raymond, the husband of Duchess Anarietta, had been away at Cintra six summers ago. Dandelion had found his way to Toussaint and alonog with the Duchess he wound up in a love affair. However Dandelion was forced to flee as rumours spread of their acts, and just in time as soon after the Duke arrived home. Once he learnt of the affair he locked the Duchess in her chambers and ordered for Dandelion to be found and killed, with rumour having it the Duke would cut out his heart, fry it, and feed it to the Duchess. The Duke fell ill with what was described as a stroke but was up and about a year later after being bedridden. One of his eyes was constantly squinted and it drew the allure of many a woman to him, and apparently the Duke suffered the same fate once again while beneath a lass in the middle of love making. He was not well remembered for his seven years presiding over Toussaint, as everyone cared more for the Duchess than the Duke.
They rode onwards until they reached the famed vineyards of Toussaint. Here Regis confirmed the knights explanation that the care put into the vines at Castel Ravello ensured the finest wine in the land was produced, wines such as Est Est, Fiorano, Ervrluce, and Pomino. At the Pheasantry inn they drank a fine label and vintage after the capture of the kurolishek. The inn was packed thanks to the winter solstice but they had their fill of food and drink. As they chatted the knight reminded Geralt of his first visit upon Beauclair Castle a month ago, and how dumbstruck he was at the sight of it.
Their first glance at Beauclair Palace left them in awe, as Regis noted the architectural style which made the delicate construction look like candles with wax overflowing them. Once they rode up and through the narrow streets of the the town they encountered Dandelion dressed like a prince. He ushered them to hurry as the Duchess was eager to meet them. They entered a great hall and approached the marble staircase where two women were waiting. One was her Grace, the Duchess Anna Henrietta. The other was a sorceress named Fringilla Vigo. Dandelion, known as Viscount Julian, had explained their appearance and the Duchess assured Geralt that he and his companions were not only welcome, but would be welcomed to converse with the Duchess in private. For now however, they Festival of the Vat was to take place, and at the request of Fringilla, Geralt was to be at their service along with Viscount Julian. Once the ladies departed, Geralt was informed by the Chamberlain Sebastian Le Goff that the festival was merely to do with the conclusion of the harvest, an ancient tradition and custom.
Geralt and Danedlion were tasked with helping the ladies, the Duchess and Fringilla, into a vat to ferment the grapes, as per tradition. To Geralts surprise, the women were clothed in tiny, white, gassamer-thin blouses with shoulder straps, and their knickers, with nothing else. Fringilla winked at Geralt as both herself and the Duchess squashed the grapes, and afterwards she noted to Geralt how arousing the ceremony can be.
Geralt and the Chequered Knight Reynart pondered back to the audience Geralt had with the Duchess after his arrival. Reynart was not present, but the rest of Geralts group were, along with plenty of scribes and of course Fringilla. The Duchess listened to Geralts tale and promised him whatever assistance she could offer. She also claimed he could remain in Touissant as long as he required, and was outraged when Geralt informed her the war was still raging. She demanded her court send further word to her cousin, the Emhyr of Nilfgaard, to abandon such distasteful matters and was certain that would be the end of the war. Geralt was not so assured.
Both Geralt and Reynart discussed the number of contracts the Witcher had received since arriving in Toussaint, along with the swelling ‘pension’ account awaiting him in the bank. Her Grace had requested Geralt to rid them of a ‘succubus’ in female form performing leud acts in faithful husband’s bedchambers. Geralt was later requested by some of the vineyard folk to ignore said contract and leave the succubus be as she was causing no harm.
Thinking back to when Geralt and Regis strolled through Toussaint, they were approached by a steward requesting Geralt to kill a monster. Although Geralt was “no longer a Witcher” he accepted the job, to the amazement of Regis. Soon after two knights approached Geralt regarding the succubus. They pleaded with him not to kill it, and promised him a large sum in a bank account. Afterwards Geralt claimed to Regis maybe they should remain in Toussaint a couple of weeks while Milva heals, and they may as well ensure their financial freedom while they are there.
As Geralt continued his account of events to the Chequered Knight, the Witcher decided it was time to ride back to Beauclair, but the knight persuaded Geralt to continue his tale. Geralt explained about the banquet the Duchess had invited them to, where Geralt had been placed sitting alongside Lady Fringilla. She revealed she was a sorceress after Geralt hinted at the matter, and was primarily in Toussaint due to the vast and extensive library. She explained to Geralt that as far as Nilfgaard was concerned, he has died in the fire of the druidesses. As for her intentions, she made them clear to Geralt when she squeezed his hand under the banquet table.
The morning after the banquet Geralt went to find Dandelion resting in the knights hall. Geralt requested three horses, for himself, Cahir, and Angoulême, as they planned to leave at once. It was late October and winter would be setting in soon. Dandelion was unimpressed, as he believed they would at least stay the winter. Geralt argued with him, and Dandelion proclaimed he would not be leaving as he loved the Duchess. He had set out on a reckless mission with Geralt, a hopeless one, to find something the Witcher loved. Now Dandelion had found what he loved, and was not willing to let it go.
Geralt made his way to the library, and there he found Fringilla. She was rooting through the books, and was going to help Geralt in understanding who his Ciri really was, what blood flowed through her veins. As Geralt explained what Dandelion had said regarding the Duchess, Fringilla questioned him on his thoughts of love. Before they knew it, the pair were locked in a loving embrace amidst the piles of books. They were alone in the library and made the most of it. And later in her chambers.
Once Geralt had finished the Gallop back to Beauclair he quietly entered the castle. He overheard his allies complaining about the place, that Toussaint had a spell over them. A bad feeling. Angoulême, Milva, Regis, and Cahir all agreed they needed to leave. Geralt backed away quietly before they noticed him. He headed straight for Fringilla's room. Later when she was alone, in a hidden chamber within the castle, she made a telecommunication with the ladies of the lodge. They questioned her on the Witcher, and if she could keep him distracted until May. Not that long, she thought, but for as long as she could.
Chapter 4
Sitting around a round oak table, ten sorceresses of the lodge were in discussion. Fringilla Vigo was regaling her tale of Geralt to the women, or how she had him under her spell in Toussaint. She explained how he would open up to her at night, but she could not find a way to get ride of his comrades, his group of Milva, Regis, Cahir, and Angoulême. Geralt was planning on meeting with a manager of a vineyward in Pomerol, but first he invested Fringilla to join himself and his group for breakfast.
The group ate their breakfast in the Palace kitchen, exchanging some words as they are. Once Geralt left, Fringilla discussed with the group how she didn’t want Geralt to leave. How she had done more for him than anybody, including fixing his leg, giving him another medallion, albeit not as good as his original, and helping him understand more about the lineage of Ciri than he ever dared understand before. She was unimpressed by the group, and their demeneour that Geralt would be leaving Toussaint sooner rather than later. Regis made it clear, Geralt would not allow himself be distracted from the real task at hand. That evening once Geralt returned from his visit to Pomerol, he roared at his companions to get ready as they would be riding out in an hour. Excited to finally be setting off once more, they rushed to pack and get ready. All bar Regis. He wanted an explanation first on what happened in Pomrerol to change Geralts mind on being in Toussaint.
Geralt encountered Alcides Fierabras, a man he chatted with at the inn with Reynart. They took to their steeds and set about on their journey to Pomerol. After questioning Fierabras about the various temples and ruins along the way, they arrived at the vineyards and Pomerol castle around noon. They rode on further to a smaller castle known as Zurbarrán. The pair stopped to eat after their journey, and Fierabras’ steward Szymon Gilka joined them. Gilka explained all he knew of the apparent monster, and once finished dining they set off to the cellars.
Geralt went down the cellars to search for the monster, going as deep as the old mining caverns below them. His new amulet did little to aid him, and as he ventured deeper into the old slate mine he saw a gremlin rush into an opening ahead. The floor gave way and he tumbled into a corridor filled with bones. Now the amulet was twitching ceaselessly, and proceeding forward he entered into an immense cavern with a stone bridge above a deep black pit. The amulet flashed and Geralt discovered a hidden niche, behind which was four enormous brass pipes with a chair in the middle. Geralt was in a surveillance post, and could hear voices through the pipes.
Stefan Skellen was having a secret meeting with other Nilfgaardians, certain that the abandoned mines of Toussaint were free of any eavesdroppers. Along with Skellen were the Grand Chancellor of the Crown, and the Marshall of Internal Affairs. They discussed Ciri, and their disdain for the Emhyr and his desire for her. The latest rumour was of her death, although unconfirmed. With Emhyr suspecting Skellen of betrayal and deception alongside Viglefortz in relation to the real Ciri, the men planned for his death. They wanted the crown for themselves. They discussed the means, and Skellen revealed that Viglefortz wanted to use his captive Yennifer as the assassin. She would do it as revenge for Ciri, apparently. To prove their trust in this assassination matter, Skellen revealed to the group where Viglefortz was hiding.
Infuriated, Geralt heard all he needed and began to make his way back out of the passage. At the stone bridge he was suddenly stopped by four creatures. They wished to kill Geralt, but the Witcher no longer cared for the contract after what he learned. Geralt explained he would leave them be if they let him leave. They told him to break his sword and they would let him pass. Geralt did, but the monsters jumped on him. Geralt slashed and hacked, getting a gash on his own head from their claws, but he defeated all four of them.
Regis was satisfied with Geralts tale, and rushed off to pack. Geralt went to get Roach from the stable, and encountered Fringilla there. She bickered to him, begged him to stay because she loved him, but knew he was leaving. She made love to him one more time, explained to him that Yennifer had never teamed up with Viglefortz or betrayed him, and in return Geralt told her where Viglefortz was hiding. Rhys-Rhun Citadel, in Nazair. This is what Fringilla told her council of sorceresses, and they hatched a plan to ambush Viglefortz before Geralt could get there.
Geralt and his company were on the outskirts of Beauclair readying to make haste, as Geralt was in discussion with the Chequered Knight. Reynart gave Geralt advice on his route through the mountains, and warned about certain dangers they could face. Suddenly a rider approached, it was Dendelion. He would not go with Geralt this time, but he did give the Witcher a pouch of coins as his contribution. The pair embraced, and Dandelion made Geralt promise he would bring Ciri to Toussaint after her rescue so Dandelion could hug her. Geralt promised, and in return gave Dandelion a letter which should find its way to Djikstra.
At Montecalvo Castle Phillipa was in discussions with the sorceresses from the council. Sabrina and Keira were leading the assault on Viglefortz castle, and would aim to take him alive. They watched the assault on the castle via a magical screen. Flashes emitted from within the castle, but all was now how it should be. Sabrina opened a telecommution with her sister sorceresses. On her camouflage the sorceresses looked fierce, but they were infuriated. The castle was empty, and had been for at least 50 years. They were ordered to return and tell the mercenaries it was just a test, and nothing more. Back at Montecalvo Castle the sorceresses understood what had happened. Geralt had lied to Fringilla, knowing he could not trust her.
To be continued.......
If you would like to check out my analysis on the World of the Witcher, please follow this link here: The Witcher
While if you wish to check out my review on the first book of short stories in the Witcher series, it is available here: The Witcher: The Last Wish
Finally if you want to see what I wrote about the second book of short stories from the Witcher, it is available here: The Witcher: The Sword of Destiny
The Witcher Saga
Book 1
The Witcher Saga - Blood of Elves - Part I
The Witcher Saga - Blood of Elves - Part II
The Witcher Saga - Blood of Elves - Part III
The Witcher Saga - Blood of Elves - Part IV
Book 2
The Witcher Saga - Time of Contempt - Part I
The Witcher Saga - Time of Contempt - Part II
The Witcher Saga - Time of Contempt - Part III
The Witcher Saga - Time of Contempt - Part IV
Book 3
The Witcher Saga - Baptism of Fire - Part I
The Witcher Saga - Baptism of Fire - Part II
The Witcher Saga - Baptism of Fire - Part III
The Witcher Saga - Baptism of Fire - Part IV
Book 4
The Witcher Saga - The Tower of the Swallow - Part I
The Witcher Saga - The Tower of the Swallow - Part II
The Witcher Saga - The Tower of the Swallow - Part III
The Witcher Saga - The Tower of the Swallow - Part IV
The Witcher Saga - The Tower of the Swallow - Part V
The Witcher Saga - The Tower of the Swallow - Part VI
Have a great day.
Peace. CryptoGod-1.
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