Alyssa

Hey, everyone! Welcome back from the break. I’m here with Cyprian discussing “A Question of Price” from Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish. When we left off, Geralt of Rivia attends a banquet in the Kingdom of Cintra at the request of Queen Calanthe. The witcher is told he’s there to ensure an alliance between Cintra and Skellige, and that Princess Pavetta marries the right man.

So, we're finally here learning about the destiny that Calanthe fears. The banquet is interrupted by Urcheon of Erlenwald, whose identity is completely concealed by armor until midnight. Still masked, the stranger presents his story: the late King Roegner of Cintra became lost while alone on a hunting trip. Urcheon rescued him, and as a reward, asked for “whatever the king had left at home without knowing or expecting it.” On the king’s return, Calanthe was unexpectedly in labor, making Urcheon’s reward Princess Pavetta herself.

There’s an uproar at this information, which is calmed by Coodcoodak, the Baron of Tigg. He explains the Law of Surprise to the crowd, which reveals children marked by Destiny, of which Geralt is one himself. After Geralt’s true identity and nature as a witcher is revealed to the guests, the guardhouse bell strikes announcing midnight.

We got a lot of information here, where Urcheon of Erlenwald comes into this banquet. Before the break, the stage was set. Geralt comes to Cintra. He meets Calanthe. Everybody tells him literally nothing. And, finally, we learn what Calanthe has feared this whole time, and it's this armored person.

CYPRIAN

Erlenwald. Like Erlenwald is, again, German. “Wald” is woods, forest. And “erlen” is just like – I think it's a kind of a tree. I'm not sure. I'm not that much into trees [Alyssa laughs] but, yeah. So, again, German influence. Isn't that weird? I mean he's just coming in in a full set of armor with the visor down. So, you can’t see his face. I mean, I have this picture in mind with somebody stepping into a bank with, like, a motorcycle helmet.

ALYSSA

Yeah.

CYPRIAN

How are the guards letting him in like that? Yeah. I mean sure they stripped away his weapons, probably, because he's unarmed as far as we know. But still, I mean medieval armor, like, plate armor, which he seems to be wearing is really tough. I mean you become a tank, right? So, even without weapons, you become the weapon. That's, that’s crazy that they let them in like that, especially in the throne room where there's the queen and everyone. The second thing that appears strange to me is King Roegner became lost while alone on a hunting trip. Hunting trips, that was a really widespread hobby around nobility.

ALYSSA

We need something to do. Let's just go outside and poke things.

CYPRIAN

Definitely. Definitely. Kings, noblemen, like, they just didn't ride out on their own. They had whole hunting parties with them. There were hunters in these parties and what they would do is they would track down wildlife and guide them into the line of fire of the noblemen. So, the nobility, the high society, didn't actually really do a lot of the hunting. They would get the wildlife presented in front of them and they would just shoot away.

ALYSSA

Oh, my god.

CYPRIAN

Yeah. I mean, come on, he’s a king, not a hunter. So, what's irritating about this is it says here that he was lost while alone on a hunting trip. Especially, people of the nobility, they didn’t–didn't go alone on hunting trips, because exactly of these things. It was too dangerous. So, that's… kind of weird that he was alone. I mean, I don't know. Maybe it was dark, and he lost his companions or whatever. And I'm not sure. It's, it's just weird in that context. But the king supposedly said to him, “Hey, I just got lost on the hunting trip, whatever. Can you help me? Blah, blah,” right? So, because the circumstances are so strange, could it be that he wasn't hunting? Like, he was doing something, something else, something naughty, or maybe he just got drunk at a tavern or something. I mean it's just strange. I guess we're just gonna have to roll with it.

ALYSSA

I know, Sapkowski doesn't provide a lot of reason for why the king ended up by himself other than he got lost and then ended up in a ditch basically. I think you're right. Like, Sapkowski does leave, like, a huge hole in why is this even happening in the first place. And he just kind of glazes over it in order to push along the plot.

CYPRIAN

Yeah.

ALYSSA

Before Urcheon actually presents the reason why he's here, he does weird out everyone by not taking off his armor or his visor. As you would have put it, “wearing a motorcycle mask in a bank” or something. He does tell the crowd, “My face must remain hidden for the time being with your permission.” And then he just kind of pushes it aside as a matter of "knight’s vows" that he can't reveal his face before midnight. We don't see this here, but we do see this in the very last book, Lady of the Lake, when Geralt is in—well, when he's in Beauclair! Where the podcast is named from. When he's in Toussaint, we do see a lot more of these knight’s vows then. But, at the moment, this isn't something that we've come across in the saga yet.

CYPRIAN

It's also, like, a weird vow to take. Why? It’s just–it's just so unusual. I mean—

ALYSSA

It sounds like he just uses it as an excuse in order to, kind of, get himself out of trouble. As a reader right now, we don't really know why yet, but Calanthe allows it. And, as he's telling everyone his story, Calanthe takes a small break to whisper command to a page who, puzzled, needs to have the command repeated before running off. And we're gonna find out eventually what she says to him. But, for the moment, it's a complete mystery to Geralt. He notes the page is puzzled, but he doesn't know what was said.

CYPRIAN

Which I mean is quite unfortunate, especially since he's a witcher and he, supposedly, has enhanced hearing and he's sitting right next to Calanthe. I mean, come on, if you're gonna pick up anything, like, pick up these little lines. It's kind of a blunder on Geralt's part.

ALYSSA

You're just sticking holes through the swiss cheese tonight, Cyprian.

CYPRIAN

I am. I am! But maybe that's why she had to repeat this command because she was [whispered] whispering.

ALYSSA

I mean, lovingly, critical of Sapkowski’s work, which we both adore. If not, we wouldn't be here. [They laugh]

Urcheon made the king promise whatever he had left at home without knowing or expecting it. So, Urcheon's demanded reward was to be the Princess Pavetta before she was even born. Everyone gets very upset, understandably, that they've made this whole journey and, suddenly, there's this person, this mysterious figure who won't even unveil his face to the crowd saying that he has this claim over the princess. And Coodcoodak steps up and says, “Actually, there's some validity to this.” He says:

[Reading] “Let us not pretend that we’ve never heard of such requests, of the Law of Surprise, as old as humanity itself. Of the price, a man who saves another can demand, of the granting of a seemingly impossible wish. ‘You will give me the first thing that comes to greet you.’ It might be a dog, you’ll say, or a halberdier at the gate, or even a mother-in-law impatient to holler at her son-in-law when he returns home. Or, ‘you’ll give me what you find at home yet don’t expect.’ After a long journey, honorable gentlemen, and an unexpected return, this could be a lover in the wife’s bed. But sometimes it’s a child. A child marked out by destiny.”

Coodcoodak goes into this huge long exposition about what this means, about all these examples of children marked out by destiny. This exposition is still met with an uproar. Geralt, here, says:

[Reading] “Everyone heard Baron Tigg tell us about the famous heroes taken from their parents on the strength of the same oath that Urcheon received from the King. But why should anyone want such an oath? You know the answer, Urcheon. It creates a powerful, indissoluble tie of destiny between the person demanding the oath and its object, the child-surprise. Such a child, marked by blind fate, can be destined for extraordinary things. It can play an incredibly important role in the life of the person to whom fate has tied it.”

And Geralt continues saying that Roegner knew the power of the Law of Surprise and the gravity of the oath he took. And he took it because he knew law and custom have a power which protects such oaths, ensuring they are only fulfilled when the force of destiny confirms them.

[Reading] “I declare, Urcheon, that you have no right to the princess as yet. You will win her only when the princess herself agrees to leave with you. This is what the Law of Surprise states. It is the child, not the parent’s consent which confirms the oath, which proves that the child was born under the shadow of destiny.”

Urcheon asks, “Who are you?” And Geralt—he’s been masquerading as the Lord of Fourhorn for this whole time—unveils himself as Geralt of Rivia. Urcheon asks, “Who are you, Geralt of Rivia, to claim to be an oracle in matters of laws and customs?” Mousesack cuts in and says:

[Reading] “He knows this law better than anyone else because it applied to him once. He was taken from his home because he was what his father hadn’t expected to find on his return. Because he was destined for other things. And by the power of destiny he became what he is.”

Urcheon asks, ”And what is he?” And he's told that Geralt is a witcher.

We're gonna get to what that means for Urcheon. But you and I, Cyprian, have a lot to unpack about the Law of Surprise.

CYPRIAN

This is, I mean, maybe the single most important thing in the short stories, in the whole saga, I mean, without the Law of Surprise… a lot of things wouldn't happen.

ALYSSA

Super cryptic.

CYPRIAN

Let's just put it that way. Let's just address the first thing: why would anyone take this over normal payment? I'm just going to go on a limb here, right, and say, most of the time, the guy who owes you something… his wife isn't expecting a child. Okay.?

ALYSSA

Yeah.

CYPRIAN

And this is just such an uncertain request. If there's no child, I mean you pretty much go empty-handed. It's a gamble, pretty much. And only one worth doing if you believe in destiny. I don't know. I guess most people don't. Well, I think I'd rather have the coin.

ALYSSA

More often than not, I would imagine nothing comes of this request and only sometimes does a child of destiny appear under certain circumstances. And it's applied here that the Law of Surprise really comes down to life debt, right?

CYPRIAN

Yes. Yes. You save somebody's life, you'll get his child's life, I guess. Well, yes, it says here the child needs to consent to it, which is great.

ALYSSA

Right.

CYPRIAN

I like that. [But] it's a decision you can’t entrust to a child.

ALYSSA

But I'd imagine that the child of destiny would just come about very naturally and very organically if destiny was to be fulfilled.

CYPRIAN

Yeah, you're right. That's kind of implied here. If it's destiny and it's supposed to happen, then it's just meant to be. Again, you have to believe in destiny. Moreover, you have to believe that you have some kind of destiny with some child, which isn't even born yet. It's just so vague. It's kind of hard to wrap your head around it.

ALYSSA

Do you think having a belief in destiny is required for invoking this? You know, from everything that’s said, it sounds like it does. But we hear repeatedly, Geralt doesn't believe in this, even though he is a child of destiny himself. But he kind of says repeatedly throughout the short stories and throughout the series, “I spit on destiny,” basically. He seems to see himself as a realist—whether or not he actually is is up for debate, but he seems to at least pretend to be a realist.

CYPRIAN

That's a very interesting point. Yeah. If it's necessary to believe in destiny because it may very well be that you don't have to believe in it and it just happens. It's an interesting concept. Your guess is as good as mine. So—

ALYSSA

You actually did a little bit of research about the concept of the Law of Surprise in our own world, right?

CYPRIAN

Yes. I mean, research might be a little–a little overstatement. But I was just curious, because—

ALYSSA

You looked into it, right?

CYPRIAN

A bit. A bit. Yeah. I was just so intrigued, again, by this whole idea of this Law of Surprise. To me personally, it's just ludicrous. I had to look up if there's actually some real-life equivalent to it if this maybe has some kind of basis in history like many things in the Witcher universe. And the only thing I managed to find is a small note on actually, The Witcher Wiki, which said that this is based in Slavic mythology that the Law of Surprise was a form of payment for the devil’s services, which is very interesting for a couple of reasons. If you leave all this destiny things aside, it's fitting that it's a payment for the devil’s services. Maybe it's not your soul. You're just giving away your child, which is—it may very well be worse. But, on the other hand… I'm not an expert on Slavic mythology, but I know a bit. As far as I am concerned, there is actually no devil-like figure in Slavic mythology, especially not the devil as there is.

ALYSSA

In, like, Christianity, right? Compared to the [Christian] idea of the devil.

CYPRIAN

Yes, exactly. Because there was no devil figure in Slavic mythology. There were a lot of gods, half-gods. You could compare it to Greek mythology in that regard. Once Christianity was introduced into Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe, with Christianity, came the idea of a devil. But there was no, like, devil in Slavic mythology. So, I'm not sure where this reference is coming from exactly? I haven’t managed to find anything else. Maybe, at a later point, I'll, I'll get a quick update in our subreddit or something. I will let you all know. Again, pretty interesting, but not as conclusive as I would like.

ALYSSA

I mean I would have just assumed that this was something that Sapkowski made up, especially because of how much of a role it eventually ends up playing in the Witcher universe. But it's really interesting to hear from you that there's even a adjacent historical background on this.

CYPRIAN

Supposedly. Or, maybe some of you guys know some more information on that.

ALYSSA

Yeah!

CYPRIAN

Let us know. I mean I'm, I'm really curious. Like genuinely.

ALYSSA

Yeah. So, if our international hanza has a few words on it, write to us. The Law of Surprise is something that we're gonna revisit throughout the short stories and throughout the saga. But, for the moment, we get a small introduction to it here.

CYPRIAN

One other thing: it might sound silly, but what jurisdiction is it belonging to? Like, what is this law based on? Like, it looks like it's a universal law of some sort. But this is just a law. Like, what law? Like, who decides that and when? Is this a magic law? Is it just a law of nature? Like—

ALYSSA

Oh, my god. So much with the swiss cheese, Cyprian. Just poking holes in Sapkowski left and right. I think this is definitely a, like, “not behind the curtain” moment for, for Sapkowski. [This is a Wizard of Oz reference]

CYPRIAN

Okay. Like, listen, Andrzej, okay? I need more context here. Okay? I mean, come on. No. But, in all seriousness, I'm just, like, where does this come from? Like, why do we have to adhere to the law? Like, where does this come from?

ALYSSA

So, from this discussion, we just know that Sapkowski made a bunch of shit up. And, as illogical as some of it is, we're just gonna roll with it, because it plays such a large part in the rest of the saga.

Geralt is unveiled to the entire crowd in this banquet hall as Geralt of Rivia, a witcher. As soon as this happens, we hear the bell from the guardhouse signal midnight. And everybody kind of gets a little uneasy, because Urcheon has told them he has to remain hidden until midnight. Supposedly, it's midnight and he removes his helmet and visor, revealing a monster’s head beneath it. And he completely shocks the banquet guests. With his form revealed, Calanthe asks Princess Pavetta if she wants to go with the creature and Pavetta says, “Yes.” There's a moment of silent astonishment and the entire hall breaks out into a brawl with the Witcher running to defend Urcheon. Pavetta suddenly throws the whole room into a frenzy using uncontrolled raw magic. Geralt and Mousesack, with the unexpected aid of the Baron of Tigg, subdue the princess. There's so much here.

CYPRIAN

Yes. Okay. Well.

ALYSSA

We could probably start with the description of Urcheon now that he's got his helmet off. His big ol’ motorcycle helmet. This description that Sapkowski gives here. Urcheon takes off his helmet and:

[Reading] […] above the wide, semi-circular breastplate, two bulbous black, button eyes looked out. Eyes set to either side of a blunt, elongated muzzle covered in reddish bristles and full of sharp white fangs. Urcheon’s head and neck bristled with a brush of short gray, twitching prickles.

Cyprian, you have. like. a very small funny note about Urcheon.

CYPRIAN

Yes, because, again, that's quite interesting, the differences between Polish into English version. Because, in the Polish version, he’s called “Jeż”, which is Polish for hedgehog. Just literally hedgehog. In Polish, It's not that strange, because there's actually a Polish name which Jeży, which is pretty much the same. Just one letter added at the back. But, on that note, that's why I was intrigued by this name. Like, Urcheon, like, where does it come from? Like, I can’t imagine where it's come from because being called hedgehog, like, as a name in English sounds quite strange even to me, not a native speaker.

ALYSSA

Yeah.

CYPRIAN

I can understand why they didn’t [choose] that. But, actually, it turns out Urcheon [ur-che-on] or Urcheon [ur-kee-on]—I'm not sure on the pronunciation—is a Middle English term for hedgehog. So, the translation is actually spot on, which is quite interesting, I mean. And I think it fits his description quite well, doesn't it?

ALYSSA

It was sort of like a subtle unmasking if he just kind of tells the room, like, “I'm a hedgehog!” without having actually unveiled himself. And then he takes off his mask. And then everyone's like, “Ugh… I mean, I guess?”

CYPRIAN

Yeah, the name fits the description.

ALYSSA

Everyone understandably freaks out at this being that's in the middle of this royal hall. Calanthe has a look of success. And she asks Pavetta, “You see the person who's laying claim on you. Do you want to go with him?” And Pavetta says, “Yes,” which throws the entire hall into a frenzy. Calanthe calls for the guards. They start going out for Urcheon's blood. Geralt immediately goes to defend Urcheon. Eist Tuirseach throws a chair down, smashes it, and starts shanking people left and right. And it's an absolute wildfire. Doesn't the skald smack Crach an Craite, like, with the bagpipes and just knock him out? Like, it's a wild, wild scene.

CYPRIAN

I think so. And, while doing so he shouts, “World star!” [Alyssa laughs] I mean --

ALYSSA

The hall here just turns into absolute WWE madness. [Cyprian laughs] It is insane. This is not befitting of the throne room in Cintra. And, to everyone's surprise, Pavetta enters the fray with uncontrolled magic. Furniture starts flying everywhere. Calanthe’s throne, with her in it, flies across the room.

CYPRIAN

It's crazy.

ALYSSA

This is the first time that we're seeing something supernatural like Pavetta. We had Nevillen in “A Grain of Truth”, who kind of seems to be like what Urcheon is. This humanoid beast thing, but we haven't seen anything quite like Pavetta. She's suspended in the room throwing out this swirling force.

CYPRIAN

I think it's important to emphasize that, during this whole mess, Urcheon gets stabbed despite his armor. But, only once Urcheon gets stabbed, Pavetta goes mental. As it appears, the trigger for this whole shit show. So, yeah, I just thought this would be an important point to keep in mind, people, for later on.

ALYSSA

Yeah, for sure. Geralt and Mousesack together with the magic that they have between the druid and the Witcher try to subdue Pavetta. And the thing that actually distracts her is the Baron of Tigg, Coodcoodak. We haven't really talked about it. But, through the whole entire story, he's making animal noises, which is how he got his nickname, Coodcoodak. They get increasingly bizarre as the story goes on. At this specific moment, he's found the skald’s bagpipe. And he just screams into them and, for whatever reason, this is enough to distract Pavetta. And, when she's distracted by whatever the hell kind of noises are coming out of this bagpipe, that's when the Witcher and Mousesack hit her again.

CYPRIAN

Behold the power of the Scottish bagpipes.

ALYSSA

[Laughs] It is–it is a very worthy, worthy opponent.

CYPRIAN

Right. Right. I mean damn. Again, this is a mess. Everyone was just really puzzled I imagine, not only because of their concussion. Okay. Let's just break this down. You have a talking humanoid hedgehog. The princess has just gone completely mental.

ALYSSA

She just went supernatural.

CYPRIAN

She just went Super Saiyan. Yeah. Another crossover. That's an interesting situation.

ALYSSA

By the time everything calms down and Pavetta is subdued, we have Calanthe who'd been thrown across the room with Eist from Skellige coddling over her. I think there might be a guard or two, who is dead. Geralt, I think, cut one across the temple. The room is in shambles. There are people everywhere. Geralt and Mousesack go over to the queen and start assessing the damage.

Okay. I want to address this. After everything sets down, Pavetta kind of brushes off the guards that are coming over to aid her and she walks over to Urcheon. In the English translation it says, Mousesack snorted. He says, “The youth of today they start early. They've only got one thing on their minds.” And Geralt says, “What's that?” Mousesack says, “Didn’t you know, witcher, that a virgin, one who’s untouched, wouldn’t be able to use the force?”

I, I just hate this so much as a concept. I feel like, as a society, we just need to stop vilifying the loss of virginity and praising the preservation of it. And I just hate things like this that talk about, like, virgins having magical powers, whether that's, you know, virgins and unicorns or loss of virginity and the ability to tap into this magical force that's out there. I just think it's so ridiculous.

CYPRIAN

I'm with you on that point. And I don't want to say that it's not a big deal, losing a virginity, because—

ALYSSA

Yeah.

CYPRIAN

—it surely is. I mean it's, it's something special. Like, without going into sex ed or something. Like, but, um.

ALYSSA

That's exactly why people are listening to our podcast.

CYPRIAN

Again, people, if you still have it, that's fine. If you want to lose it, just make sure it's with someone you trust, someone you love. You don't have to marry them in my eyes, but, if you want to, that's fine, too. I mean to each their own.

ALYSSA

Like, for me personally, I think it's definitely up to that individual person. I just find it so bizarre in a literary context, in a cultural context that we would demonize people either way, whether they keep it or whether they lose it. And I just–I feel like we shouldn't be perpetuating this fascination with virginity. I mean, granted, you know, this was–this was written quite a while ago.

CYPRIAN

Right. Right. I mean, but look, generally speaking, during the Middle Ages, it was quite of a big deal, especially for nobility and noble marriages. I mean it was expected that the princess was untouched. Okay. I–I just think, what you do with your partner, that's your thing. I really, really couldn't care less what you do. As long as, like, you have everyone's consent and everyone likes it, do whatever the hell you want. And I think this is just the healthiest way of going about it.

ALYSSA

As much as I don't like the argument about “you can have superpowers or not have superpowers if you're a virgin”, it does end up being important to the story, the loss of Pavetta’s virginity, which we’re gonna find out in a bit.

Mousesack and Geralt calm the princess. She wanders over to Urcheon. We see him transform back. He turns into a man. And everyone is confused, except for Pavetta, who calls him Duny. And the Witcher figures out that Calanthe's order to the page earlier had been to ring the bell earlier.

At the end of Part II, Calanthe summons everybody to her chambers, which takes us to part III: In her chambers, Urcheon or Duny, as Pavetta calls him, tells the Queen and her escort about the curse that had been placed on him. Calanthe announces a marriage between herself and Eist of Skellige and allows Pavetta and Duny to stay in Cintra. She asks Mousesack to remain in Cintra as Pavetta’s teacher. As dawn breaks, the queen is surprised to see Duny unchanged. Mousesack and Geralt reveal that Calanthe’s acceptance of Duny and her gift of Pavetta to him broke his curse. Duny tells Geralt that he is in debt to the witcher and promises the Witcher anything. Geralt asks Duny for what he already has, but does not know. And Pavetta, blushing, tells her mother and future husband about her pregnancy.

CYPRIAN

So, here we are again.

ALYSSA

Yeah. So, here we are. And we have kind of a full circle on this concept of the Law of Surprise in this conclusion to the short story, “A Question of Price”.

CYPRIAN

Right. You're right. We're coming full circle with the Law of Surprise. Um, wow, this introduces a lot of things. I mean, first off, Calanthe's wish was granted. Yeah. She has the alliance, not by her daughter's marriage, but through other means. So, hooray!

ALYSSA

The two requirements that she asked of Geralt were to ensure an alliance with Skellige and to make sure that her daughter marries the right man. Both of these things ended up coming true with her own upcoming marriage to Eist of Skellige and also Pavetta marrying the "right man," which is Duny or Urcheon in this case.

CYPRIAN

How lovely.

ALYSSA

And, as she's working through this monologue of acceptance, dawn breaks and Calanthe is surprised to see that Duny is unchanged, he hasn't changed back into his Urcheon/hedgehog form. And Geralt and Mousesack just kind of laugh at her, because they realize the moment that this curse had broken on Duny. And it was when Calanthe said, like, “I'm giving you Pavetta and we'll call it quits.” It's very casual. And just that little thing is what the Witcher and the druid say breaks that curse for him.

CYPRIAN

Turn out better than everyone hoped for, right? I mean pretty much everyone got what they–what they wanted, except for the four people who ended up dead.

ALYSSA

Whoops.

CYPRIAN

We're just gonna glaze over that.

ALYSSA

I mean we can get into fatalism and the role of fatalism and destiny. And did those people have to die for this whole thing to come true? I don't know. That's a lot to unpack.

CYPRIAN

Maybe another time. Yeah.

ALYSSA

Another time. We can get into some crazy philosophical and metaphysical stuff.

CYPRIAN

Oh, yeah.

ALYSSA

At this point, everyone kind of turns to Geralt. Again, we see Geralt in all these sorts of situations where everyone seems to enjoy his company, whether he's done something for them or something's happened. Calanthe turns to him and says, like, “Thank you for ensuring these tasks have been completed. And thank you for ensuring these outcomes. What do I owe you?” And she takes off this enormous emerald necklace.

And then Duny steps up. And he says, “I owe you my life. Without you, I surely would have died in that banquet hall.” He says I can give you anything.”

Geralt freezes. And I imagine this being very cartoonish when I think about it, but Geralt turns to him and says, “A witcher that has that question asked to him needs to have it asked again.” And Duny doubles down and says, like, “No, anything you want.” Geralt says:

[Reading] “Duny, Calanthe, Pavetta and you, righteous Knight Tuirseach, future King of Cintra, in order to become a witcher, you have to be born in the shadow of destiny, and very few are born like that. That’s why there are so few of us. We’re growing old, dying, without anyone to pass our knowledge, our gifts onto. We lack successors. And this world is full of evil, which waits for the day none of us are left.”

Calanthe whispers, “Geralt,” realizing what's about to happen. Geralt says, “Yes. You’re not wrong, Queen. Duny! You will give me that which you already have but do not know. I’ll return to Cintra in six years to see if destiny has been kind to me.” And the chapter closes with the princess lowering her eyes and blushing.

CYPRIAN

Oh, my god. Oh.

ALYSSA

Where are we picking our bones here?

CYPRIAN

Shit's getting crazy and crazier. Well, I think it's safe to assume that she is indeed pregnant.

ALYSSA

Yeah. So, Pavetta here is pregnant. We've come full circle from being introduced to the Law of Surprise to seeing it invoked at the very end with Geralt.

CYPRIAN

Okay. This is very interesting, because why did Geralt say that? And, of course, yes, you could argue “destiny”. [He] just knew to ask. But let's just put that to the side. Why would he say that? What could be his reasons? Why didn't he just ask for money or whatever?

ALYSSA

I’d imagine it could be a few things. They've just been talking about it so much that it's just top of mind for Geralt to be like, “Oh, yeah, this is a thing that exists. Uh, let's ask for this reward.” But I think, on top of that, I think he's just so familiar with the Law of Surprise that there are all these things in place for him to ask. He, actually, he brings this up to Calanthe very, very early on. And it's obvious in a second read, but it's not obvious on the first. Calanthe tells him, “If you ensure these results, I'll give you anything that you want.” And Geralt freezes. And this is maybe only a third of the way into the story. And this is the first time that this concept comes up or that we see Geralt question this twice. And then, at the very end, again, we see Duny. Duny, again, doubles down on his offer that he'll give Geralt anything that he wants. And, again, Geralt says, “I'll need to ask you again.” I think it might just be the phrasing. Like, “I'll give you anything.” I think that has something to do with it, because both times that's what triggers Geralt to actually take a step back and be, like, “Hold on. There's an opportunity here.”

CYPRIAN

Right. Right. On the one hand, why would he engage in this gamble? Because surely he doesn't know that Pavetta is pregnant. I mean how, how could he know?

ALYSSA

I wonder if he does though. I wonder if he's, like, witcher senses are tingling and he just knows.

CYPRIAN

That would be quite interesting.

ALYSSA

Either that or he and Mousesack realized.

CYPRIAN

Maybe. Maybe. But we don't have any info on that. But the concept of why we want a child instead of money, I mean he could surely use it. And what baffles me is it’s quite cruel. Again, you're taking these children out of their homes, put them through, basically, torture with all these experiments. And Geralt knows what life as a Witcher is like. It's not pleasant. If you disregard destiny, at least in my eyes, that decision doesn't really make a lot of sense, unless, he knows that Pavetta is pregnant for sure and he really wants an apprentice.

ALYSSA

As we see Geralt repeatedly, throughout the short stories up until this point, he's very opportunistic. In the very first short story, we see this in “The Witcher”, when Ostrit just kind of shows up and Geralt uses him as bait because he's there. I think it's just him not really having anything to lose to be honest by asking for this. If destiny isn't on his side, then nothing will come of it. But, if it is, there's quite a bit to gain.

CYPRIAN

That's true. That's a good point you mentioned actually. He really doesn't have anything to lose, because of the fact that he pretty much already got paid, right, by Calanthe.

ALYSSA

Yeah. I mean Calanthe gave him a freaking huge reward in terms of her necklace—

CYPRIAN

Yeah.

ALYSSA

—which it notes very early on in the short story that the smallest emeralds in that necklace is the size of a very large bumblebee or something like that. So, it's a very hefty reward for the work that Geralt did tonight, which… is arguable.

CYPRIAN

Right. But then, again, the fate of the whole kingdom? Coin well spent.

ALYSSA

Maybe a part of it is that Geralt looks at Duny, and he's just, like, “So, you broke. What have you got?” Like, that might be part of it, too. Like, we don't know anything about Duny's backstory, aside from his curse. So, it could just be Geralt being like, “If I'm gonna cop something from this kid, it's probably gonna be his own kid.”

CYPRIAN

Although, no, I'm not quite sure. Wasn't it mentioned that he was nobility as well?

ALYSSA

He does mention that he is from some sort of royal dynasty, but it doesn't seem like he's returning to his homeland.

CYPRIAN

That's true. He was traveling a lot. And, after that, even alone. It doesn't seem like he's really in touch with his fiefdom or whatever.

ALYSSA

Yeah. We have no insight into his backstory at all.

CYPRIAN

Arguable.

ALYSSA

Spoilers!

CYPRIAN

Stay tuned.

ALYSSA

So, we don't totally know what motivates Geralt in this specific moment and what he values that is going to bring him to evoke this Law of Surprise, but we do know that there is now a child involved in it, even though we don't yet know the outcome.

CYPRIAN

Yeah.

ALYSSA

Which sets us up for the whole entire saga.

CYPRIAN

Oh, yeah. This is a very interesting and important story.

ALYSSA

Yeah. It is very important. And thank you for being a part of it, Cyprian.

CYPRIAN

Yeah. It was a pleasure.

ALYSSA

Before we pop up, what do you think the moral of the story was?

CYPRIAN

I think there's two lessons to the story. One, you could argue, especially with this last part, destiny, apparently, is a thing. And things are just gonna happen. Like, if something is supposed to happen, then it will. There's not much you can do about it. If you believe in destiny or maybe you believe in God, that's something you can identify with. Maybe the whole concept of “God has a plan for everyone.” We don't know it, but we'll know in time. Also, regarding the figure of Geralt, Calanthe has a plan.

ALYSSA

Yeah.

CYPRIAN

But Geralt doesn't know anything of it. But it just plays out and plays out pretty well in the end.

ALYSSA

And, as a follow-up, do you agree with Queen Calanthe that everyone can be bought and it's only a question of price? Is payment worth abandoning your own morality?

CYPRIAN

I would like to think not, but that may be just wishful thinking, you know? I think we would all agree on that. We all view ourselves as very noble. That's good. I hope everyone's thinking that. However, you don't really know how you would react if you would be presented, like, an ungodly amount of money or something else you desire. It could be argued that everyone has a trigger of some sort. Maybe, in some cases, it's power. In another case, it's money. In another case, it may be your life or the life of someone you love. It's difficult. Everyone would like to think of themselves as unshakable in their morals. But, um, that's probably, to an extent, not true. You can't really say with certainty how you would react if you will be presented with such a situation. Mhmm. Maybe some thoughts on your side?

ALYSSA

Yeah. I know that there's a quote somewhere. Oh, it's–wait, It's one of the Stoics. I mean I'm paraphrasing. But one of the stoics [Epictetus] has a quote about, you know, whatever price you choose to sell your soul at, make sure it's the right price, which is very applicable to the idea that Calanthe proposes here. I would probably argue here in favor of her point. You know, I would say that the things that everyone values are quite different. And I would infer that everyone sets the price for their own morality and their own services. And it's gonna be different for everyone. And it doesn't necessarily have to be selling out. You know, it could be for value. You know, I don't think that she's necessarily wrong here in that everybody has some sort of price.

CYPRIAN

Sure. I mean it's hard to argue against. There’s always something, right? Either something someone desires or something someone fears.

ALYSSA

Yeah, that's a good point.

CYPRIAN

We could sit here for another three hours and discuss it more thoroughly. Midnight thoughts.

ALYSSA

But it's 1:00AM for you.

CYPRIAN

It is in Berlin right now. Yeah.

ALYSSA

Cyprian and I have been on the phone for four hours now.

CYPRIAN

But it's been lovely. I've enjoyed it.

ALYSSA

Yeah! You know, over the course of these two episodes, we've gotten to unpack such a huge volume of Geralt's values and his morality, like you said. We see a lot of him in The Lesser Evil, where we understand where his views on neutrality stem from. And then we also see him here in this huge, huge, huge plot point about the Law of Surprise and his very first brush with destiny in a way that will be incredibly relevant for the rest of the series. And I'm very glad that you were here to be able to join me for it. And I guess we're gonna see if he gets that return on his investment in six years in Cintra.

CYPRIAN

Oh, yeah. That's gonna be one interesting episode. I can tell you that, folks.

ALYSSA

Yep. It's gonna be a while before we get there, but I promise it'll be a good one.

CYPRIAN

That's true. That's true. Hey, but even better for everyone else, right? More awesome content coming up.

ALYSSA

Fingers crossed that I don't just keel over and die before that happens.

CYPRIAN

That's true. We got to protect you right now like George R. R. Martin. You cannot die before you finish this. Like, you've committed.

ALYSSA

Oh, this is it. I think that takes us to the end of our–of this episode.

CYPRIAN

Yeah.

ALYSSA

Yeah?

CYPRIAN

Finally.

ALYSSA

Finally! It is–it is officially 1:00 in the morning for you in Berlin.

CYPRIAN

It is. it is.

ALYSSA

And this takes us to the end of our episode. So, that is it for our show today. Cyprian, thank you so much for joining us for this episode— for these last two episodes actually—and thank you to our community for listening.

CYPRIAN

Thanks for having me.

ALYSSA

Yeah, of course. It's been such a pleasure having you. You have just been an absolute rockstar in this community and in this hanza. I'm really grateful that we got to meet through it. If any of you listeners want to connect with Cyprian, he is on Instagram. You can find him probably in the comments of GoodMorhen or Breakfast in Beauclair, as well as in our subreddit, which is called r/thehanza because I got that name.

CYPRIAN

I love what you're doing, and this podcast is just–I mean it's a really good idea. I was wondering actually that nobody has done anything like this before. But, hey, more power to you.

ALYSSA

Fingers crossed it keeps going up from here.

CYPRIAN

Well, again, it's been a pleasure talking Witcher with you and, um… I'm going to go to sleep.

ALYSSA

Next episode, we're going to come back to New Jersey for a conversation with our friend Oleg to learn how Geralt met his very best bard friend in the next short story from Last Wish, “The Edge of the World.”