Work Text:
Geralt and Ciri climb up the mountain to Kaer Morhen, and Geralt explains to her that it's where they winter, like in the episode. She expresses worry about safety, thinking back to the Bruxa attack and season 1.
Upon arriving, they catch up, there are introductions of Ciri to everyone, we actually get names to faces of people like Lambert, Vesimer, and Cohn. After catching up, they head to bed. A comment is made about Eskel not being back yet, but should arrive before the snow blocks the trail.
Ciri has a nightmare about Cintra, the Bruxa, season 1 events, and is reminded of her grandmothers advice to keep her sword close, and the next morning approaches Geralt wanting to learn to fight, but Geralt refuses.
We get some content showing how Witchers are truly able to relax of the path here, and some exposition about the different types of witchers, and perhaps about the attack on Kaer Morhen and why its a crumbling ruin, explained to Ciri.
Ciri continues to push for sword training, and some of the others begin to train her in the basics without Geralt knowing- footwork, proper sword grip, simple exercises. Through this, we get to know Lambert and some of the others a bit better.
News arrives (perhaps another witcher arrives?) about Eskel falling in battle to a Leshen, and they mourn. We get the memory from episode 3, showing how close Geralt and Eskel were. IMPORTANTLY, Eskel's body was not recovered.
Geralt finds out about the sword training, and him and Ciri have a heart to heart about her feeling unsafe, even here, and needing to protect herself, and Geralt agrees, thinking about Eskel (perhaps another flashback of the two training, and the importance of skill on the path?) and the Bruxa, and how the current plan is "get on Roach and run away" without any ability to fight
This lines up with the start of episode 3, where Ciri has some sword skill, but not a lot, AND allows an opening for discovering the mutated Leshen later that episode, perhaps with one of Eskel's swords or medallion being found. If we wanna fight the Leshen witcher creature, it can be the witcher who brought the news of Eskel's fate.
(No body also leaves the option open that Eskel survived)