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They had just managed to clear the most dangerous part of the trail down the mountain when Vesemir called for a camp. Usually, none of them would have stopped so soon, but he had noticed the way Ciri was struggling and didn’t want to push the girl too much. As he delegated his boys to different tasks around the camp and Ciri to sit down and rest, he got a feeling of being watched. It was a feeling he had learned never to ignore but, when he looked around and listened carefully, he couldn’t notice anything. And, with the feeling disappearing very shortly after, he forced himself to relax a bit. They were in a forest. There were animals everywhere. He was being paranoid. Especially since the others didn’t seem to notice anything. The camp was set up swiftly and, by the time the sun had gone down, they were all sitting around the fire. Ciri was curled up in her own as well as Geralt’s cloaks, just her head sticking out from the bundle of clothes. As soon as she had finished eating, Geralt sent her to sleep. Any other day, the girl would have protested, but she seemed too worn out by the trip to do that. The rest of them stayed up a while longer, before going to their bedrolls one by one. In the end, Vesemir was the only one left awake. The first half of the night went by quietly, only a few birds disturbing the silence. Vesemir was in the middle of meditating, when he suddenly got the sense of being watched again. His eyes snapped open at the same time as one of the sleeping witchers sat up. Their eyes met Vesemir's and he had to force himself to not react. He was still unsure around Aiden, letting the Cat stay only for Lambert’s sake. He had been very hesitant about allowing him into Kaer Morhen, but didn’t protest when he realized that he wouldn’t have Lambert without Aiden. Very slowly, the younger witcher stood up and crept over to Vesemir, his stealth and grace far beyond anything any of his Wolves could accomplish. He crouched down a few steps away from him, keeping his body language open and non-threatening. Vesemir could appreciate the way he was trying to get them all to accept him.
“You can sense it too, right?”
Vesemir frowned.
“Sense it?”
“The presence. That thing that’s circling us.”
The old witcher stared at him for so long that the Cat’s shoulders tensed up.
“How did you notice it and not the others?”
Aiden’s shoulders relaxed.
“We Cats may not be as strong or ‘human’ as you Wolves, but we are more sensitive to the magic around us and how nature responds to it. And our senses are stronger than yours or a Griffin’s. Whatever it is that’s following us, is not a threat. I think it might even be trying to protect us. But I don’t know why it’s keeping away from us like that if it’s not here to hurt us.”
Vesemir considered it for a moment, before nodding.
“Even with your enhanced senses, I would have hoped that one of my Wolves would have noticed it. It showed up when we were setting up camp. They could at least have… What?”
He cut himself off when he noticed the look Aiden was giving him. The Cat seemed confused, his head tilted and his eyes wide.
“It’s been following us since we left Kaer Morhen. I think the only reason it never came inside the fortress was because it was scared of being trapped there.”
“It’s been here all this time? Why didn’t you say anything?”
The Cat made a slightly wounded sound at his angry voice and he forced himself to calm down. An emotional Cat was the last thing he needed right now.
“Settle, Aiden. Settle.”
The Cat took a deep breath and then nodded.
“Sorry. I didn’t see him as a threat. He seemed to keep the other things in the forest at bay, so I let him.”
Vesemir sighed heavily and leaned harder against the tree he was sitting under.
“Alright. Go back to sleep. And keep your ears open since I think those four would let themselves get killed in their sleep.”
He let some disappointment creep into his voice and the Cat squirmed a bit, before hurrying back to his bedroll. Vesemir almost sighed. He was so mentally tired after just the winter with the Cat and doing all he could to not let him get too emotional that he couldn’t understand how Guxart was dealing with it year round. As Aiden’s breathing evened out, Vesemir stood up and stepped out of the camp, walking a bit into the forest. He felt the presence shift slightly, moving further and further away from where they were.
“I know you heard us.”
The presence stopped, before it seemed to move a bit closer to him. He felt warmth and calmness wash over him, before it backed off again.
“Just don’t try anything, and we won’t have a reason to hurt you.”
Very slowly, the presence moved closer again, swirling around just out of reach. After giving it a small nod, Vesemir headed back to the camp. The rest of the night was spent in silence, the presence swirling around on the edges of the camp a few times, Aiden waking up every time only to immediately go back to sleep. The next day was spent on making it down the mountain and, by the time the sun was setting, they managed to get to the forest at the base of it. As they were setting up camp, everyone suddenly stopped when they heard footsteps nearing. All of them started sniffing the air, Geralt freezing when he got the scent. Seconds later, a young man burst into their camp, clearly winded from running so fast. He tripped over a pack Lambert had left on the ground and would have fallen over had it not been for Geralt jumping forward and catching him.
“Jaskier?”
Blue eyes looked up at him and a hesitant smile appeared on the young man’s face.
“Hi, Geralt.”
Then he suddenly stepped away from him, his eyes widening.
“Geralt. Nilfgaard is in the village we usually meet in. Just spies as far as I know. I know you might not want to see me, but I needed you to know. You need to…”
“Dandelion!”
Ciri darted around Coën and Eskel, who both tried to grab her, and barreled straight into Geralt and the young man who they were quickly realizing must be the famous Jaskier Geralt had talked about. Jaskier spread his arms and grabbed the girl into a tight hug.
“My dove. I am so happy you are alright.”
Geralt looked at them with surprise.
“You two know each other?”
Jaskier looked up at him, an odd look appearing on his face. But, before he could answer, Ciri pulled away from him and turned to Geralt.
“This is Dandelion. He used to come to my birthday every year. He’d sing for me and for the year to come.”
As Geralt looked guilty, Vesemir quickly looked at Aiden. The Cat was staring at Jaskier with surprise and confusion. So he was right. He turned back to Geralt when the man started talking.
“Jaskier, I…”
“Don’t. I understand. I’m here for Ciri. I needed to make sure she was safe. I will leave in the morning if it’s alright with everyone that I stay the night here.”
His first instinct told Vesemir to say ‘no’ but, seeing the lost look on Geralt’s face, he stopped himself. Whatever he was, this man was important to Geralt and there was history there. Something had happened.
“You’re welcome to stay the night with us.”
He was careful about how he worded it since he didn’t know what this man was. He saw Aiden’s head snap towards him, but ignored it. Instead, he watched carefully the way the man looked at him, his blue eyes holding understanding beyond the years he looked to be.
“Thank you, master Vesemir.”
“Alright, everyone. Start moving.”
At his order, everyone started moving again, but he noticed that Aiden kept glancing to where Coën had gotten Jaskier to help him with the fire. They ate in almost silence, only Ciri’s chatter filling the air. As they all watched her, they realized that this was most probably what Ciri was really like. What she was like when not trying to fit in with a bunch of witchers. Jaskier was listening with intent, clearly giving the girl all his attention. When the eating was done, they all sat back, Eskel and Lambert not being able to contain themselves anymore and starting to ask Jaskier about himself. The bard, although more subdued than when he was talking to Ciri, answered all the questions they had. Suddenly, in the middle of Lambert’s question about any embarrassing stories about Geralt, Ciri looked up to Jaskier and said quietly:
“We didn’t sing.”
Jaskier’s attention immediately shifted to her.
“What do you mean, my dove?”
“We used to sing every year. And if we did, the year went great. But last year you didn’t come. We didn’t sing and then the soldiers…”
She stopped herself and Jaskier quickly pulled her into a hug.
“I’m so sorry, my dove. I got held up. I did not mean to leave you like that.”
Coën, who was sitting next to Jaskier, leaned around him a bit to look at Ciri.
“Ciri. You know that songs don’t work like that, right?”
“Dandelion’s do.”
Before Coën could say anything else, Eskel raised his cup to cover his mouth and whispered so low that only the other witchers could hear him:
“Let her believe it.”
Meanwhile, Vesemir glanced at Aiden again. The Cat had suddenly become more tense than before. Vesemir himself still wasn’t sure what the bard was. If there was truth in Ciri’s beliefs, then he was powerful enough to keep the princess safe for a whole year, with just one song.
“You could sing now. And then me and everyone here will be safe.”
Jaskier visibly hesitated, before nodding with determination.
“Of course, my dove. A song just for you.”
He grabbed the lute that was on the ground next to him and waited until Ciri was leaning against his side comfortably, before strumming a few notes. Immediately, Vesemir felt something in the air and, by the way Aiden shook, the Cat felt it as well. Eskel seemed to notice something as well, since his eyes widened slightly. After a moment, the strumming moved over to a melody and Jaskier started to sing.
“Dear wilderness, be at your best
Her armor is thin as the fabric of her dress
I know the rules: the weaker trees bend
But make her immune
When your temper storms in.”
The air almost crackled, Coën finally noticing that the man next to him wasn’t human.
“When she gains her balance
Be as still as you can be
When she’s climbing branches
Be the feathers underneath.”
Ciri smiled and snuggled closer to Jaskier, making sure to not disturb his playing in any way.
“When she regains her balance
Be as steady as she needs
When she trusts you blindly
Be her worthy lock and key.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Vesemir saw Aiden grab Lambert’s arm and hiss something to him, calming the youngest witcher when even he noticed that there was more to the situation than they thought. Jaskier glanced at them, but still kept singing.
“Though it goes against
Every grain of your sand
Like turning wolves into lambs
Be your best for her
Your best for her.”
Ciri’s eyes slid shut and she leaned heavier against Jaskier. From what Vesemir could see, it seemed like Geralt was the only one who didn’t realize that something was going on.
“When she holds her balance
Be as gentle as she needs
When she shines her brightest
Let no dark cloud intervene.”
Ciri’s breath evened out as she fell asleep. Very gently, Geralt grabbed her and laid her down on her bedroll, covering her with a fur, while Jaskier put the lute away and sighed deeply. As soon as Geralt was sitting down again, Vesemir looked at the bard, meeting his blue eyes. The power that had been crackling in the air had lessened by that point, but he could still feel something there.
“What are you?”
Geralt looked at him with confusion, while Jaskier just smiled.
“I’m a bard.”
Right then, most probably not being able to contain himself anymore, Aiden leaned forward and sniffed the air a few times, before leaning back in shock.
“You’re a fae.”
As the others just sat there in shock, Geralt suddenly flew up and grabbed the bard by the throat, standing up in one swift movement and pressing him against a tree.
“Who are you and what have you done with Jaskier?! Where is he?!”
The bard shook his head slightly.
“It’s me, Geralt. Jaskier.”
Geralt pressed harder, causing the man to give out a strangled sound. Still, to everyone’s surprise, there was not even a bit of fear in his scent.
“I trust Aiden on this. Cat’s are more sensitive. You’re not Jaskier.”
“Yes, he is.”
Geralt’s head snapped towards Aiden.
“He’s a fae, Geralt. They can’t lie.”
Another strangled sound made them turn their attention back to Jaskier.
“Geralt. Let me go and I’ll tell you everything. Please.”
Very slowly, Geralt let him go. Immediately, Jaskier stepped back and massaged his throat. After a few seconds, he walked back to his spot and sat down, his eyes finding Aiden’s.
“You’ve known I was here all the time, right?”
The Cat nodded.
“I didn’t know what you were, but I could feel you.”
“So could you.”
Blue eyes were now looking at Vesemir.
“It is as I told you. Don’t try anything, and we won’t hurt you. First of all, are you a fae?”
Very slowly, the bard nodded.
“Yes. I’m a fae.”
“Well that makes it somehow easier.”
“Because I can’t lie?”
A small smile appeared on Jaskier’s face.
“You know my kind has mastered the art of deception without lying, right?”
Aiden snorted.
“No Cat has ever been tricked or deceived by a fae. I’ll be damned if I’m the first one.”
After a moment, Jaskier nodded. But, before he could speak, Geralt sat down and looked at him with hurt mixed with confusion.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sudden anger appeared on Jaskier’s face.
“You don’t get to do that, Witcher. You don’t get to sound hurt because of this. It took Vesemir and the Cat around an hour to figure out what I was. I traveled with you for 22 years. Humans tend to age in that time. I haven’t.”
He shook his head and calmed down.
“I don’t need to explain things for you. Not after the mountain.”
Then he turned towards Vesemir and smiled slightly.
“Although I guess I should explain things to you. As a thank you for letting me stay the night.”
As Vesemir nodded and sat more comfortably, Eskel suddenly smacked the back of Geralt’s head.
“You traveled with a fae for 22 years and you never noticed anything?”
Vesemir sighed heavily at that and waved his hand slightly to get Jaskier to start talking.
“I was born in the court of queen Kavolisie to her younger sister. My father died in one of the fae wars, two months before I was born. My mother was a cruel and hateful woman. She saw the humans that were kidnapped into the court as less than slaves. She was killed by a few of those humans when I was five. The queen took me in after that, let me stay with her and live in her quarters as one of her own. But I always knew that I wasn’t as welcome there as she tried to make it out to be. So, when I was 15, I asked to leave the court to travel around our lands. I was forbidden. So I ran away. I started moving between our realm and this one, seeing humans and their lives. And then, when I was 16, the queen found out about my trips and decided that, since I liked being around humans so much, she would grant me my wish to leave. I got thrown out of the court and our realm and forbidden from ever coming back. So I started living among humans. But I was young, stupid. I trusted an old lord who promised he would give me shelter if I gave his daughter a blessing. She was sick, so I agreed. I gave her blessings, she got well and I thought I had found my place. But I was foolish. I trusted them too much. Told them too much. When he found out that a fae still keeps his powers without his wings, he bound me with iron, cut off my wings and burned them in front of me. If it wasn’t for that witcher, I don’t know what would have happened. He heard about me, broke me out of the chains and let me stay with him until I got well. It was one of your brothers, actually.”
Aiden, who was looking extremely distressed by the information he was getting, now tilted his head.
“Who?”
“He said his name was Axel.”
Aiden nodded.
“Ax did mention something about meeting a fae over 20 years ago, but he didn’t give us any details. Just said he saw one.”
“He helped me and, when I was well, he let me go. I found a lute and started to spread my song around, until I turned 18 and decided to play in Posada. I had been going hungry for almost a week and the people there weren’t keen on giving money, so I played badly knowing that they would throw food at me and I could at least eat some. That’s where I met Geralt.”
Silence fell over the camp, the witchers just taking in the information. In the end, it was Lambert who first spoke up.
“But why? I mean, I get you being okay with Cats. Once you get used to the craziness, they are great. But why would you decide to follow a Wolf around? Especially with the reputation Geralt had gained after Blaviken.”
Jaskier shrugged.
“I don’t know. Something just told me to do it. I knew about Blaviken. I heard the rumors. But I couldn’t feel any evil on him. I figured things weren’t like everyone was telling them, so I decided to figure it out for myself. After the elves, I wanted to leave, but something kept me. Something told me to stay.”
While Vesemir wrecked his brain for any information about fae he could remember, Coën seemed to immediately get an idea.
“Have your people told you about bonding?”
Jaskier frowned.
“About what? No. Nothing I can remember. What is it?”
Vesemir turned towards Coën, feeling curious himself. He had never heard about any fae bonding but, then again, the Griffins did hold much more information about beings from the other planes than other schools.
“I remember reading about it when I was a young witcher. When a fae meets someone who gives them something without asking for anything in return, the fae can choose to either accept or decline it. If he accepts it, and then uses his magic to help that person without any gain for himself, it is possible for their fates to be bound. It makes it possible for the fae to give that person as many blessings as the fae wants without their magic craving a payment. A bond like that can only be broken if the person the fae bonded with ASKS for a blessing. Does this make any sense to you?”
Jaskier glanced over to where Geralt was frozen, before concentrating back on Coën.
“Yeah. It does. The first time I met Geralt, he gave me a coin. I kept it. Then, after the elves, I used my magic to get people to start listening to the truth about Geralt and witchers. I would weave blessings into his hair when I helped him clean it. And into Roach’s braids whenever she let me braid her mane. But Geralt never asked for anything. Not… Not in a way that would make me believe he wanted a blessing. He would shout, and crave that I shut up and sometimes to go away, but he never really asked for anything. Not until the mountain. After it I felt like I had to get away from him. I just had to leave.”
Then he suddenly shook his head.
“Even if that makes sense, how would you explain Ciri? I’ve been giving her blessings since the day she was born. And I’ve NEVER wanted anything from her for it.”
Eskel leaned forward slightly.
“She’s Geralt’s child. Bonded to him by Destiny. And Destiny sent you to her because it knew Geralt wouldn’t go. You and Geralt stopped traveling together last year. And Destiny stepped in and stopped you from going to Ciri, instead pushing her and Geralt towards each other.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
Everyone turned towards Geralt. He still seemed shocked and slightly terrified. Jaskier frowned.
“Didn’t mean what?”
“To bind you. I didn’t mean…”
“Geralt. Stop.”
The witcher stopped talking at Jaskier’s serious voice. The bard shook his head and sighed.
“This isn’t your fault. You didn’t know what happened. Hell, I didn’t know what we did. And Yennefer and Ciri weren’t a FAULT or a MISTAKE. Yeah, you shouldn’t have bound Yennefer’s fate to yours, and you should never have called upon Destiny by asking for a surprise. But you did what you did to save Yennefer’s life. From what I heard, you and her have reconciled. She forgave you. And Ciri is lucky to have you in her life. Nilfgaard would have attacked one day or another. Calanthe couldn’t hold them back forever. Ciri survived only because she had you to turn to. As much as it pains me, she wouldn’t have survived out in the wild on her own.”
He glanced back to where the girl was sleeping peacefully and smiled.
“She’s safe now. Thanks to you.”
Then he laughed quietly and leaned back a bit, putting his hands on the ground behind him.
“See. Even when I’m mad at you, I have good things to say about you. And this is not because of whatever bond we accidentally created. It’s not there anymore. Not after the mountain.”
A few of them jumped when Lambert suddenly slammed his cup down onto the ground and growled angrily. Aiden rolled his eyes at him and muttered something about not only Cats being emotional, which made Eskel and Coën snort. Ignoring them, Lambert leaned forward, his eyes boring into Jaskier and Geralt.
“What the hell happened on that mountain you keep talking about?”
Jaskier shrugged slightly.
“Geralt asked for a blessing. I granted him it.”
Everyone turned towards Geralt, the man forcing himself to not squirm under their scrutiny.
“I… I didn’t mean it.”
Seeing how annoyed Lambert was getting, and how amused by it both Aiden and Coën were getting, Vesemir decided to step in and take charge of the situation.
“Geralt. What happened on that mountain?”
Seeing how Geralt seemed to still be unwilling to talk, Jaskier slowly started explaining.
“We were asked to go on a hunt. Well, Geralt was. I just tagged along. Like always. The hunt was a success, but somewhere during it Yennefer found out about the wish he had made, and she left after an argument. I went up to Geralt to try to lighten the mood a bit and he asked me for a blessing. So I left.”
Giving the fae a thankful smile, Vesemir turned back to Geralt and hardened his expression.
“Geralt. What was your wish? What blessing did you ask for?”
He wasn’t sure if it was the sternness in his voice or his expression, but Geralt finally found his voice and started talking.
“I was angry at myself for everything that happened. Yenn, Ciri, the djinn. I was pissed at myself and didn’t know how to deal with it. Yenn had left, Borch had left, even the dwarves were gone. I guess I was so used to screaming at Jaskier, and him never taking any of it too seriously. I’ve done it before, and he would always just ignore what I said. So, like before, I just lashed out at him. I said that if life could give me one blessing, it would be to take him off my hands. And I blamed him for everything wrong that happened in my life after I had met him. I asked for a blessing.”
Before anyone else could react to that, Lambert suddenly lunged right over the fire and onto Geralt, sending them both rolling across the ground. As everyone flew to their feet, including Ciri who had been jerked out of her sleep by the noise, the two witchers rolled across the campsite, until Lambert ended up on top of Geralt and just started to beat him. As Coën jumped over to Ciri and grabbed her out of the way of the two fighting witchers, Aiden crouched down and then lunged himself across the campsite in a way that none of the wolves could have ever managed. He crashed into Lambert’s side and threw them both to the ground, rolling on top of him and somehow managing to keep the struggling Wolf on the ground. While Eskel hurried over to Geralt to check on him, Vesemir and Jaskier just stood and watched the scene in front of them. Most probably noticing that the Cat was not going to let him up, Lambert instead started screaming at Geralt, his voice full of fury.
“You fucking idiot! You had everything! All of us go out there and get hate and anger out of everyone! But not you! No! Because perfect Geralt gets everything handed to him on a platter! While we have to slave away, get abused and hated! We get people running away from us with screams! You get a woman who loves you, a child and a loyal friend who stayed by your side for over 20 years! And you throw it all away! You get what every witcher out there dreams about, and you just destroy it!”
He made another attempt to lunge at Geralt, but Aiden was still keeping him in place, angry hissing escaping him from time to time as if he needed to fuel up his anger to be able to keep the struggling Wolf on the ground. Finally, Jaskier shook his head and stepped closer to Lambert and Aiden and crouched down.
“Lambert. Please calm down. Getting angry now will not change the past. What’s done is done. Geralt made a mistake and, judging by the facts that Yennefer is talking to him and Ciri is here, he has learned from it. There is no reason to stay in the past.”
His calmness seemed to work wonders, because Lambert actually calmed down and relaxed on the ground. Noticing that, Aiden moved off of him, calming down himself. As soon as he saw that everything was under control, Coën put Ciri on the ground and she rushed over to Jaskier, hiding her face against his chest. With a deep sigh, Jaskier put a hand on her head and whispered softly:
“Go to sleep, my dove. When you wake up, this will all just be a bad dream. Go to sleep.”
He caught the girl as she collapsed, her eyes closed and her breathing even. Very gently he lifted her up and carried her over to the bedroll. He tucked her in under the furs and then stood up again, turning to Vesemir.
“I should go. I never meant to cause any unrest between you.”
But, before he could leave the camp, Geralt jumped forward and grabbed his arm. There was blood running down his face from where his nose was broken and several small wounds from where Lambert’s nails had caught him during the beating.
“Don’t go. Please. I’m sorry.”
Jaskier tilted his head a bit.
“You’re sorry?”
It looked like Geralt was struggling with his words for a moment, before starting to talk as fast as he could.
“I’m sorry I lashed out at you. I’m sorry about what I said. None of it was your fault. Yes, you brought me to that feast, but it was my own stupidity that made me ask for that reward. My own stupidity that landed me with a Child Surprise. You didn’t ask for the djinn to attack you. I was an idiot, I lashed out at you and you got attacked because of that. You didn’t tell me to make that last wish and bind Yennefer to me. You told me to leave, I didn’t listen. Not to mention all the times that you were trying to help me and be my friend and I would lash out at you for it. None of what I said on that mountain was true. All the shit in my life was my own fault. I didn’t have the right to take my anger out on you and I’ll understand if you never forgive me. But Lambert is right. I could have had everything that any witcher could wish for, but I threw it all away. I didn’t tell Yenn the truth, I left Ciri and I hurt you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what I did and said. I’m sorry for the pain I caused you.”
He stopped and just stared at Jaskier, the fae stunned into silence. After a long moment, Jaskier lifted his hand and put it on Geralt’s shoulder. Then, before the witcher could ask what he was doing, Jaskier pulled him into a hug, shaking his head against his shoulder.
“You big idiot. Of course I forgive you. I forgave you as soon as you spoke. I don’t think I would have left, but I couldn’t stay after you asked for that blessing. I just couldn’t.”
They pulled apart and Jaskier smiled.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, Witcher.”
His voice had become more fond and Vesemir suddenly felt very happy that he decided to let the fae stay. There was a shift in the air and he noticed that, for the first time since the massacre, he didn’t feel worried about safety or the future. As Jaskier led Geralt back to the fire and started to clean his face off with a wet rag, Aiden pushed Lambert back to their spot and pushed him down onto the ground. The rest of them sat down as well, Eskel handing a potion to Geralt who swallowed it with a grimace and then turned back to Jaskier.
“Can I ask something?”
Jaskier smiled at him.
“You don’t have to treat me with kid gloves, Geralt. Just don’t blame me for things I hadn’t caused.”
The witcher nodded and tilted his head.
“Why did you never tell me that you’re a fae? Axel helped you, so you would have known that witchers don’t attack fae. Not unless we have a good reason to. We try not to get involved in fae business.”
Jaskier’s smile fell a bit and he turned towards the fire.
“I know witchers don’t hunt fae. Axel told me as much. But I was still worried. I mean, you punched me the first time we met. And back then you thought I was a human. I couldn’t feel any evil on you, but I was still unsure how you would react to me not being human. And later on I was too afraid that you would send me away. You tried to leave me behind when you thought I was just a human. If you knew I was a fae, you could have tried harder to get rid of me. Everyone knows that fae are tricksters. No one wants to be around us. And, to be honest, in the beginning I was scared of not being around you. Yes, people were mean and angry, but they tended to stay away from us when you were around. And I… After they cut off my wings I was scared to death of humans.”
Geralt just looked at him for a moment, before nodding and glancing towards Ciri.
“Thank you for keeping her safe.”
At that Coën suddenly frowned.
“You said you got held up and couldn’t come to her to sing. What happened?”
Jaskier flinched slightly and opened his mouth when Aiden shook his head.
“Don’t say ‘nothing important’. I know you can’t lie, but don’t try to trick us either. You’re a friend. We want to know.”
The bard hesitated, before nodding.
“Alright. Yeah, okay. The man who had cut off my wings was the count of Lettenhove. Axel had killed him when he rescued me, making the daughter I had saved the countess. I heard rumors some time ago that she had gotten sick again and I decided to go to Lettenhove to see if I could help her. She was as much a victim of her father’s evil as I had been. I got there in time, helped her get better in exchange for getting to stay there a few weeks. But I made a mistake. Her husband attacked me and put me in an iron cage, before selling me to some little lord who paid good money for me. He was affiliated with Nilfgaard and was trying to find Geralt for them. I was kept in iron chains and questioned every day, with little to no hope of escape. The only relief I had was when one of the guards let slip that Cintra had fallen, the princess was gone and winter was starting. I knew that Ciri being gone must’ve been thanks to Geralt and that he would be heading towards Kaer Morhen, so they would be safe. Around a week after those news they managed to capture a witcher and threw him into my cell. I think they hoped I would talk to him and let something slip. They tortured and questioned us for a few days before the witcher, Joël, told me who he was and that I didn’t have to worry, because his school would come for him and they would get me out as well.”
Aiden made an amused snort, shaking his head at the same time. Eskel glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
“You know him?”
Aiden nodded.
“Joël is a Cat. So I’m guessing those guards had quite a night once the entire school fell onto their heads.”
Vesemir almost felt a stab of sympathy towards those guards. He himself knew how dangerous the Cats could get when they got into a frenzy. But then he remembered that they had attacked and tortured Jaskier and were trying to get to Geralt and Ciri, and all the sympathy disappeared into the air. On the other side of the fire, Jaskier snorted.
“Yeah. I’ll never forget all the yowling when they attacked. I will spare you all the details of the carnage that met us once they got us out of that cell. They patched me up and, after I had explained to them why they held me, and Axel and Joël vouched for me, Guxart allowed me to spend the winter with the caravan. It wasn’t until I heard rumors about Nilfgaard’s soldiers coming close to the mountains that I asked the caravan to take me as close to Kaer Morhen as possible without intruding onto your territory, and then I used the woods here to spread my presence all over the mountain and just waited until you came down. I knew that trying to get up the mountain would have been a bad idea, so I couldn’t warn you earlier.”
Vesemir nodded at that. The winter had been particularly hard, Eskel almost not making it all the way up the mountain. If it hadn’t been for Aiden and his enhanced senses, they wouldn’t have found him in time. So he was happy that Jaskier hadn’t tried to brave the mountain while the snow was still thick. He also made a mental note to give Aiden a letter for Guxart where he would thank the Cat for saving Jaskier and keeping him safe. He was slightly surprised at how protective he was already over the fae, but decided to just go with it.
“What are we going to do now?”
Everyone turned towards Eskel.
“We can’t go down the mountain. If there are Nilfgaardians in the village down there, we can’t risk going through there with Ciri.”
“What about the other path? The one the Bears sometimes use. It goes well off track of the village.”
Geralt shook his head at Aiden’s suggestion.
“No. There is a reason only Bears take that route. It’s way too dangerous. There is no way I’m taking Ciri and Jaskier that way.”
The fae tilted his head.
“I’m going with you?”
Geralt nodded.
“If you want to, that is. I would like for you to travel with us.”
Jaskier smiled at that.
“Alright then, Witcher. Let’s give it another try.”
Meanwhile, Aiden was staring into the fire with deep concentration, before looking over to Jaskier.
“That song you sang. Your blessing for Ciri. What counts as wilderness?”
Jaskier’s smile widened.
“Smart Cat. You’re right. As long as you can keep her safe from animals and monsters, the nature itself will not hurt her.”
“You just said you’re coming with us. Why does it sound like you’re not.”
The fae gave Geralt a calming smile.
“I will. Just not yet. The rumors about me staying with the Cats have spread. Me and Aiden will go down the mountain tonight. I don’t have to sleep and I know the Cat can stay up tonight and travel. Vesemir, Coën, Eskel and Lambert should start moving in the morning and make sure they mention loud and clear that they hope Geralt is okay and that they hadn’t seen him this winter. Meanwhile you and Ciri take the other path. Me and Aiden will join up with the Caravan and move with them, until I break away. I’ll go to that little village where we got fish thrown at us, make camp outside of it and wait for you and Ciri.”
Then he looked around the camp, some hesitation appearing in his eyes.
“If you all agree on this plan.”
Vesemir nodded.
“It is a good plan. Aiden, get packing and I will write a letter for you to take to Guxart.”
The Cat immediately sprung into action, while Jaskier stood up and walked over to Ciri. He kneeled down next to her and put his hand on her head, gently stroking her hair.
“May this blessing keep you safe until we meet again. May the wild and the dark stay their hand and keep from causing you harm. May your heart be brave and your road light.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her white hair.
“Until we meet again, my little dove.”
Then he stood up and turned to where Aiden was securing his bedroll and bag on his horse's saddle. Vesemir, who had been writing quickly, stood up as well and handed the letter to the Cat.
“Give this to Guxart from me.”
Aiden nodded and put the letter in his bag, before swinging himself up into the saddle and stretching his hand down to Jaskier.
“Come on, fae.”
Jaskier seemed surprised for a few seconds, before laughing quietly.
“As long as she won’t bite me.”
Aiden shook his head.
“This is not Roach.”
With a small smile, Jaskier grabbed his hand and let himself be pulled onto the horse behind Aiden. He glanced down at Geralt and nodded.
“See you soon, Witcher.”
“Be careful, bard.”
Aiden nodded at Vesemir, gave Lambert a grin and then tapped his horse to make her walk out onto the path and start trotting down the mountain, Jaskier grabbing his cloak to steady himself. Moments later, they disappeared in the darkness.