#The WItcher imagines

[nnightskiess]

everytime you leave, part seven

₊° - 𝐲𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.

everytime you leave, masterlist

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 <3

The central hall was as well-lit as ever, despite the rumbling storm clouding over Aretuza. A handful of mages were already sitting around the tables, chatting away and waiting until the table with superiors was completely filled so that supper could commence. Your time among the other mages had not been made particularly easy when you'd taken a stand with Yennefer that first time, but it seemed that there were a few mages who you had intrigued with it. Anika, who you had learned was the only person close enough to a friend that Yennefer had, often sent you gentle smiles now. Triss still went and brought you healing elixirs every now and then, clearly a request from Tissaia, and she would never leave without having had a small chat with you. You were still too closed off and shaken by your past to properly let anyone in, and your sorrowful looks and distant behaviour weren't tempting your classmates to approach you. Sabrina would often glance your way, but you didn't like how she seemed to feel superior to the others simply because she'd been in Aretuza the longest. Fringilla never really appeared too interested in you, too occupied in mastering her Chaos to even notice you, so you didn't bother. Celestia was a different case. The mage was older than you, and the combination of her light hair and golden complexion made it hard for her not to stand out. She often observed you, sometimes to the point that it made your uneasiness make place for irritation. You didn't know why she did it. Frankly, you didn't even want to know, if not for the impending fear that she was trying to see right through you. And Johannah and Abigail, well, they had never looked your way again, but it was better that way. They weren't the type of people you wanted to have around, not even if their friendship was crucial to your survival in Aretuza.

It was because of your lack of friends that you tried to show up in the central hall before the others did. There was something peaceful about picking a table in the empty hall and waiting if someone would join you, instead of having to choose where to sit down with dozens of sets of eyes on you. Many a time, it was Triss and Sabrina who would accompany you. Well, Triss first, feeling pity over you, no doubt. Then the redhead would wave over Sabrina, who accepted the invitation out of curiosity over you and would not leave it up for debate to rope in some of the others. But Yennefer never sat with you again. Besides the times you would see her during your lessons or after classes in Tissaia's office to finish your punishment, she'd avoided you like the plague. She was often quiet during your shared detention, but her silence was never unsettling. It seemed as though she had come to terms with the fact you were going to be around, and that collaboration was necessary if she wanted to become the powerful mage she dreamed of.

You picked a table beneath the tall stained-glass windows, knowing it often remained unoccupied. A cupbearer appeared, pouring you a glass to hold you over before supper would begin.

"Do you think this endless rain will ever cease?"

A soft hand was placed on your shoulder and you watched as Celestia sat beside you.

"I suppose not, it would make the place lose all of its riveting charm," You muttered sarcastically, bringing the cup to your lips.

The woman beside you let out a dry chuckle at your disinterest, "Aren't you a delight. Is that why you turned some people in your village into cows?"

Your head snapped to her and her eyes bore into yours, the hint of her smile now gone. Her stare pierced right through you. Then she shook her head, and she grinned, "Don't worry. It's not the worst conduit moment out there."

You swallowed, a little cautious by the sudden topic of conversation, "Last week the rumour was that I turned my mother's hair green."

Celestia accepted the cup that was put in front of her, taking a big sip all while observing your face. She hummed, "So, which one was it then?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"You can tell quite a lot by someone's conduit moment." She shrugged and leaned to face you better.

"What was yours?"

She grinned, wickedly, as if talking to you had been the most entertaining part of her day, "I'll trade you mine for yours."

"Whatever are the two of you gossiping about?" Sabrina sat down in front of you, eyeing you and your rigid posture with clear interest.

Celestia barely acknowledged the girl, eyes still boring into yours. Maybe you were imagining things, or maybe the sudden panic and stress were sending sharp pains to your temples, "Sabrina made her mother fat, did you know?"

Bemused, the blonde nodded, "Hm, I did. Why are we talking about this, though?"

"About what?" Fringilla approached, Darallis and Jutta in tow, following her like puppies in the hopes of Fringilla's grace and power rubbing off on them.

"Y/N's conduit moment."

"Why?"

Finally, Celestia turned to the others and you could breathe again, "Because I want to know what really happened! It must be pretty embarrassing if she hasn't taken to gloating about it."

Sabrina brightened, "What I really want to know is what happened in your room that night when they instructed us to stay inside after we got woken up by all the noise. Jutta told me she could hear yelling before it felt like the walls came tumbling down."

Jutta perked up, ready to defend herself after having seen the accusatory look you'd shot her way, "I was only worried."

Celestia's faux sweet tone made the girl blush in embarrassment, "Hush, we all know you were scared."

Suddenly, the table fell silent, and you knew why when her voice sounded from behind you,

"To my office, pup."

With wide eyes and a stomach rumbling in protest not to leave the hall before you'd eaten, you turned around, "What?! Why?"

"Did you or did you not cut off your garments?" Tissaia pointed at the uneven ragged edge of your dress.

Mouth agape, you stopped, "I-... it was too long."

"And so will your detention be, which I will now extend for the foreseeable future." She gestured for you to stand up.

"But supper-" You hadn't been able to eat after the disgusting plant Tissaia had given you to chew on last night to try and control your mind when it was reeling had made you throw up. Its taste and sensations had finally faded off an hour ago, and you were starving.

However, the look Tissaia gave you shut you up. There was something in her eyes you recognised now. Desperation? Urgency?

All eyes were on you when you got up and followed her out of the central hall, listening to the clicking of her heels against the cobblestone halls. When the two of you were out of earshot and had walked into the hall of her private wing, she deemed it safe enough to speak,

"I fear I will have to speed up some of your lessons, going by what I just interrupted. We will start right away." She turned, eyeing the hem of your dress, "And we will get it tailored for you."

Tissaia opened the door to her office, expecting you to find your usual seat as she went and poured herself a drink. She knew she'd need it with today's private lesson.

You sat down in the chair across her desk much like you'd done every other night for the past three weeks when you'd practised your Chaos with her. Your fear of fire was still very much there, the knowledge you now could control a tiny flame hardly doing anything to your fast-beating heart whenever you walked passed a fireplace. You'd also still been summoned to sit out your punishment for the night Yennefer had come into your room. Even after three weeks, you still could not fight off the confusion after Tissaia had made it known to you that she'd been aware the two of you had lied, or that Yennefer had just as much blame for it as you had. How had she known? You make matters worse, neither you or Yennefer had managed to fully transfer the water without breaking the vase or killing the flower, but, as you'd learned from each other, you were now closer than ever. You knew it.

It worried you that Tissaia's desk seemed to be empty this time. Usually, she always had something already prepared for you. The mystery of what was to come installed some sense of unease in you.

"We humans are made of so much more than skin and bone. We have a mind that thinks of its own, a heart that wants one thing and a soul that desires another. When you will find your way into the world, at court or wherever else the Brotherhood will find need for you, you will understand that a person is made of thoughts and feelings often inconsistent to one another. They might think one thing but say another. They might promise to do this, but end up committing to that. Us mages need to be able to poke through that resolve and shield to ensure the balance of the Continent will not be compromised. I am not talking about dallying men trapped in a marriage and keeping it secret that they're in love with another damsel, I'm talking about statesmen, Kings and Queens promising to keep the peace but going to war."

She rounded her desk and, for the first time ever, sat down in the chair next to you.

"Ensnaring one's mind, uncovering its hidden motives, its fears and its memories, hearing its thoughts and taking in its senses requires a great deal of focus and expertise. Next month, we will start dipping our toes in mind control. All of the girls will be new to it and will know just as little as you do now," Her exclusion of naming you with the other girls, didn't go unnoticed, "But I fear that while they have nothing to lose when a silly little secret or their true feelings get uncovered, your very life could be forfeited when your not-so-little one gets out."

She leaned forward, eyes hard as she tried to make the severity known.

"I do not say this to frighten you, but you cannot let people know what you did, what you survived, and what you can do. And if you do not want to find yourself in just such a predicament, you need to first handle blocking out the prying eyes and ears of your novice classmates before you'll have to ward off suspecting and nosy individuals at court. Do you understand?"

You nodded, letting the information sink.

"Use your words, pup."

"I understand."

Tissaia always knew how to make you feel little, but you couldn't care less right now, sensing what was at stake. Her words scared you.

She sat back, seemingly satisfied with your compliance and attention.

"Keeping someone out of your mind is not the same as taking a peak in someone else's. It requires a different kind of focus and works its energy on another wavelength. While the lesson will start with reading what's deeply hidden within the minds of your classmates, the only thing that you will focus on, is how to keep them out."

You pursed your lips, insecurities taking over, "That's... that's nothing elemental," You thought of the candle and the pitcher of water, the gust of wind, then swallowed.

"It is not. It is a new territory entirely, but one you ought to master sooner rather than later."

She watched you, hearing the many thoughts swirling within, almost growing irritated by the new words already forming before the others had left your brain.

"You've gotten in trouble by not blocking someone out before." She smiled softly when she saw the quick realisation on your face.

"When you knew I had covered for Yennefer?"

Tissaia dipped her head, "I discovered a lie that time, but when you're a mage, especially one at court and surrounded by people trying to bring your Kingdom down to benefit themself, you cannot let yourself waver, you cannot let anyone inside your head to manipulate it, put falsities and insecurities in there and to dig through your weaknesses and knowlege."

"I understand," You repeated before she could ask you to confirm. She needed you to know the severity and importance of this lesson and the ones going forward, but, going by the focused frown of your brows, she knew she had you in the right mind space.

"But first, I will tell you what one can expect to experience when diving into someone's mind. It is good to know what you'll want them to ward off of before you know how to." She continued when you kept your intrigued gaze on her, begging her to continue. You might still not like what had happened, how you'd ended up here, but you weren't daft and knew as well as anyone that this was of importance to your survival. You might still have a death wish, to reconnect with your family, but you had a feeling your death would likely not be fast and unsuspecting if the day ever came.

"Once you've fully mastered the craft, you will instantly find what you are looking for to save yourself the time to plough through one's entire mind, but for you, it will be an overwhelming feat. Smells will fill your nostrils, you'll hear sounds and voices, feel sensations through your body as if you were there to live the memory that's playing out before you. They can be short moments in time that you'll get to see as if you were there yourself, or flitting images of memories tucked further away. It will be an overwhelming feat and you won't know what to focus on. If you do not learn to quiet your mind or block someone out, they will see all that you have ever thought, felt, tasted, heard, smelt and sensed."

You swallowed, taking it in, and then your eyes fluttered to the wall behind Tissaia, where an embroidered banner flag of the Brotherhood hung. As you let her words settle, you realised the explanation sounded oddly familiar to what you'd experienced on your first night here. You'd seen stuff... heard things, that hadn't been entirely your own— they had been Yennefer's. And while you hadn't had an explanation for it then, you'd been given one now.

Tissaia watched an unreadable expression settle on your face.

"You best tell me before I find it out myself."

Though her voice was stern and demanding, her eyes were filled with a careful curiosity as you looked up, "Getting into someone's mind...I think I already did that. Once. That I know of."

She tilted her head to the side, intrigue flashing across her features, "Why do you think that?"

"That night the storm came into my room," You said, not knowing how else to explain it, "There was a moment where I- where we... Yennefer and I, were in each other's head. I think- ... I think it was what sparked my Chaos to implode."

"Both your Chaos." Tissaia reminded you, clearly not wanting you to forget that Yennefer's Chaos had been just as much to blame for the destruction that had occurred, "And if you don't learn to control it, you'll not only implode but explode as well. Which is why we need to start with blocking your mind off right now."

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

Tissaia had carefully observed both mages throughout the first two weeks, sensing their chaos and how their fizzing rumbling seemed to grow in sound and sensation whenever they were near each other. Whether that was calculated or on pure accident, a happening of fate, she wasn't sure yet. She also wasn't sure what it would mean for the future of the Brotherhood. Young mages this powerful, able to break a Brotherhood barrier, were extremely scarce. Hells, to find any mage at all was already a gift these days. She needed to handle this delicately, think twenty steps ahead and figure out what this could mean for the survival and respect of mages in the Continent. Tissaia had scribbled down all possibilities for the two of you, of the Kingdoms to send you to and how and where the Continent would benefit most from your presence, maybe keep one of you at Aretuza to join her board of teachers once you proved your worth years later, or perhaps you could be of use for something else entirely. But before she could be certain that she had found liquid gold in two of her newest students, she needed to be sure your excellence wasn't just a momentary fluke.

As usual, Yennefer strolled into the classroom late, wanting to hide her eagerness to control her Chaos by annoying her rectoress.

"You're late," Tissaia stated, watching as the deformed girl's eyes immediately sought out those of yours down the end of the line. "Be a good little piglet and go sit across from our weakling pup."

All the girls watched as Yennefer's face grew with frustration and hurt, but sat down nonetheless. You locked eyes momentarily before Tissaia demanded your attention again,

"Today will be the next step in controlling your Chaos, and in controlling that of others," She started, giving you a quick look, the message clear as day, "But we cannot control the senses of others before we can sit back and watch them from a distance. Every great puppeteer has first spent hours watching a human's movements before making his puppet an extension of himself." Tissaia walked along the row of girls, staring at them intently to sense the state of their Chaos before their task. She peeked in their minds— Annika thought of her sisters, Fringilla of how she was going to be the best out of them all, Sabrina of the praise Tissaia would give her when she succeeded, but as her eyes locked with those of Yennefer's, she stopped her step. Mixed with the frustration clearly meant for her, she could sense something else. A pull... a hint of intrigue... a fastly beating heart and a clear view of Y/E/C coloured eyes. She ignored the glare Yennefer was still sending her way and continued,

"Look at the girl in front of you," She ordered, "Look until a door becomes a window. Seek to understand your partner's greatest fears."

Tissaia didn't even need to lock eyes with you to see the worry flash across your face. Despite the hours spent blocking out Tissaia's prying mind into yours, and having finally succeeded the past week, you were still unsure if you could do it on the spot, with so much pressure in your body. All the practising had left you fatigued, and you weren't quite sure if you had enough energy left to control your Chaos. And to have Yennefer see the destruction of your village, to know you were capable of such terror... and to let her in on the secret you had with your rectoress would mean the end of your deal. But above all, perhaps the thing you feared most was for her to see what lay beneath that all. That even while she'd been distant and rather unkindly to you, she was the closest thing you had to a friend after the hours spent together. You weren't exactly sure how she would take such pitiful news.

"With our eyes?" Yennefer wondered, not taking hers off yours for even a second. She tried to stall long and hard before blinking each time, hoping an unbroken connection would help enlighten something in yours. If only she could find an answer to the questions swirling beneath her chest.

"No, piglet. With Chaos." Tissaia stopped to stand in front of the row of seated girls, watching her two most promising young mages with great intrigue. If she was right about her suspicions, well, let's just say that immense power could bring immense victory or immense doom, depending on which side the coin fell on.

"Thought transference should flow through you, like learning to dance or swim or kiss."

Feeling Tissaia's eyes on you, you willed yourself to keep eye contact with Yennefer. Surely your rectoress was aware of the consequences that could doom your whole secret bargain and her prestige and authority among the Continent if you failed. Despite the lessons, did that mean she had faith in your potential, or that she held no belief that Yennefer would even succeed at looking beneath the sheath of your mind at all? Tissaia de Vries confused you immensely. She had blamed and belittled you right after the first day she'd brought you into her office, but lately, it was as if something had shifted within her. You often caught her looking at you already with an unreadable expression, and you did not know if you were supposed to feel scared or honoured to have Aretuza's rectoress attention.

That same buzzing that had plagued your head recently, but which you had quickly grown used to as well, reverberated through your head once more as you tried to look at whatever lay behind Yennefer's violet eyes. A crackling sound popped your ears right open and your chest swelled with the same sensation you'd felt right before your Chaos had torn your room apart. It worried you for as long as the feeling lasted until a wark blanket seemed to be draped over you, engulfing you in serenity. You felt something tickle beneath your skin, like nimble fingers gently prying and pulling at the threads of your Chaos, wanting to reach out and wrap it in a hug. It was comforting. It was peaceful.

Yennefer's jaw tensed as she clenched her teeth, desperately wanting to get this right, to prove she was not just a waste of space, that she was just as capable and worthy as any other young mage. But her skin tingled too much to pay proper attention. It was as if a thousand tiny ants were crawling above and beneath the surface of her skin. She imagined her Chaos reaching out to yours, clawing at it to pull it closer. A ringing echoed in her ears, and then a blood-curdling scream sounded. She winced slightly in surprise but stayed focused. Determined to dig further, she furrowed her brows in concentration, fighting the urge to look at the rest of your face instead of only your eyes. But no matter how hard she tried, something pushed her away, taking her Chaos away in that progress. She felt warm suddenly, and a thin layer of sweat coated her upper lip when she tried to ward off the serenity wanting to calm her restless Chaos down.

"Stop pushing me out," Yennefer spoke softly under her breath, in a focused trance. She knew she'd seen heaps of your memories before, and it had been through a wall, so she was sure she was going to have to succeed now that she was looking right into your eyes, just like the small glimpse Istredd had helped her see. She could do it then, so she had to do it now.

"I'm not doing anything." You replied, your voice barely above a whisper as well. But you were, you were clearing your mind with all your might while blocking out her Chaos each time it jabbed at you. With your concentration at an all-time high, your Chaos reached out to hers, gently guiding it out of your mind while keeping the bond composed and undisturbed.

"Well then maybe you should." She muttered, a little aggravated, for if you did not aid her to let her in, then how was she to succeed?

You blinked, your tone sharp but your hurt evident, "Or maybe you should try harder."

It was all that was needed to get the girl to blink and break her intense stare. She was taken aback, but at the same time knew she could have expected such a retort from you after her comment. She straightened her posture as much as she could and closed her eyes for a few seconds before staring right back into yours again.

Tissaia stiffened her expression as she watched the encounter, eager to see what would happen next. But no other word was exchanged between the two of you, for the next forty minutes at least. It impressed her how both of you were managing to stay still and focused for so long.

Suddenly, you saw a flash of what you could only presume was the Yennefer's past— a tiny fire, a table surrounded by children, the smell of straw and... Yennefer being sold for nothing more but four marks, then being pushed into Tissaia's arms. You perhaps had not seen her biggest fear, but you had seen something that had elicited the same feeling.

Your heart clenched as you felt a wave of unfamiliar emotions hit you all of a sudden, and you realised it was what Yennefer had felt during the flitted memories you had seen. It wasn't an excuse for her harsh behaviour, but you could not help but feel sympathy at the newfound information.

"I'm sorry."

Yennefer licked her lips and tilted her head, confused, "Whatever for?"

You shook your head, not wanting to bring it up in a quiet room full of your classmates, or with rectoress De Vries's eyes burning in the side of your face, or perhaps just not at all.

Suddenly, you realised you didn't really know any of the girls sitting around you. You didn't know their deepest struggles, their biggest fears or their most openly wide gaping wounds. You didn't know much past their names or how far they were with their Chaos. But as you had caught a quick glance in what had only been an hour of Yennefer's life, you suddenly felt closer to any of them than ever. She was different, but all the same. You shared struggles, you shared pain and you shared a longing for a life that would never be again. She wanted to be loved, and you wanted your family back. The two weren't so different when you looked at it.

Your momentary lapse of focus had let the girl in front of you slip through the cracks of your mind, and you watched it happen before your eyes the second it did. You knew Yennefer hadn't seen or smelt any apple tarts this time, going by her startled expression.

"Your village was pillaged, they set it ablaze. You burned with it." She muttered stoically, matter-of-factly, and her face dropped the second you had regained focus and realised the severity of your predicament if she looked a little further. She'd heard the childlike laughter of your siblings, the feel of a horse's mane through your fingers, felt the parental love and then it had all been replaced by death. Yennefer felt guilty for sensing the slight pang of jealousy when she'd realised you'd had a big and loving family that had been your entire world, but it had disappeared as soon as she'd realised what you'd lost, what you'd seen and experienced.

Your chest heaved with the effort it took you to push her out again and to lock away the details of what she'd seen.

Abruptly, as if stung by a bee, Yennefer stood up and crossed the distance to where Tissaia was seated, puffing her cigar and hawk eyes already watching her.

"Y/N's biggest fear is fire."

All the girls broke their connections and stopped to watch. Tissaia stared at the girl in front of her, "Of course, the girl who came here almost burned to a crisp is afraid of fire. Anyone here could have made that assessment."

"Well, it is."

"Is it, pup?"

All eyes now went to you.

Yennefer was right, of course. But there was one thing you feared more than anything else, and the one thing that had come true. Hurting and losing the ones you love. But, perhaps, now that that fear had already happened, there was something else weighing heavily on you— you were afraid to have to tackle this life you had been thrown into alone. It scared you immensely.

"Is it really your greatest fear?

"No." And perhaps it really wasn't. Not anymore. Not after weeks spent working with fire.

"She's lying. I saw what I saw!" Yennefer's frustrated eyes flitted from Tissaia to you. She remembered what else she'd seen make an entrance into her mind, but had deemed insignificant then— cliffsides, the view from on top of towers and the fast beating of your fearful heart that came with it, "Heights. You're afraid of heights."

That's when you realised Yennefer had seen what you had wanted her to see. You had successfully warped her imagination and shown her whatever you had carefully created.

When you didn't say anything, Yennefer glanced back at Tissaia in a plea.

"You take weeks to lift a stone. You can't bend water. You struggle to perform the simplest physical tasks. And now you put me and my lesson to shame by making things up?"

Yennefer's resolve crumbled slightly under Tissaia's hard glare and crushing words, but it was what was said next that dealt the final blow.

"Your worst fear makes such sense. Even if you were a beauty, still, no one would love you."

Tissaia was right, of course, and perhaps it had been exactly the reason why Yennefer lay tossing and turning in bed later that night. She knew that the ugliness of her features had started to seep through to her personality as well, like some sort of shield to keep people from hurting her. If she was rude and brash, no one would realise how their words and stares would hurt. Surely they'd stop after coming to that realisation. And if she hurt them first, they would never dare hurt her in return. It was a play of dominance, a change she'd had to make after arriving at Aretuza, for leading with kindness had never worked out in her old life. Time and time again, her efforts at making friendships and helping villagers out, hovering around them so she wouldn't be alone and could pretend to be part of their conversations, had only ever resulted in harsh hand gestures, cursed words and turned backs to send her off. Which had then resulted in a scolding and beating from her step-father, who'd felt ashamed that the villagers had come complaining about his strange stepdaughter. Yennefer knew she wasn't lovable. And if she ever found someone willing to look past her deformities, they surely would wince and run when they'd realised how rotten she'd become on the inside as well.

Then she heard it— a set of soft knocks on her door. She'd almost played it off as a sound born from her sleep-deprived state, but no, someone was really knocking on her door. She kicked her sheets off in a huff, made it to the door and threw it open, ready to give them a piece of her mind. She had half expected one of her so-called friends to knock for some late-night gossip. And although the girl in front of her was a classmate, yes, she wasn't exactly a friend.

Taken by surprise, Yennefer's voice was small when she muttered, "Y/N?"

"You were right. I don't like fire." You pushed out, as if you could no longer bear to live with the deceit. "And I don't necessarily like heights either."

"Why couldn't you have said that when it mattered?"

Yennefer stared at you, brows furrowed, jaw locked and a clear mix of fury, defeat and annoyance etched into her features as you had been the one behind her humiliation when you'd kept silent.

You didn't have an answer to her question, so you stood there and watched her. She raised her brows, clearly waiting for whatever you'd knocked for to come out of your mouth.

"We weren't set out to like each other, were we?"

Yennefer snorted, opened the door further and walked off to the fireplace. It was a clear invitation to enter her room, so you took it. Her perceptive eyes watched as you approached, standing right beside her in front of the fireplace, hands tightly clasped together behind your back. You might have felt a little more confident around flames, but reaching out to warm your hands to them and risking letting your Chaos take over felt a little too daring.

"I did extend you an olive branch, or have you forgotten?"

"You couldn't have approached me at a worse time," You sighed, remembering the absolute horror you'd felt as the trauma of what had happened had still coursed through your veins when Yennefer had slipped into your room that very first night to introduce herself. "And your approach wasn't exactly tactile or peaceful either, but I've grown to accept that's just how you handle things— impetuous and direct."

Yennefer would've glared at you, had your tone not been soft instead of accusatory. You were merely stating the obvious without further judgment.

You added, somewhat amused, "I still think it wouldn't hurt to be a little kinder, though."

Yennefer nibbled her lip, taking your words into consideration. She looked back up at you, contemplating hard. Everything inside of her wanted her to push out a harsh retort so you would back off, but you weren't hurting her. Not really. You had come here, for her, to apologise. You weren't here to make fun of her, nor did you look at her differently whenever your eyes met hers. Nor did you ever gape at her hunched back or crooked jaw. And you weren't being rude to her, you were... merely pointing out her behaviour. It was a welcome feeling to be treated like a normal human being.

"What if I were to ask again?"

It was quiet for a little while, only the cracking of the fire filling the silence. Yennefer felt her insecurity eat at her and was ready to take her words back when a gentle grin tugged at the corners of your mouth,

"I'll have to think about it."

Yennefer cracked the tiniest smile in return, feeling normal under your gaze. Then, you turned on your heel and she watched you walk towards the door. You lingered in the doorway,

"I'll see you at detention tomorrow. Somehow I just know tomorrow's the day we'll finally transfer water."

As you left, Yennefer was just as restless as before, but for the right reasons this time.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 <3

[justanoasisimagines]

Blurb #1

A/N; Requests are open! May write the love letter to this in the future if people are interested. Credit to @cafekitsune for the banner and the divider

Jaskier considered himself a romance expert He knew how to flirt and charm his way with anyone. He could sing and strum a beautiful melody and people would swoon. However, all of his usual charm seemed to fall flat on you. Nothing appeared to be working. Which Jaskier found rather odd. He'd become enamored by you from the moment he'd met you.

You were contagious and our laughter was brighter than any sun he'd ever seen. You were kind and resourceful and the most talented musician. Jaskier had come to understand this was more than some crush, he'd felt for you. He believed he was falling in love with you.

Which is why he wanted to get your attention. If none of his usual tricks would work perhaps it was time for Jaskier to truly think from his heart. So he began to brainstorm.

Jaskier enjoyed the challenge whether it was writing a piece of music or struggling to find the right word or perhaps a cord doesn't sound right. Jaskier could admit this had to be one of the most challenging things he'd ever found himself doing.

He thought of attempting to make some large grand gesture. Yet you didn't appear to be the type. Or perhaps some flowers? However, Jaskier believed he could do better. He could just come right out and tell you, but Jaskier was aware of his reputation.

He didn't want you to believe his words didn't have truth behind them. he wanted his intentions to be clear. He was serious about you. Like nothing he'd ever felt before. It was beautiful and terrifying.

in the end, Jaskier decided to write you a love letter. A letter so powerful and poetic, you'd allow him to capture your heart as you had his.

[loverrgirll21]

imagine meeting the guys at kaer morhen and eskel gets a little too bold

979 words; warnings: none really, some mild spice near the end but nothing 18+

You were so nervous. And why wouldn’t you be? Geralt was taking you to Kaer Morhen to meet men who were like brothers to him.

“Geralt?”

“Hmm?” The Witcher hummed in response.

“What if they don’t like me.” 

Geralt stopped Roach and looked up at you sitting on the horse’s back. 

“Don’t worry, Y/N. My brothers will like you.”

And with that, you two carried on to Kaer Morhen. A little while later, you came to a clearing. Past it was a huge fortress. You gasped when you saw it. You and Geralt approached the huge doors and he opened them. “Geralt!” You heard, along with a chorus of masculine cheers. You hesitated, standing back as Geralt greeted his brothers with open arms. An older man smiled, and then looked past him at you. You walked quickly to Geralt side.

“Men, meet Y/N. She’s my-” he hesitated, “friend.” 

You ignored the slight ache in your heart when he referred to you as his friend, and smiled at the guys. You quickly warned up to them. Some were a bit bold, looking you up and down, but one look from Geralt was enough to shut them up.

As you all sat around drinking beer and listening to stories from a Witcher named Lambert, the front doors suddenly flew open. Standing in the entrance was a man. He was a shorter than Geralt and had long hair that was tied in a bun at the back of his head, a piece dangling in front of his face. 

“Eskel!” you hear Geralt welcome the man, smiling and approaching him with open arms. Eskel returned the hug with a grin. “Brother!” 

“Eskel, what took you so long, hm? We have all been here for days, well except for Geralt.” A Witcher named Coen asked. 

“Oh, it was nothing.” Eskel replied. “Got distracted by a Kikimora. Managed to kill it, however it did leave me with a pretty nasty scar.” He pointed at a gash on his forearm.

You audibly winced, and Eskel’s eyes snapped to yours. They bore holes into you, and you uncomfortably shifted away, drinking from your cup. You felt Eskel approach you and kneel in front of you. You looked at him, and then past to see Geralt watching Eskel like a hawk. The other men also looked tense. 

“Who the hell are you?” he asked with slight disdain.

You swallowed your beer. “Y/N. I came here with Geralt.”

Eskel looked slightly surprised that Geralt would be willing to drag you around, but shook it off and grabbed your hand. You were about to yank it away when he placed a gentle kiss on it. 

“Welcome to Kaer Morhen, Y/N.” 

-- 

That night, Eskel decided to throw a party to celebrate the return of all the Witchers. He invited girls from the nearby town, and brought out almost all the alcohol in Kaer Morhen. You were glued to Geralt’s side most of the night, but when he had to go help Vesemir, you immediately caught the attention of Eskel. 

“Y/N! Come dance with me!” he shouted over the music.

“I am quite alright, Eskel. I might actually go to bed soon. I am very tired.” 

He frowned. “Aw come on, Y/N, just one dance?” 

You rolled your eyes but relented. He held one of your hands and put his other hand on your waist, pulling you against him. Your eyes widened at the sudden movement, but the music immediately started getting faster and you were pulled around the room by Eskel. 

Everything was going okay, until the music started slowing down and you felt Eskel’s hand going lower. He suddenly gripped your bottom, and you pushed yourself out of his grasp. 

“What the hell, Eskel?!” you yelled angrily. You then saw Geralt approach him from behind and spin him around. 

“Eskel, I think it’s time you go to bed.” he growled, anger clouding his eyes. 

Eskel grinned, clearly drunk out of his mind. “Your girl can dance quite well, Geralt. I wonder what else she can do. That must be the reason you keep her around. Mind if I have a go?” 

In a split second you saw the entire dynamic of the room change. Geralt’s fist connected with Eskel’s face at full force, and he was caught by Lambert, who was anticipating the fall. You looked shocked as Geralt approached you and put his hand on your lower back. He leaned down to your ear. 

“Let’s go.” he whispered. You nodded and followed him as he led you to your room. Your room was the nicest, with a queen bed and no rats. 

“Are you okay? I’m sorry about Eskel, he can be an idiot when he’s drunk.” Geralt asked you, concern flashing in his amber eyes.

“I’m okay, Geralt. Thanks for defending my honor.” you smiled playfully at him. He smirked back, and there was a beat of silence. 

You grabbed the back of Geralt’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. His rough hands immediately found your hips and his tongue pushed against your lips until you submitted to him. You threw your head back when you ran out of breath, and he kissed across your jaw and down your neck. You arched against him, relying on his solid chest and strong arms for support. He had backed you guys into a wall, and you felt his mouth going lower, running over your collarbone and the top of your cleavage. 

You grabbed his head and pulled him up to meet your gaze. The both of you stared at each other, breathing hard, until you shyly smiled at him. 

“I guess we’re more than friends, huh?” you asked. 

“Oh, darling, I’ve wanted to be more than friends since the moment I met you.” Geralt muttered, pulling you in for another searing kiss.

[gemstone-roses]

Where have I been?

Honestly, falling a part a lil bit. It has been an incredibly difficult time. Im not going into detail but we were affected by a completely tragic event weeks ago.

Thankyou to those who reached out, to those with requests I am working on them. I have over 70 in my inbox right now so thankyou for your patience 🫶.

I’m still here. My inbox / asks are open if you wanna say hi 🥹

[dreaming-about-fanfictions]

... 👰‍♀️: Moodboards ~ send me a personality trait and a character. I'll make a moodboard and write a short scene for it. For example: Morpheus x bookish!reader

Hello!! Can I please ask for Jaskier x Princess!reader please? Thank you! 😘

(click on the picture for better quality)

"You see, I am not meant for this."

"Not meant for what?" Jaskier chuckles and you feel it vibrate in his chest. He holds you close in his arms, thin sheets covering you, protecting you from the cold of the castle walls. "A warm bed? Money? Servants? Not having to worry about your next meal?"

"Boredom," you reply and click your tongue.

He laughs again. "You're spoilt, Princess."

You sit up and look at the bard. The soft features of his face, the perfectly messy hair, the warm grey eyes watching at you with so much love - and a hint of pain when he continues: "We both knew this wasn't meant for forever."

"You don't want to take me with you?", you frown.

"Oh, I want to take you anywhere, Princess." He places his hand underneath your chin and softly guided you down to him. The kiss tasted like spring and innocence and warm rays of sunshine. "Your parents would hunt us to the end of the continent. And I am not sure I can protect you out there. I couldn't live with myself if I let you get hurt."

"I know how to use a sword." Your lips brush over his as you speak. "And let the king hunt us. I don't care." There's a smile on your face and it's contagious.

"I didn't plan on falling in love with you, you know?" He brushes a strand of hair out of your face.

"Is that yes?"

"Geralt will kick my ass." He hesitates. "Alright."

The kiss that followed lost all of its innocence.

***

Hi love, I hope you like this! Thank you for sending in an ask (I'll get to the other soon!)

Join my Celebration

[spidertams]

A Geralt of Rivia, from back when I was reading the books

[onlymagpie]

In which Milva asks Regis for a trim, and she finds out about the vampire-mirror phenomenon

[spielzeugkaiser]

[MASTERPOST] - [prev] I just want you to imagine Jaskier, very early post trial, mostly nonverbal, not in control of his strength yet being just such a creepy kid sometimes. (His parents still love him obviously.) I also have a feeling that Jaskier is subconsciously 100% stressed at all times and wants to do his absolute best to please his parents and make zero mistakes so that they won't send him away again. (They didn't and he knows that, but he is just a traumatized child.)

[ro-is-struggling]

Secret Encounters || Geralt of Rivia x Reader

Requested by anon

Summary: They know it's wrong, but they can't deny the desire and lust that overcomes them every time they are together.

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, porn with a little bit of plot (not really), fingering, penetrative sex, mirror sex, rough sex, size kink, belly bulge, breeding kink, dirty talk, mentions of cheating (reader is engaged), fem reader (she’s a princess)

English is not my first language

Word count: 3900

Notes: I promise I'll stop writing tragic princess x witcher stories after this one. Also, sorry for the shitty summary but it's only smut so it was kinda hard to come up with something lol

Geralt had never been fond of royalty, but the moment his eyes fell on hers he knew she was different. He didn't really understand why, but he felt some type of way whenever she was near. Her perfume was intoxicating, a sweet scent that lingered on his clothes and skin and accompanied him wherever he went. He could not escape her even when he wandered alone through the forest in search of the beast he had been hired to kill... not even when he was lying in his bed at night, surrounded by the darkness of the room as he tried to rest. Her scent enveloped him at all times, awakening something deep inside him. It drove him crazy, crazy enough to act on his desires. 

He knew it was wrong, it was inappropriate to take advantage of the king's hospitality like that. And she knew it was wrong too, she was a princess soon to be married, a woman of high value who had no business with a witcher like Geralt. And yet, neither seemed to be able to stay away from the other. It was as if there was some kind of energy force pulling them together, the very will of destiny imposing itself over their own. When Geralt showed up at her chambers she knew she should have turned him away. No matter how much she had been longing for him to take her in his arms and make her his, the right thing to do was to reject him and move on with her life. In fact, she had opened the door with the intention of doing exactly that, but when her eyes met the imposing figure of the witcher, towering over her as his amber eyes admired her face, she could not resist the temptation. She gave in to her desires, crashing her lips against his in a desperate kiss as she slowly pulled him into her room.

The feel of his touch lingered on her body for days, her skin permanently marked by the roughness of his caresses and the warm wetness of his mouth. The sound of his grunts of pleasure as he buried himself in her echoed in her mind at all times. He was all she could think about. She knew it was wrong, but she needed to feel his hands on her body again, exploring every inch of her skin as he showed her pleasure like no other man could.

Despite their desperation, they were able to keep their hands off each other for a while. Though all their self-control disappeared by the time of Geralt's last day in the castle. After slaying the beast —and collecting his reward— the witcher was ready to leave when the king made him an offer he couldn't resist. There would be a feast in celebration of the fall of the creature that had terrorized the town and Geralt, as their savior, was the guest of honor. He would normally have declined the offer, although the promise of free food and alcohol sounded enticing, he hated the idea of being stuck with a bunch of drunken noblemen. However, this time it gave him the perfect excuse to stay there a while longer and say goodbye to the princess the right way —the way he knew they had both been fantasizing about since their last encounter.

The party quickly turned into a game of cat and mouse, defiant yellow eyes meeting hers in the crowd, admiring her lips as she laughed and the way her body moved as she danced. She was doing it on purpose, accepting the proposals of all the knights who bowed in front of her to provoke him. She wanted to spark a reaction in him, see how far she could push him, how far she could push the boundaries of their secret relationship. The thought of being caught filled her body with adrenaline, her heart pounding so hard against her chest that he could almost hear it over the noise of the party.

She waited for the right moment and took advantage of the first distraction to escape to her bedroom. Her eyes met Geralt's before disappearing behind the side door of the great hall, her desire-laden expression a silent plea for him to follow her. She sat in front of the large mirror in her room waiting for him, removing the jewelry from her hair and combing her hair without any haste. And just as she expected, only a few minutes after her arrival, she felt the sound of the door's wood creaking as it opened. She saw Geralt lock the door behind him in the reflection of the mirror and she had to hold back the smile that wanted to form on her lips —a failed attempt to save some of her decency and not look so desperate.

"You're not supposed to be here." She said as if his presence didn't make her heart race. "It's wrong."

"That's not what you said the other night." Geralt's deep voice was music to her ears, his slightly mocking tone awakening that tingle under her skin. He walked up to her, holding her gaze in the mirror as if challenging her. He stood tall at her back, close enough that she could feel the heat emanating from his body, but not close enough to feel the brush of his hands on her skin. 

"The other night was a mistake." She affirmed, setting the comb aside. It was true, their furtive encounter, though pleasurable, had been a mistake. But they both knew well that neither really cared. The desire they felt, the tension in the air, it was all too much, it clouded their thinking leaving them at the mercy of their most primitive feelings. 

Geralt reached out his hands to her, brushing her hair aside so he could caress her skin. He noticed how she stifled a sigh through the reflection of the mirror, his warm touch awakening that flame within her. His fingers moved gently across her shoulders, up her neck until they reached her cheeks. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, losing herself in the moment. It felt just as she remembered it, warm and hard, yet strangely soft and comforting at the same time. It was as if his hands had never left her skin, as if his caresses were permanently carved into her body.

"Do you wish for me to leave?" he said, his voice barely a raspy whisper. He knew the answer to her question, he could read it on her face, smell it in the air, feel it in the vein in her neck that throbbed rapidly beneath his fingers. But still, he needed to be sure he was right, hear from her lips the plea for his caresses. He needed to know that she was as desperate as he was.

She didn't give him a verbal response, just rose from her seat and pressed her lips to his. Geralt's hands closed around her waist, pulling her body against his as he quickly took control of the kiss. She didn't bother fighting for dominance, acknowledging her subordination to him almost immediately. She didn't need to win, she just needed to feel his hands on her skin again, gripping and caressing every inch of her body in a rush of pleasure until the early morning sun forced them apart.

There was nothing tender and soft about the way Geralt's lips attacked hers, only lust and desperation, but she loved every part of it. She loved the way his tongue invaded her mouth and how his teeth nibbled at her lips before moving his wet kisses down her neck, sucking and biting at the skin without fear of leaving marks. He knew he could do whatever he wanted with her as she was completely at his mercy, surrendered to the pleasure only he could give her. She didn't care if she had to spend the next week finding creative ways to hide the evidence of their furtive encounter, she just needed to feel him. She wanted him to mark her, to declare ownership over her body. She knew she belonged to him, always would, even if she never saw him again after tonight.

Clothes soon became a problem, a barrier that kept them apart, so desperate hands worked carelessly to fix it. Her dress was the first to go, the expensive fabric pooling around her feet leaving her naked body completely exposed to Geralt's hungry gaze. She should have been embarrassed, but nothing but lust and anticipation pumped through her veins. He was looking at her as if she were the most beautiful and sensual woman he had ever seen, as if she were a goddess he had the privilege of pleasing. Never before had anyone looked at her in that way, so intense, so filled with adoration. She loved it, it made her feel special, powerful. 

Geralt didn't waste a second, calloused fingers caressing every inch of exposed skin. It awakened a fire inside her, a tingling that spread throughout her body, concentrating on her core. His teeth nibbled at the sensitive skin of her neck, sinking his canines into her as his hands moved down to her breasts, earning a couple of sighs from the princess as he showed attention to her nipples erect with anticipation. He smiled against her neck, proud of himself as the scent of her arousal lingered in the air. It was an intoxicating scent, the sweet forbidden fruit begging him to take it.

When his fingers slipped between her wet folds, she let out a moan of pleasure as her grip on the witcher's shoulders tightened. It was as beautiful as he remembered, a harmonious melody traveling through him and going straight to his cock. It was the sound of temptation, of lust, urging him to carry on, to forget all rules of morality and decorum and take what was his.

“P-please, Geralt.” She pleaded against his lips. Her breathing was rapid and she looked up at him through half-closed eyelids. He slipped two of his fingers inside her with ease, pushing them as deep as he could and moving them until he made her moan. She looked so beautiful like this, her eyes closed in pleasure and her parted lips releasing those beautiful desperate sighs, completely at his mercy.It was an image that would stay in Geralt's mind for quite some time. 

"I know, I know," he soothed her, his free hand coming up to caress her cheek. "I have to get you ready for me."

"I-I need to feel you, p-please." She whimpered in a pathetic, desperate attempt to get him to do what she wanted. She needed to feel all of him, his hot skin pressed against hers, his fingernails sinking into the skin of her hips as he buried his cock deep inside her, his ragged breaths in the hollow of her neck. She needed him as much as she needed the air she breathed and could wait no longer.

Thankfully he took pity on her, removing his hands from her body to unbutton his pants. She suppressed the whimper that wanted to escape her throat as she felt empty without his fingers inside her, knowing the sensation would not last for long. Geralt instructed her to turn over and her body obeyed him before she could process his words or wonder what he was up to. Her body no longer belonged to her, it belonged to him and always would.

He held her against his chest for a moment, one hand roaming her body while the other held her head steady facing forward. She could feel his hard member pressed against her lower back as his heat enveloped her completely. Their gazes met in the mirror once more and she saw the darkness of desire staining the beautiful yellow orbs. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent before lowering his lips to her ear.

"I want you to look at yourself in the mirror as I fuck you, princess." Geralt whispered in her ear, his voice firm and slightly deeper than normal. His eyes never left hers in the mirror, studying her reaction in the reflection. "I want you to see how beautiful you look with your face scrunched up in pleasure so you'll remember it after I'm gone and your future husband can't make you feel this good."

He gave her no warning before pushing his hard cock into her tight wet hole, and he wasn't gentle either. A quick thrust of his hips and he was balls deep inside her as her velvety walls struggled to take him. Geralt was big, it was almost hard for him to fully fit inside her despite how aroused she was. But it wasn't painful, not in a bad way at least. She loved the way his cock stretched her, almost impaling her on it when it was all the way in. The burning only added to her pleasure, the knot in her belly tightening with the promise of her orgasm.

Geralt set a fast, torturous pace, earning a string of incoherent moans each time he touched that special place deep inside her. She could feel him twitching inside her as her walls closed around him, desperate to hold him in place. It was almost too much and not enough at the same time, a mixture of feelings born of her need for relief. The sound of skin slapping against skin combined with her cries of pleasure and Geralt's grunts filled the room. It was loud and she wouldn't be surprised if she discovered that someone passing through the corridor could hear them, but she didn't care. She felt too good to worry about anything else.

The pleasure she felt was so intense that she had trouble keeping her eyes open, her heavy eyelids closing involuntarily against the force of Geralt's thrusts. But each time she did, he tightened his grip on her jaw, growling in her ear for her to open them. The image reflected in the mirrored surface was too much for her to take. Her small figure wrapped in the strong arms of her lover towering over her and making her feel even smaller and more insignificant. The bulge forming in her lower belly with each thrust showed just how deep inside her Geralt was. His teeth on her neck, nibbling at the sensitive skin without taking his intense gaze away from her eyes in the mirror. And finally, her face, with parted lips letting out a string of melodious moans, and glassy eyes filled with tears that threatened to escape at the sheer intensity of what she was feeling. The expression of pure pleasure on her face was one she had never seen on her before  —and she feared that after tonight she would never see it again.

It was all too much for her, and the possessive way Geralt was acting didn't help her in the slightest. He was determined to leave a mark on her, both physically and mentally. He wanted her to see traces of him on her own skin after he was gone, but he also wanted to make sure she remembered him. Make sure she remembered the intensity of the moment and the way he had made her feel. He wanted her to think of him every time her future husband left her unsatisfied, touching herself to relieve the pressure inside her as images of him in this very moment flashed through her mind. 

He made sure to let her know his intentions between grunts of pleasure, feeling her walls close around his member with every word that left his lips. She liked it as much as he did and that only egged him on.

"Geralt, please," she begged, not quite sure of what it was she was asking of him. Please stop because the pleasure traveling through my veins is too much to bear? Please keep going and don't stop until I'm passed out from exhaustion and you've ruined me for the rest of the men? She wasn't sure, both options were equally valid.

"I know... just let go," he encouraged her, his warm breath crashing against the skin of her ear as he spoke. "Just let go for me, princess."

Her body took his words as a command and it wasn't long before the knot in her belly snapped, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her insides. Her orgasm hit her like a pile of bricks, leaving her completely stupid. Geralt's name escaped her lips like a prayer as she lost herself in pleasure. All thought left her mind, she could only feel as her lover's thrusts slowed, her body trembling in his arms from overstimulation.

She only had a couple of seconds to recover, whining as she felt empty when Geralt pulled away from her momentarily. Her legs were weak and she struggled to stand, so he took her in his arms and laid her down on the bed carefully. He settled into the space between her legs, taking a moment to admire her and caress her body before continuing. His hands ran over her warm, sweat-covered skin in an almost gentle way, an act that contrasted with the roughness of his behavior so far but was nonetheless welcomed by her.

The tenderness didn't last long, though, because once he slid his cock inside her once more, he returned to the animalistic grunts and punishing rhythm of his thrusts. This time it was more desperate and erratic, letting her know that he was close to his own orgasm. His cock twitched inside her, threatening to paint her velvety walls with his seed. The very idea was enough to have her on the edge again. 

"You feel me, princess?" He said, taking one of her hands and bringing it down to her lower belly. He pressed it against her skin, trapping it between his palm and the bulge forming there from his cock. It added a new sensation and she couldn't contain the moan that escaped her throat. "Feel how deep inside of you I am?

"Fuck," she cursed, eyes rolling back as her free hand clutched at Geralt's wrist to make sure he didn't move it off her belly. The pressure felt too good, wave after wave of pleasure coursing through her with a force that left her breathless.

"I'm the only one who gets is deep, f-fuck, the only one who makes you feel this way." He wasn't asking, it was a clear statement, but still she nodded, letting out repeated affirmations between high-pitched moans.

"I belong to you... My body is forever yours, no one will ever make me feel this good." The animalistic growl he let out at those words almost pushed her over the edge, leaving her on the verge of her second orgasm. She knew he was close too, she could feel it in his erratic thrusts and the way his cock twitched inside her. She needed to feel him come undone for her, to paint her walls white as he emptied his seed inside her. She needed him to mark her, to claim her as his own. They both knew a relationship between them was impossible, but she would always be his in secret. Her body would always miss him.

"Please, I need to feel you." She managed to say between moans and ragged breaths. "I need you to fill me up, please." She sounded pathetic at this point, but she didn't care. All she cared about was feeling Geralt's seed trickling down her thighs as she tried to catch her breath. 

The witcher groaned, a cocky smile playing on his lips. One of his hands flew to the headboard of the bed, the wood creaking under his strong grip as he adjusted his position. The new angle allowed him to reach even deeper —if that was even possible—, impaling her on his cock as she cried out in pleasure. Her nails dug into his back, leaving traces of red marks on his skin.

"You're desperate for it, aren't you?" he teased her arrogantly. "Don't worry, princess, I'm gonna shoot my seed so deep inside of you that you'll carry it for days. Is that what you want? You want me to mark you as mine? You want to feel me between your legs while you swear loyalty to your husband?"

"Yes! Fuck, Geralt, please... mark me, claim me as yours, please." 

The witcher did not expect to find it so erotic to hear her admit her deepest desires, but he did. It awakened something inside him, a primal desire that took over his body. He became an animal, a fierce, possessive wolf that was desperate for some relief. After all, that was exactly what their relationship was, pure animal instinct, pure lust and desperation. An intense attraction they couldn't resist even when they knew how wrong it was.

He came with a loud grunt, emptying his load inside her warm, tight walls. She felt every drop of it, her cunt filled to the brim with his desire for her. The intensity of his orgasm triggered hers, her body trembling under Geralt's weight, her walls tightening around his cock, milking him for everything he had. His name fell from her lips as pleasure consumed her, a prayer begging him to stay with her. He knew it was impossible, but in that moment - mind clouded with pleasure as he felt her crumbling beneath him - he really considered it. He wanted to feel her body against his again, hear the sound of her voice as she moaned his name outside of his memories. He needed her.

But that was just a fantasy, the desire for the impossible. She was a princess who was soon to be married and he was a witcher who had nothing to do with the court and royal affairs. She was not his —even if her body was— and he was not hers. And that was the hard truth. So when he came to his senses he rose from his place on the bed, where he rested with her beside him. The princess watched him as he dressed, trying to ignore the strange feeling of emptiness that came over her at the thought that once he crossed the threshold of the door she would never see him again.

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked in a whisper, as if afraid of being heard. Geralt admired her naked figure on the bed as he contemplated his answer, liking the way the dim candlelight illuminated her skin covered in a thin layer of sweat. As wrong as it was, he would really like to see her again, but the truth was he didn't know if it would happen. The future was uncertain, especially in his line of work, so to give her a straight answer would be to lie to her.

"Only time will tell."

[nnightskiess]

everytime you leave, part eight

₊° - 𝐲𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.

everytime you leave, masterlist

tw: mentions of trauma and not wanting to live anymore

a special thank you to each and every wonderful person who has stuck around to wait for this story to unfold.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 <3

After hours spent studying magical, political and courtly intrigues, your feet dragged you towards Tissaia's wing in Aretuza. Walking the path felt like second nature to you after all these weeks. It was still a foreign feeling; the realisation that you were capable of magic, and the phantom feeling of your burns always begged you not to forget the event that had made you discover your destiny. Despite all the terror, the fear and the insecurity still lingering inside your head, you were actually starting to become genuinely interested in exploring your Chaos after some small victories of your control. You had even warmed up to the idea of Tissaia being your unspoken warden, despite the woman being a reminder of the ruins she'd plucked you from. She was a strict woman who valued respect and the eagerness to learn, and it seemed that you had proven to her you were capable of exactly that, seeing as her harsh teachings had gotten a little gentler lately. She'd mostly given you books and scrolls to study, incantations to memorise and motions to forge into your memory. Though your eagerness to gain control over your magic, you were grateful for the hours spent studying—each opportunity you took to put your Chaos to use meant one more chance to lose control over it as well.

Though your energy was depleted after the hours spent learning the proper pronunciation of Elder speech spells, the accurate hand movements and how to work with runes, crystals and amulets, you were still filled with eager anticipation to see what Tissaia would teach you this time. All these classes were overwhelming you to no end, and you finally realised why it took mages years to hone all the skills they were supposed to possess before their ascension. Still, you were adamant about not letting yourself take that long. Though still feeling unattainable now, you knew you'd have a sliver of freedom again after your ascension. The more control you had over your Chaos, the more trust the Brotherhood would put in you, and the less tight the collar around your neck would be- or so you thought.

You opened the door to her office, ready to prove your worth once more.

It surprised you to see Yennefer sitting in your usual spot. The only time the two of you were in this office together was during your detention hours. It had always only been Tissaia and you during your private lessons.

The girl's violet eyes narrowed in curiosity as she watched you approach.

"Y/N, take a seat."

You could tell by Tissaia's voice that you weren't in any trouble. Still, your eyes flashed across Yennefer's momentarily, the girl now giving you a look filled with equal confusion as those of your own.

Tissaia stood up, emptied the water from a pitcher into a vase and shoved it forward. It became clear what she had in mind for today.

"I want you to let the water disappear." Tissaia spoke, "If you both succeed, we'll go onto the next task."

Immediately, Yennefer perked up, "I thought detention would be over after we succeeded?"

Tissaia furrowed her brows, giving her a look that made the young mage shut up, "I am giving you a chance to learn more than your peers. You don't want it?"

Yennefer slouched back in her chair, lips sealed shut and eyes widening in intrigue. It seemed something shifted inside of her as she thought it over, "Why do we get to learn more?"

Tissaia smiled, having been prepared for this question, "There are mages, powerful ones, who ignore their emotions. They aid their Chaos with their knowledge and lead with confidence in their own capabilities. They do not know any better but to have ruled over their Chaos the second they felt it. They never had to fight for control, they were never in a battle with themselves, they were never searching, fighting or longing for that inner peace." She paused for a beat, "And then there are mages who get consumed by their emotions, let it fuel their energy or let it break them apart. Their power stands directly in line with the well-being of their soul. The focus and control it takes to both oversee your emotions and Chaos and don't let either one take over but dominate them both, is something not many mages will have to learn to do." A pregnant pause followed as she watched how the two of you had clung onto her every word, "Except for us."

Your voice was small as you wondered, "Us?" You somehow felt estranged that Aretuza's rectoress was naming the three of you within the same breath.

Tissaia's face softened, "Do not think I never struggled finding the balance of my Chaos simply because of the seat I now hold. It is precisely why I know I cannot treat you like the others and anticipate the same results. You two walk into a room and it starts getting stuffy, you fail at a task and I can feel your Chaos bounce against your chest in a hot fury at the defeat, you bring yourself to bed and still you are too overpowered with worries and fears to find your sleep." She gave the two of you a serious stare, "Instead, you tear apart a room before your emotions finally settle, endangering the lives of others, and that of your own. It is your job to control your Chaos, not become it." She leaned forward, "My duty is to mend you into fine mages... but what if I send you out into the Continent on behalf of the Brotherhood, and your precious little feelings get hurt and you submit to Chaos, and you decide to let your emotions reign and this time tear up a village instead, whose fault would that be?"

You knew she directed these words towards you, and you refused to meet her eye.

"Yours."

Tissaia nodded at Yennefer, eyes still boring into yours to get you to look up at her so that she could see you understood. Still, you refused.

"I do not say this to rip apart your morale or to belittle or frighten you. I say this so that we may all keep our heads when the time comes when I let you two ascend."

Yennefer looked at you, having sensed your impending silence. Something was wrong- you felt off, and she could sense an erratic sensation being transmitted from you.

"Look at me. Both of you." Tissaia ordered, her voice rising as she warned you, "Y/N."

Her eyes were steely as you looked up.

"I need you to understand the possible severity of the consequences each time you use your Chaos. It is a gift, but not one we throw around carelessly. We hold the power of saving or destroying the very lands we have tried to keep in balance for centuries. One wrong move from an inexperienced or out-of-control mage and all that the Brotherhood has built up will be forfeited."

Her heeded warning felt like a backhanded compliment. On one hand, she was praising you and Yennefer by calling you within one breath of her own name and skills, on the other, she was not displaying lots of trust in your progress ahead with her speech. You doubted any of the other mages had ever gotten such a personal warning, aside from the usual ones your teachers would alert you of each class. No, it was clear Tissaia was trying her best to have her words hit how she wanted them, to have them instil some fear into you so that her voice and her warning would echo in your mind for the rest of your long lives.

"Have I made myself clear?"

Slowly and a little unsurely, the two of you nodded. Why Tissaia was singling Yennefer and you out, remained a mystery.

Tissaia sighed, "Use your words."

"Yes."

"You have."

She pursed her lips, sensing the sincerity in both your eyes. This was enough for now. One day, when it felt right, she would maybe let you in on what she had decided to do with you. But not now. She needed to be absolutely sure first, and she would have to be... on the day of your acsension.

"Very well. Now show me what you have practised," Tissaia's eyes bore into those of Yennefer, making it clear who would be up first.

Yennefer tensed slightly. She knew she could do it, she had come close to succeeding the last time, if only she hadn't looked up to see if you were watching her. She'd lost her focus then, blaming the ringing in her ears that had suddenly picked up and turned to a painfully high pitch until her ears had popped again. It had happened quite often when in your orbit, but as of late, she'd gone from hating all the sensations to finding a strange and unwelcome solace in the way it all mirrored the feeling of what she'd imagine floating to feel like. It was calming in a sense, despite hating the uncertainty of why and what her Chaos was making her feel. But last time, she'd had leaves and petals to chew on and keep her grounded, and she'd had your calming presence in the room instead of Tissaia's looming one. That, and Tissaia's warning words rung in her mind now, making her the slightest bit uneasy to use her Chaos.

The need to prove herself won.

Yennefer stood up and grabbed the vase off the desk. She closed her eyes to better feel what was happening inside of her instead of focusing too much on what was happening with the water.

You leaned forward in your seat, hoping to catch a glance at whatever was going to happen. There was a tiny voice whispering in your ear that maybe, if Yennefer failed, your own failure wouldn't be seen as the worst. It filled you with guilt, and karma caught up with you. Lo and behold, the water slowly disappeared, albeit drop by drop. Yennefer dared to peek through her eyes when she felt the vase's weight lessen, and she let out a soft sigh when she realised it had worked.

Tissaia dipped her head in acknowledgement, then turned to you, "Go ahead." Her softspoken words coaxed you out of your seat. Yennefer hovered next to you and spared you a tightlipped smile. Her fingers brushed against your own as she handed you the vase.

You both knew you had to achieve this accomplishment after Tissaia's words about not letting emotions get the best of you, including nerves. Hours had been spent practising this very thing, and you had succeeded only once, which you still thought was thanks to sheer luck. Your palms were sweaty as you watched the water pour back into the vase, and you swore it seemed like there was more water in it now than when it had been Yennefer's turn. Perhaps those were just the nerves. Your palms were turning sweaty and it made the vase feel all the more heavier each as you clenched it in your hands to not let it drop to the floor.

"Today, Y/N."

"Just like last time," Yennefer whispered from beside you, her eyes transfixed on you and the vase in your trembling hands.

Tissaia watched the two of you; how your eyes met those of Yennefer after her whispered encouragement, how Yennefer kept glancing at the side of your face even after you had focused back on the water. You took a deep breath and could feel the calm company of your Chaos engulfing you like an old friend. You had improved- you both had- in such a small amount of time. Tissaia couldn't help but feel fulfilment at the two of you... and herself, for thinking of the genius idea to pair you together. It had been a gamble at first, with Yennefer's fiery nature and your initial defiance, but a certain stability enveloped the pair of you now. The need to prove yourself and to finally tame the thundering storm within had won from the indifference. It was a surprise even to yourself. Yennefer had usually snapped or kept to herself when you were together, but it seemed that when you'd stuck up for her in the dining hall, and come to her room to apologise, something had shifted within the raven-haired mage.

At peace and willing yourself to get it done this time, you watched as the water level dropped ever so slightly. Until it started to splutter and bubble back to the surface. You took a step back in surprise, bumping into Yennefer who held you steady by your elbow.

Your panicked eyes flitted to Tissaia, waiting for the scowl that didn't come; her expression didn't falter. She desperately needed to see how you would deal with a setback. Would you let it be and agree to defeat, or would you try again and vanquish?

Use your surroundings, it can be your greatest ally.

So you did just that, immediately eyeing the freshly plucked pink carnation in one of the other vases on Tissaia's desk. Without another thought, you dared to reach over and pluck one out, dropped it in the vase and started over. Yennefer knew what the thought process behind this action had been— all things held life, and thus all things were made of Chaos. To use your surroundings was to help control your Chaos better. To latch onto another living form of Chaos, was to aid your Chaos in its pursuit.

Tissaia tilted her head and watched as slowly but surely, the once beautiful flower dropped, turned yellow and finally wilted from overhydration— you had made it suck up all the water. She straightened her back when you were done with your creative approach and put the vase back on her desk.

The silence was deafening, and neither you nor Yennefer could read the thoughts on the face of your rectoress.

"I suppose it is time for the next hurdle- to further train your communication skills, at the very least." She eventually said.

"What do you mean?"

"We can talk, write and read just fine.”

Tissaia ignored you both and pulled a book out of her desk drawer, rummaged through it and shoved it towards the two of you— Telepathy, it read.

"Mind reading, though the same idea, is something else entirely when it comes to telepathy. Telepathy is a way to make contact with others without using your voice, to be able to hear and understand what they are saying to you without them opening their mouth, even from a far distance. So long as you can feel and tune in on one's Chaos, you can make the connection. Though a mage of some stature should be able to do this, your intuitions are not strong enough at the moment, especially yours." Tissaia singled you out, making your confidence shrink substantially.

"What's wrong with her intuition?" Yennefer's voice suddenly sounded very insulted, as if she took Tissaia's words as an attack on herself.

"Y/N lacks confidence in the abilities of her magic. She fears the use of it, as if her Chaos and she are not one and the same," Tissaia turned to Yennefer, "You know it is part of you, you feel Chaos bristling at your very core, but you simply block yourself by wanting to grasp it too hard. Both of you will have to work on solving that blockade before we can continue."

"How?"

"By trial and error."

"How?" You repeated yourself, not liking the uncertainty of things, nor the glint in Tissaia's eyes.

"You will see." Tissaia smiled gently, closed the book shut with a thud, gestured for one of you to grab it and stood up to grab her cigar, a clear message for you to get up and leave.

Yennefer stood there with the book tightly clutched against her chest, eyes flickering between yours and Tissaia's back, who was staring out her window now. You softly pulled at Yennefer's sleeve, motioning her to leave with you.

Once the tall heavy doors of rectoress De Vries's office fell shut and you trudged through the hallway, you turned to her again.

"What do we do with the book?"

"Use it as kindle, clearly," She rolled her eyes, but you heard the playful quip in her voice.

"Gods, that'll send rectoress De Vries to an early death," You huffed, deciding to join her banter, "And then have her haunt us for the rest of our lives."

She scrunched her nose at you, a singular soft chuckle leaving her lips. You smiled along, enjoying how you'd managed to break through her barrier.

You motioned at the book in her hands, "You can have it first, we'll read it in turns."

Yennefer furrowed her brows, having half expected your company while reading through it since it was still part of your detention, albeit not in the office of your rectoress. And she had come to quite like your reserved presence beside her after class. You let her make mistakes without commenting on them, without giving her a look of disdain or a sound of indifference. Most of all, you didn't treat her like she was any different than the others. Though, it was clear you hadn't felt the same about her presence. A sense of dread filled her and she listened to the devil on her shoulder yap in her ear.

See? No one will ever tolerate you enough to spend time in your presence unless absolutely necessary. You were a fool for ever thinking otherwise.

"What's wrong?" You nudged her with your elbow, "Can't read, after all? Need me to read it to you?" Your chuckled jests pulled her out of her trance. She schooled her features and huffed. You stumbled slightly when she harshly pushed the book against your chest and rushed away from you.

You watched her leave while you wondered what you had said wrong.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

Today's class had been all about cleansing rituals and how to use certain herbs, crystals and scents to do so. It was the second one you'd had on the topic and it had already interested you gravely, for you had sensed the cleansing often helped with emptying your mind and balancing your emotions. One of your teachers, Nina Vivero, had shown which herbs, plants, fruits and other living things to use to pull strength from when your own bottle was depleted or overgrown by your emotions. For example, you'd learned that juniper berries cleansed and hunted out any negative energy that could creep up, and that it protected you from dark emotions from others. She'd informed the class that from now on, you could chew some berries at the end of each day to restore your Chaos.

Your next class would be a study class so that your Chaos could be replenished. Biruta Icarti, another one of your teachers at Aretuza, was probably going to talk about the history of the mages of the Continent again. It was important to know of the mages that had come before you and what they had done to keep the balance on the lands.

The classroom was already half-filled as you rounded the corner and their hushed conversation reached your ears. Instantly, you ducked back behind the curtains of the alcove.

"Hilda heard from Florence, who heard from Daena that Yennefer and Y/N blew up her room, that's the noise we heard. That's why they're still in detention, not because they're one of the new ones and the worst of the class."

"I'm sure they thought they could practice in the middle of the night without anyone knowing. I can't believe they honestly thought it wouldn't backfire like that, what with their terrible control."

"I would've paid to see the look on rectoress De Vries's face when she found out."

"Why do you think Yennefer was in Y/N's room to begin with?"

"Obviously to try and bewitch her, since no one would ever willingly be that monster's friend."

Not wanting their thoughts to run rampant and create more destructive rumours, you approached with a furied determination in your step. Their eyes immediately widened at your reveal.

"Are you so insecure about yourself that you resort to bringing others down?" Your gaze pierced that of Jutta's, "Or do you want to badmouth Yennefer so bad just to get in Fringilla's good graces?"

Jutta gaped at you, nothing left to say, when the girl next to her spoke up, "Oh, no, it seems she did manage to bewitch you. Who would've thought?"

Jutta pushed a chuckle out, while her eyes remained wide and filled with guilt, feeling trapped between two sides.

"Good luck being that hunchback's friend. People born like that are wicked, a mistake, a blunder of the universe. Freya did not intend things who look like that to walk among us."

"Fuck you and your Skellige beliefs, you horrible bitch."

You heard the swishing of her garments and the cadence of her uneven step before you saw her hurry out of the classroom as fast as she had entered.

Yennefer.

The girls watched you, clearly expecting you to follow Yennefer. And you did, because to hell with what they thought of it. Their laughter faded with each step you took to follow the raven-haired mage. It seemed Yennefer was aware of your pursuit when she picked up her pace.

"Yennefer!"

Instantly, she turned around, her jaw locked, her chin wobbling in anger, or misery, and her posture more tense than ever. She walked up to you, getting in your face as she spat, "I don't need your fucking help!"

You reared back, surprised she'd lashed out at you, "So you would have rather I let them talk about you like that?!"

"You think yourself some hero?! You're not my saviour! So stop fucking embarrassing me any further!"

"But it's not okay!"

"But it is my reality!" Yennefer spat back, matching your frustration.

"It doesn't have to be!" You stepped closer, eyes begging her to listen to you, to hear the message between your spoken words— that she had a friend in you, if she wanted to.

Yennefer scoffed and took a step back. Her eyes flashed across your face for a couple of seconds. You let her, knowing not to push her now. She huffed out a breath when she saw the sincerity on your face.

"You'll never get it, you're all the same," She muttered, voice small and broken. She gave you one last defying look and hurried away from you.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

"Bay leaf and calendula— all connected to the element of fire and beneficiary to hone your Chaos when you want to control it when fire's near. Every mage is known to have a sachet on or near them for protection and guidance. At Aretuza, you will learn your weaknesses and your dangers and gradually fill your sachet until the day of your ascension. You can put in whatever you react positively to, what soothes you or encourages you." Tissaia handed you the emerald velvet sachet with the dried leaves, "It is also not uncommon to put in little keepsakes and use them as talismans, seeing as gifts given to us with good intentions will hold bright energies." Then, she opened a tiny chest with rough crystal clusters, and let her fingertips rake over them before taking out a small brownish-grey stone. It looked sharp, chipped and rugged.

"This is a smoky quartz," She dropped the crystal in your hand, wrapping your fingers around it and pressing your hand to your chest, wanting you to connect with it and feel its energy, "It will aid to ground you and to release the fears wanting to take control over your Chaos."

The cold chipped crystal dug into the flesh of your palm. It numbed your hand.

"Tell me what you feel."

"I feel... heavy."

Tissaia nodded, deep in thought, rummaged through her chest again, and pulled out a vibrant yellow crystal. She quickly swapped the crystals in your hand, "Citrine, among one of the most potent crystals to release stress and have you enter a state of levity and optimism."

You let it sit in your palm for a while, knowing what she was expecting from you "Nothing... I don't feel a thing."

Once again, Tissaia swapped the crystal for another. This time, it was a lilac-grey one, smooth around the edges but with clear indents and cracks. It was cold against your skin as you thumbed the crystal. It was heavier than the others had been, but it fit nicely in your palm.

"Lepidolite," Tissaia started and smiled gently, sensing the change in your demeanour, "Used to stabilise moods, encourage emotional healing and clear blockages."

"It's warm." Your eyes looked up to see Tissaia had leaned in with delicate excitement on her face after sensing your intrigue, "It wasn't warm before."

"It takes to you."

You played with the crystal a little more, "Is it a fire crystal?"

"It correlates to the element of water, but perhaps that is why it soothes you so." She watched you, "Can you feel its nurturing properties? It often feels like a mother's embrace to me, like all will be well." She realised her mistake when she saw you tense and quickly added, "It contains lithium, like the Waterfall of Blyveth."

"The one that cured the village in Tiele from hysteria centuries ago?"

She nodded, glad you had paid attention in your history classes, "This very crystal comes from the rocks surrounding the waterfall. Lepidolite isn't meant to be subjected to water, but that is what makes this particular one so unique."

You twirled it in your fingers, and Tissaia added, "Do you see the tiny grey lightning bolt veins? The glittery specks contrasting the dark purple and fading away into the light grey? They're scars from the water... and yet it still hasn't crumbled into a thousand tiny pieces."

Not unkindly, she grabbed the crystal out of your hand and dropped it into your emerald sachet, "It is yours to keep now."

Tissaia watched you peer into the sachet when she walked to her designated seat behind her desk again, adjusting the freshly clipped blue hydrangeas in their vase.

"Keep it under your pillow at night to shield you, in your pocket during the day to guide you. Don't neglect its presence or it will start to neglect you. It'll be like a sheen you cannot see, but you can feel."

"Can I add more crystals to it?"

"If you like." Tissaia played with the pendant around her neck, "Oftentimes, mages get necklaces of their favourite one to keep on their skin and close to their heart at all times. "I have a red carnelian in mine."

"For courage, resilience and strength?"

Tissaia nodded, "Very well, sweet girl." She watched as you pulled out the lepidolite once more and got another feel of it in your hands.

She had plucked you from your worst nightmare, had thrust you into a new life with no other choice and had watched you take to it like a fish to water, despite your qualms, defiance and worries. It was true— she'd cared for you the second she'd found you shivering and scarred and had attached herself to your journey. Your mother, whoever she'd been, could be proud of the young woman she had brought up. If only she could see you now and be proud of your strength, perseverance and brilliance. It saddened her that your mother would never meet the woman you would become. It hurt Tissaia that much more to realise that she would never become a mother and experience having a daughter to be proud of herself.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

Tissaia had ordered supper to be brought to you in your chamber after your private lesson had pushed you over to the edge of exhaustion. She'd had to give you an herbal concoction for you to even get to your chamber by yourself.

Though the idea of having supper by yourself in your draughty chamber sounded pathetic, you found yourself more at peace than you had in ages. The fire in the hearth slowly flickered and crackled, shooting embers up like dwindling fireflies. It was a quiet evening. The sun started to stay out longer now that Spring was near and you had come to grow fond of the soft lapping sounds of the water below. You could still smell the lingering heavy scent of mugwort on your clothes from when Tissaia had shown you how to cleanse yourself.

Tissaia's book about telepathy lay open on the desk next to you. You turned another page before taking a bite of today's supper.

"The art of communicating through telepathy is born from the ability to sense the energies of those around you. When this connection is made, it is even possible for a mage of somewhat capable stature to sense energy and therefore Chaos, regardless of distance. If the overall connection between mages decreases, the ability to sense their Chaos will gradually diminish. This form of communication was invented by sorcerer Bethel of Tamary before the birth of the first mage communities and has been a well-known and common practice ever since among mages and sorcerers."

You turned the page, where a sketch of two mages filled most of the paper. One of the mages was drawn with outstretched arms, their Chaos painted like a thin golden sheen around them, growing darker the further it neared their core. The other mage had a hand outreached, their fingers barely touching the Chaos of the other and fingers already turning the same shade of gold as that of the other mage's Chaos.

"Everything that lives has an energy field— a form of Chaos. After all, we are not only made of matter, flesh and bones. Our Chaos, and even the energy of non-mages, always extends beyond our physical exterior, such as our body heat. Such an energy field is often called an aura. The energy flows take place between these energy fields. For mages, this means that we can often feel one another's Chaos, and tap into that for our benefit. In this case, for telepathy. People's Chaos sometimes merge with each other for a while, for example when you feel you are with a kindred spirit. You are, as it were, one and the same for a moment in a way that children are often one with their mothers when in their wombs. In some connections, the shared field of Chaos is stronger than the individual one and can be felt and reached even when one is not in eyesight. Sometimes a person's intuition and control over their energy field are an innate fact, but often it is much more agile and open to improvement than one might think."

You hissed when a sudden sharp twitch was felt in your stomach. You pulled up the fabric of your tailored garments and noticed how your scars expanded and retracted with each breath. Triss had healed your wounds weeks ago, and you had just stopped taking the burn elixirs, so you knew this pain was another phantom sensation. Suddenly, you weren't hungry anymore.

You looked up and saw yourself in the mirror perched in front of you on the desk. The young girl whose reflection you'd seen in lake surfaces and the odd dirty mirror on a market was gone. Instead, a young woman, aged by her terrors and trauma and the change and knowledge of her new life looked back at you. It pained you how you didn't recognise yourself anymore, for that meant your family wouldn't either. Perhaps that was for the better, for you to see them as two different versions of yourself. One was blissfully unaware of her future, the other bitterly acquainted with her past. One had seen terror, and was filled with regret and grief at her own actions. The other had been given a second chance, but at what cost?

Was your family here with you now? Was that even possible? Was your mother looking at you with pride in the resilience you'd shown? Was your father's heart aching for the little girl he'd once held for the first time? Were your siblings standing behind you, hovering over your shoulder to keep you company wherever you went? Or were they resenting you that you had been given a new life? A promise to live one of status and power, of great wealth, at the cost of their lives? Would they fear you would forget them and your sacrifice as you turned older and bitter?

You stumbled away from the desk, threw yourself under your covers and clung onto your pillow as the sobs racked your body. You found the sachet on your nightstand and pulled out the lepidolite, but despite Tissaia's words, it could never replace the warmth of your mother's warm embrace.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

Tissaia's steel gaze watched as novice upon novice started to fill the room. As expected, Yennefer was the last to appear through the door and trudged to her designated seat in the corner, but the seat in front of her was still vacant. You were nowhere to be seen, and this was the first time you hadn't shown up to a class. First, you hadn't dared to miss one out of fear of breaching your deal with your rectoress, and later out of intrigue for your classes.

"Has anyone seen Y/N?"

"Probably too afraid to show up after yesterday's miserable display in Miss Grethel's class."

"No wonder Rectoress De Vries calls her pup. Even after being her lapdog, she still cannot seem to get anything done."

Yennefer heard Amalie whisper to Jutta. She clenched her teeth and glared at the back of their heads, hoping they could feel her thundering stare.

"Or maybe she magically disappeared like I've heard all the pathetic ones do after the first few months."

"If that were true, you two wouldn't be sitting here now, and Y/N would be sitting in your seat." Yennefer sneered. Amalie and Jutta turned around, snickering behind their hands as they looked at her, clearly unaffected. She sat straighter when they clearly looked at her crooked posture.

"Please, as if."

Yennefer's knuckles went white as she gripped the edges of her table, "You know how hard it is to use your Chaos when you're filled with emotions? No, you don't know, you don't have any, and that's what will make you lousy, useless mages."

"Enough." Tissaia lifted her hand, diffusing the situation, "I asked a simple question that could be answered with yes or no."

A collective 'no' sounded through the classroom.

"Yennefer?" Tissaia tilted her head when the girl had kept quiet. She'd noticed an imperceptible unspoken connection wavering like an invisible cord of Chaos between the two young mages as of late, which she was sure the girls weren't even aware of themselves yet. If there was anyone in Aretuza who you'd started to subconsciously let in, even slightly and superficially because you had to for detention, it was Yennefer.

"No," She muttered through gritted teeth, still reeling. Though, she could not help but feel curious about where you were. She hadn't seen you in the central hall yesterday evening for supper either, no matter how often she'd glimpsed at the entry each time someone had walked in. And now that she thought about it, something felt off. The skin on the back of her neck had been constantly prickling and her stomach had been burning ever since she'd woken up. Her Chaos was restless, waging a war inside of her the more attention she gave it.

Tissaia closed her eyes momentarily, trying to single out every bubble of Chaos currently residing in the tower. It did not take her long to sense yours, as it was screaming and raging and tugging at the borders of its confinement. Something was terribly wrong, and although she had taught you a great deal already, it felt like your emotions were too out of sorts for you to deal with them yourself.

"Everyone- get a set of runes and one of the level three scrolls and stay seated. Study the phrases until I return."

No one dared to defy Tissaia as she glared at each one of them, making sure they got the message.

"Is she in trouble?"

Tissaia heard Yennefer's voice wonder as she walked past. She stopped, stared at the girl, really stared at what was within, and walked out of the classroom, towards your bristling Chaos.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

A sharp pain shot through your temples and numbed your eye sockets, its tension travelling to your jaw and neck. You wanted to tear the skin off your face but were too busy sitting through the shivering of searing white hot heat tearing through your limbs. It was hard to stop yourself from shaking, it was as if someone had put you in the back of a cart driving on a gravelly road. Each inhale drilled an intense pain to the places where you'd been burned that damned day.

It had been like this all morning. It had started last night after you had no more tears left to spill. You'd thought the pounding headache was a result of all your crying, but when the phantom pain picked up and the heat started to simmer through you, you knew something else was going on. It was your absolution, you were certain. You could've yelled for help, though you were sure your whimpers wouldn't have even reached the other side of your chamber, but perhaps this was your end. The Chaos within you was probably spluttering and taking the reigns, burning you from the inside. You would share the fate of your family. And it was okay. You could have peace with that.

Someone else clearly couldn't.

You caught a breath as two arms pulled you out of your heap on the bed and against their torso, delicate hands slapping your clammy and bloody cheeks to keep your burning eyes from falling shut. A handkerchief was pushed against your nose and a smell which you could only describe as a freezing sensation whirled into your nose. You coughed, spluttered and fought against their hold. They were taking your absolution from you, willing you to stay and live with the consequences of your actions.

"No-" You twisted and turned, regaining some of your strength, but sagged against their lap as soon as you heard the muttered incantation. You recognised her voice immediately, though it lacked the usual harshness and sounded more... frantic this time.

Tissaia de Vries.

The incantation immediately did its thing. It was as if you started to float out of your body, and when you fell into a slumber, everything was clouded in darkness.

It could've been minutes, maybe hours, perhaps even days or weeks, but when you opened your eyes, you knew you had been out for longer than what had been expected, going by the wilted flower on the nightstand beside your bed in the infirmary. The fresh smell of the lilac had long ago turned to a sour one, penetrating your nose together with the heavy smells of lavender, sage and incense. Immediately, your throat tightened as you remembered what had happened. For you, it had been no more than a few seconds ago. However, you calmed down when you realised no pain or tension was stirring within you.

The early Spring sun was blaring through the tall window on your right, lighting the infirmary and showing your bed was the only one occupied. It was how you caught a shadow moving and when you realised your rectoress was staring at you from underneath the arch of the doorway.

"You finally felt safe enough to let it all go.''

Her heels clicked on the cold tile floors as she approached your bed.

"I overestimated the potency of your trauma, though I should have realised how such an event would cling to you, despite you concealing it. That miscalculation is on me."

Although exhausted, you managed to sit up, "What?" You hated how much your voice quivered, and how much you sounded like a younger version of you, wanting to cling to your mother like an infant child after a scraped knee.

"You stored what you've been through in your body, locked away because you were thrust onto this new road in an unfamiliar environment. You've been stuck in what some might call a state of constant fight or flight, a state of distress. With everything else going on lately, you have subconsciously shelved your trauma, and it has therefore taken root inside of your body. It shook you awake last week, willing you to deal with it as soon as you finally sensed some resemblance of safety. You are quite fortunate, for it can often take others years to get to that moment of salvation."

Her casual announcement that you had been asleep for over a week flew over your head, "Salvation?!" You spluttered, feeling incredulous, "I don't care. I don't care about any of it."

Her fingers grazed over the sachet next to your head, where you figured your rectoress had put it.

"You experienced the stimulus of the lepidolite."

"Fuck you and your stupid stone," You protested, chest heaving with rage and a new set of unshed tears "Why didn't you just leave me be?!"

"Because the fire still stored inside, the fire within the cells beneath your burns, was threatening to obliterate you. You absorbed the flames of the pillaging going on around you that day to use for the destruction, and some of it has still not left you. Your Chaos has clung to it, like two birds of a feather. It sees it as its equal, as its predecessor and creator... as it was what awakened it... and you were letting it take over."

All these words hurt your head again, or perhaps you simply did not care enough to try to see sense in Tissaia's explanation.

"I fear you will forever have to be cautious not to succumb to the contusion from within, especially when your emotions plummet to a level low enough for your trauma to take the upper hand again. Like a mother giving birth to a babe, you will always be bonded to fire in a way, whether you want to or not."

"You took my freedom from me. Twice."

"Would you rather have been left to die than to see what it'll be like to reach your full potential? Do you really think your parents would rather see you dead among them than living and persisting?" She stood by the edge of your bed, "Is that really what you want? Is that how you want to compensate for their sacrifice? Do you want their deaths to be in vain?"

The window started to rattle in its hinges, your fingers shaking and your breathing ragged as images splayed across your mind. You heard their screams, smelt their melted flesh and hair and saw their figures run around in desperate need to quell the flames. You felt your control gripping out of your reach all over again as you relived their deaths. Then you heard the loud rumble that followed, the sound that had haunted your nights, the one that had left you sitting within the safety of the fire-free ring you'd subconsciously cast around you.

"Do you not want to explore the possibilities of your gift? Many girls would die for a chance to be here, do not be mistaken. They would not give up so easily, they would want to live." She urged.

"Stop talking," Your voice was low, a clear warning that she was on thin ice. You would have never guessed you'd use such a tone on your rectoress again after her icy heart had started to thaw around you, but here you were, begging- no, demanding her to keep her mouth shut. How dare she blame you for not choosing this life. And how dare she berate you for not wanting to live. Because what was the use of life when you were all alone?

"If you are not confronted by it now, then it will happen when you least want it. It will continue to block you from reaching your full potential and keep your terror and aches stored inside until you succumb to it."

It was incredulous, how your rectoress could ever think you would not carry even a little ounce of regret, pain and anguish with you for the rest of your life after your actions. Even after her so-called confrontation. You would never heal from it or forget about it. Nor would you ever forgive yourself. Though, you knew she was right when she said you'd bottled it and put it on a shelf. You'd thought that, perhaps, if you heeded it no mind, the pain and memories would cease to exist. Realisation dawned on you how stupid and naive that thought had been.

Tissaia continued, "It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when you'll succumb to it. This is your blockade, so how do you plan to tackle it?"

You jumped out of bed, surprised by your own agility after a week of being bedridden, albeit unknowingly, "What would you have me do?!" You yelled in Tissaia's face, whose expression didn't falter for even a split second.

"Exactly this." She gestured at your fury and frustration taking over and clearly needing to finally be spilt, "Let it all out now."

"And how do I do that without tearing up the place, like you forewarned me about?!"

"You need to learn to balance your emotions without heading for a collision."

A huff escaped you, "Is this all part of your trial-and-error plight?!"

"It can be. If you let it." She sighed and dared to take a step closer, "Your Chaos is giving you a chance to let it go now, to start anew."

"Didn't you say we are energy, and that our energy is our Chaos?! So how exactly am I giving myself another chance when I can't look past the horrid things I know I am capable of?!"

"Your subconscious has made the decision for you, to push you to accept yourself and let it rest. It has finally let your trauma resurface. Take the chance and do something with it. Heal. Give it a place. Don't let it start to deteriorate you from the inside. Use it as your strength, hold it as a reminder, as a warning. Let it guide your Chaos to know what boundaries to never cross again." Her calm demeanour rubbed you the wrong way.

"Let past... be past." She whispered softly, sensing she'd finally reached you.

A sob curled out of your mouth, and you furiously shook your head,

"I can't."

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

Yennefer mindlessly wandered through the halls of Aretuza. Though she rather practised some more, she could feel her bottle was empty. There was no more energy left for today, and perhaps that was okay. It at least gave her the chance to explore.

The past week had been torturous at best, with her classmates singling her out for jests and looks and with Tissaia's full attention on only her now that you were in the infirmary. Your rectoress had informed your class about your whereabouts, simply to stop any rumour that would further badmouth your name. Despite Tissaia's statement, rumour still had it that you were too afraid to show up and persist in your classes. Yennefer wasn't stupid, though, she knew it wasn't just a fever that kept you bedridden. Tissaia had seemed too on edge for that when Yennefer confronted her about it the other day. She'd brushed her off too quickly and hadn't berated her for sticking her nose in someone else business again.

Yennefer knew she'd find out soon. If not by asking you directly once you returned, then by trying to take a peek in your mind. She'd gotten better at it the past week when she'd been paired up with Anikka. The girl had been her first friend at Aretuza and although she still counted Anikka as someone she didn't hate, she had to admit that she didn't really hate you either.

It was boring to have to read books alone and spend hours studying runes by herself without anyone to keep her company the way you had, in silence, without judgement, and with a serenity that had calmed her. She despised herself for it— how she could feel the attachment growing. She loathed it with a burning passion. She detested it even more when she realised where her feet had led her.

Shadows danced across the walls in the orange hues of the torch flames. She locked her jaw and stared down the hallway. No one was around. They were all enjoying their rest in the sun of Aretuza's terraced gardens, no doubt. Spring would soon be upon them.

Yennefer's ears perked when she heard a muffled sound coming from within your chamber. It was odd, as she was sure you were still in the infirmary, but when she realised the muffled sound had been a sharp and wobbly inhale followed by a sob, she realised it had come from you.

She walked less assured as she had done the two times before, caution and care in her steps as she pried open your door. The hinges of the old oak door creaked and whined, and she watched as your teary doe eyes locked with hers in fright. You seemed to settle when you saw it was only Yennefer. The welcoming sense of acceptance she felt when she looked into your eyes came with a tormenting feeling of unworthiness and guilt. Unworthiness, because she knew she didn't deserve the acceptance you seemed to have given her, and guilt, because she felt a weight lift off her shoulder the second she'd stepped into your room, while you seemed anything but cheerful. Still, she could not deny the fact that for some reason, she felt lighter when in your presence.

You quickly wiped your snotty nose with the hem of your sleeve, your fingers going to play with the loose thread on it. With your gaze directed to your lap, where droplets of your tears fell, you held your breath and waited for Yennefer to move or say something. She did neither. Seconds passed and she stood still like a statue, and it got harder and harder to keep your breath and not make a sound.

Utter horror crossed Yennefer's features when you dropped your head in your hands and continued letting the tears fall freely. Your entire body shook and shivered, and the sounds of pure heartache that left your mouth had Yennefer's own heart breaking, too. She wasn't used to seeing people like this, but she knew the feeling all too well.

She approached, hesitantly, step by step, hoping you would yell at her to go away so that she didn't have to worry about what to do with you now. She knew she couldn't leave, she wouldn't, she wasn't that heartless, but what was she to say or do? And would you even accept her comfort, even if it was silent?

Her eyes flit to the blanket forgotten by the foot of your bed. She threw it around your shoulders in a swift motion, then stood by your side feeling the most awkward she'd ever felt.

She hovered. To ask if you were all right was a stupid question, even a blind person could hear you weren't. Asking you what had happened would probably also not be the best thing to ask when you barely had enough air inside your lungs to push out another strangled sob. And were you even close enough for you to spill your worries to her? She hadn't exactly been kind the last time you'd talked, when you had been the one to try and comfort her.

Feeling brave, she dared to sit beside you, leaving enough distance between the two of you for another two people to sit in between. But when you started to heave and cough and battle for air, she scooted closer, laying a hand on your shoulder.

The contact made you look up into Yennefer's violet eyes. They looked at you shadowed by her dark furrowed brows with a tender care you had longed for for weeks. The memory of who had last looked at you like that sent another wave of whimpered sobs to leave you.

"Ssh, breathe," Yennefer whispered, "Breathe."

She squeezed your shoulder, her sense of discomfort gradually fading as she realised you weren't taking unkindly to her touch.

"Rectoress de Vries- she-," You wept, sending a wave of anger through Yennefer at the hint that your rectoress was to blame for your breakdown, "I'm not supposed to live, not after- I don't deserve- I don't want to!"

Yennefer held a pained expression as the words shook out of you.

Your big, teary, red eyes found hers again, and they begged her as if Yennefer was the one able to fulfil your wish, "I want my family back."

Yennefer swallowed, having a sense of the grief you were going through. Despite all these months, she still missed her family as well. She had no idea what had happened that had made you grieve their company this badly, and even if she assumed the worst, it would never come close to the truth.

"I want them back. I want them back. I want-" Yennefer closed the distance and pulled you tight against her chest as you lulled yourself into a state of grieving hysteria. Muttered words got silenced against her shoulder while her garments dried your cheeks. She froze for a split second when your arms clawed their way around her waist. She could feel the dread settle in the pit of her stomach, realising she was letting someone in. But perhaps, this time, if it meant it could soothe you, someone who had been kind to her from the start, it wouldn't be so wrong after all.

☾ ⋆*·ﾟ:⋆*·ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 <3

[justanoasisimagines]

Travelling with

Requests are open! Credit to @cafekitsune for the divider and banner!

❀Before you start traveling Eskel, he's going to explain the risks and set some ground rules before he allows you to accompany him. Traveling with a Witcher is dangerous.

❀Eskel would want you to know if he tells you to do something it's normally for your safety. Your safety is always going to be his top priority.

❀Eskel would teach you how to defend yourself. In the event he's not able to protect you, he needs to know you have the skills to protect yourself.

❀Eskel educating you about every new monster you come across. What to do, what not to do. The history around the creatures. etc

❀Attempting to visit as many places before the winter comes.

❀Eskel sneaking off to buy you something as a memory for every new place you'd been to.

❀Eskel worrying about if you're warm enough or cool enough. He worries about your well-being constantly.

❀You learn how to attend to a various array of injuries. Eskel is always attending to some injury so it's helpful to know how to help him.

❀The two of you would have so much fun exploring and traveling together. Eskel wouldn't have to be alone for long periods. When the winter came he'd want you to come to Kaer Morhen with him so he could spend the whole winter with you.

[loverrgirll21]

imagine being a princess and meeting geralt for the first time

879 words; warnings: none

“Your highness, may I have this dance?” 

You internally rolled your eyes, but nodded with a smile. It was not as if you could reject the boy flat out, although you desperately wanted to. Your father would have your head for the shame that would bring to him. 

You let the boy grab your hand and lead you onto the dance floor. You got in formation just as the next dance was starting. Just your luck, it was a slow song, meaning you’d actually have to talk to the boy. 

He said his name was William and he was the son of one of your kingdom’s nobles. He complimented you on your hair, your gown, and your dancing, but you knew it was all an act to get to your throne and be king of your small kingdom. 

As you moved around the room, you caught a glimpse of silver. There was a tall man with silver hair leaning against a pillar, scanning the room with his amber eyes. They connected with yours, and you held his gaze for a moment before facing William again. Blessedly, the song ended and you offered a polite curtsy before excusing yourself. You felt the man’s eyes on you as you went to the drinks table and got offered a glass of punch. When you looked back in his direction, you noticed that he was gone. 

Trying to hide your disappointment at the stranger leaving so soon, without even introducing himself to you, you went to your parents and asked if you could be excused as you were tired. Your father, too drunk to care, waved his hand at you lazily and you took it as your cue to leave. You slipped out of the ballroom and into the hallway, your light pink gown sweeping the floor behind you. 

Instead of heading directly to your room, you headed to one of the balconies that you often frequented. Everyone in the kingdom was at the ball, so there would be no one outside to see you. 

As you approached the balcony, you saw him again; the silver-haired man. He was wearing black armor and you saw that he had a sword attached to his back. You tried to be sneaky, slipping behind a wall to watch him, but unbeknownst to you, the man had sensed your presence. 

“No need to hide from me, princess.” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. “I know you’re there.”

Sheepishly, you walked out from behind the wall and approached the man. You stood about two feet from him and leaned with your back against the banister. It was then you noticed the pendent dangling in front of his chest. 

“Witcher.” you murmured. 

“Geralt. Geralt of Rivia.” the man said, looking at you as if he expected there to be a reaction. When you didn’t react, he looked back towards the forest, mildly surprised. 

“What are you doing out here, princess?” he asked. You studied him for a little longer, your eyes trailing from the scars on his face to the callouses of his hands.

“Couldn’t stand the crowd.” you replied simply. “Too many suitors who care more about a chunk of metal than me.” 

Geralt smirked and looked at you. It was his turn to observe you now; his amber eyes ran down your body, focusing on how your dress seemed to create a cloud behind you. You felt his gaze on you and your cheeks heated up. 

“Men want you for your crown, but what do you want in a man?” he asked you. You were slightly taken aback; no one had ever asked you what you wanted. 

After some hesitation, you responded. “I want a man who loves me for me. Who is like a best friend, but also a protector. I want adventure and romance, and even a little danger.” you paused. “But that is too much to ask in my position.” 

Geralt moved slightly closer to you and you looked up to meet his gaze. 

“I don’t think that’s too much at all.” he said so softly, it almost sounded like a whisper. You closed the distance between you two until there were barely five inches between your chests. As you leaned in to seal the gap, a warning bell rang. You sprang away from him, clutching your heart.

“What is going on?” you asked, panting. You heard shouts from the guards as they raced madly around the palace, spears pointing forward. You looked at Geralt, who looked tense. 

“Princess, go straight to your room and lock your door. I do not know what is going on, but it isn’t good.” Geralt ordered you. You were still a little shocked at what almost happened, but as Geralt headed out of the balcony, he suddenly turned around and quickly approached you.

Before you could even think, he wrapped one arm around your waist and pulled you flush against his chest. You pushed your fingers into his coarse hair and tugged, which made him grunt. The kiss only lasted mere moments, however, before he pulled away with a roguish grin and ran towards the chaos. 

You gripped the edge of the banister tightly as you tried to catch your breathe. What the hell just happened?

[gemstone-roses]

Safe

Summary: Geralt talks you through your orgasm.

As promised, I finished my essay, and as voted for by several of you, this was the fic you wanted posted first!

Warnings: smut, 18 + only! minors be fucking gone from here ! Vaginal penetration, unprotected sex, hurt/comfort, use of good girl, soft Geralt. Praise kink, brief mentions of panic. You know the drill. Female reader.

Please note I am not responsible for your media consumption.

The white haired Witcher encases you beneath him. His muscly arms holding steady on either side of you. His amber eyes show nothing but adoration for you as he thrusts his cock inside you.

“You’re doing so good for me” he groans, his thick cock twitches as you tighten around him.

It’s been hours, not that your complaining of course, Geralt exploring every inch of you with his fingers, his tongue, muttering praise and comments on how gorgeously stunning you are.

“Geralt” you whine, your pleasure building, your stomach beginning to swirl as it starts to cloud your mind.

“Your close” the Witcher observes, angling his cock so he hits deeper.

You wince slightly, he picks up on it, slows down a bit.

“your okay” he soothes, his big hands splaying across your thighs, squeezing, it provides comfort. “Look at me, love” his gravelly voice is soft, tender.

Your eyes flit to his, a half smile on his face

“There she is” he moves his hand to your face, runs a finger down your jaw.

He watches intently as your chest begins to heave, your pussy tightens round his cock.

“G-Geralt” you choke out, panicking slightly as your mind fogs.

“your safe, it’s okay, I’ve got you love” he assures you, his hand still cupping your face. Your eyes roll back as your orgasm begins to wash over you, your arm reaching to clutch Geralts. Nails leaving half moon indents in his skin as you moan beneath him. He snakes a hand down between you, callused finger pushing on your puffy clit. “Mm, keep making those pretty noises for me, your doing so well my love, you feel amazing wrapped around my cock” Geralt lets out a broken moan as he spoke, gritting his teeth as your pussy convulsed around him. “ Oh god Geralt, I’m gonna-

“I know, keep your eyes on me, breathe, good girl, good, that’s it” he hisses through his teeth as you clench hard around his cock. You whined as pleasure overcame your senses. Geralt cups your face, . “Let go, come for me” he demands, his stunning eyes wide with lust, brow furrowed slightly, you loose yourself in them as you release around him. Triggered by your orgasm, Geralts cock tightens and he paints your walls with his come, a low moan bubbling from his throat as he does. “Fuck my love that was incredible, you were incredible” he breathes, his voice cracked with pleasure. Your head is fuzzy with the aftermath of your climax, Geralts rough hands rub soothingly up your side.

“I’m going to pull out now, and I’ll clean you up my love, okay”. He states, his voice has that post orgasm croak that you just love and you nod.

You flinch slightly when the warm towel touches your core, Geralt leaning up on the bed on his side next to you. “Sh it’s okay” he soothes. “I love you” you murmur, shifting closer to him, you curl into him as Geralt pulls the quilt over the both of you. Wrapping his big arms around you he pulls you closer, encasing you. You feel safe like this, you always will. “I love you too my love” he smiles, placing a gentle kiss on the top of your head.

[dreaming-about-fanfictions]

Hi! I’d love to take part in your celebration event. First of all, congratulations for everything I’m very happy for you! Could I please request a ship 💍 with a character from The Witcher?

I’m Italian, my pronouns are she/her and I’m asexual biromantic so any gender is fine. I’m an ESFJ and a Gemini. I have green eyes and short purple hair. I dress with fairy core/ fairy grunge clothes. I wear lots of rings and love to exchange them with others.

I’m the mom friend of the group, always there for everyone and my friends say that I’m really good at comforting people. I’m also calm and responsible, I usually am the one that takes care of other people. I’m very optimistic, I always try to see the good in everything and I often put other’s needs before my own, I would do everything for the people I care about and sometimes I’ve been told that I’m too kind for my own good. I have a sarcastic humor and I love making others laugh, people say that I should be more serious and that I shouldn’t joke around so much. I don’t like when people tell me what to do and I’m not afraid to stand up for myself or for someone else.

All my friends tell me I’m very smart. I also try to help my friends with study and school as much as possible. I’m also very ambitious, I always try to achieve my goals.

My love languages are physical touch and words of affirmation. I absolutely love listening to music, it helps me relax and I really like reading. I also love watching horror movies even though it’s impossible to scare me. I also play Dungeons and Dragons with my friends anytime I can.

I really hope I did this right, have a great day :)

I ship you with ...

Yennefer!

Okay, bear with me, it might not be obvious from the start but I feel like your comforting, optimistic and calm personality would ground her, make her feel more at peace. I imagine that she would worry a lot about you because you always try to see the good in everything and that might make you more vulnerable but at the same time, she'd love you for it. I imagine she'd make you a ring and wear a similar one and whenever she's away from you and touches it, you'd feel it. She's not used to many words of affirmation but she'd soak them all up. I imagine her love language would be more along the lines of physical touch and whenever she's around you, she'd always make sure to touch you in some way - holding hands, legs touching, standing awfully close. She'd also love your sense of humor and admires that even though you might not be a mage, you can keep up with her intellectually.

***

Thank you for sending an ask in and thank you for your sweet words! <3

Join my celebration

[gwentbleidd]

still my favorite thing about all this is that joey batey really woke up one day, said 'hell yeah queer jaskier' and made thousands of people SO mad

[scarlet2007]

₊˚꒷꒦︶⊹ The Witcher's Witch₊︶꒷꒦︶

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x reader.

[ Master list ]

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

Summary: Being rescued by the Witcher after being accused of being a Witch was the last thing you expected in life. But it looks like kindness can go a long way if shown to the right people.

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

Warnings: Mention of murder, beast slaying, taming wild animals, witch hunting, the reader is beaten up and was about to get burned alive.

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

Word count: 3.3k

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

The Witcher was finally in town, it was pretty clear from how the people were crowding towards a certain white haired man who stood besides a horse.

The crowd was sneering at the Witcher, calling him names and yelling at him, as if the Witcher was nothing but a mere dirty dog in their eyes. The Mayor of our town finally made an appearance, making the angry people go silent as they all waited for their "king" to speak.

"Ah, Witcher! We have been waiting for your arrival." The mayor chuckled, walking towards the Witcher, who stood tall amongst the crowd, clearly used to the sneering and insults of the people.

"There is an unknown monster lurking in the forest near our town, it had already murdered two people brutally. We need you to take care of the monster." The Mayor spoke as the people continued to glare at the Witcher. Some mothers even went as far as to try and 'shield' their kid from him as if he was the monster that would tear apart their children.

You stood slightly far from the crowd, watching everything occur as you scoffed at the hostility of the people towards the Witcher.

"They are acting as if he can't just kill them all in an instant..." You mumbled, chuckling darkly.

"You better be as good as they say you are, Witcher." Someone hissed, staring at the Witcher in disdain as they tried to stare him down. The Witcher ignored them all as he looked at the Mayor, nodding silently as the Mayor handed him a bag filled with coins.

"Where is the beast?" Asked the Witcher, making you sigh as the people started to talk about the beast all at once. Half of them were made up while the other half were useless.

Finally, the mayor explained everything that they knew about the beast, and where it attacks. You listened intensely, still standing away from the crowd as you stared at the ground in focus.

The Witcher nodded along, before he started to walk in the direction of the forest that was now forbiddened from entering for the safety of the people. You quickly walked in the opposite direction before entering an alley that lead towards the forest as you tried to track down the Witcher.

"Stop following me." A gruff voice said from behind you, making you jump as you turned around to face the dark and tall figure in front of you.

"Oh! It's you..." You sighed in relief, making the Witcher frown.

"Um... Mister... Uh.. sir? Whichever you prefer, I have some information about the beast that might help you." You chuckled nervously, looking around to see if someone was spying on you. You might get in trouble if you were to be seen with the Witcher alone.

"Speak."

You glanced at the Witcher before nodding, "Well... If you think the attack is being done by some sort of animal like a wolf, it's not true. It's not a wolf." You said quickly.

"What makes you think that?"

"W-well-... A wolf was injured because of the said beast and the wounds didn't look like it was from a wolf fight either so..." You mumbled, trying not to act suspicious.

The Witcher stared at you silently. You were acting suspicious and it was evident by the way you talked that you knew more than you told him. The Witcher took a step towards you, making you look up, still standing your ground nervously.

Witcher frowned at your weird behaviour, you were scared but not because of him, but because of something else. Something else was making you nervous.

He opened his mouth to speak before a sudden growl intrupted him, making both of them tense up as he grabbed his sword, stepping in front of you protectively. A wolf stood before them, glaring and growling at the Witcher, ready to pounce.

"Stay back-" The Witcher mumbled was unheard as you stood in front of him, glaring at the wolf.

"Sky!" You hissed, still standing in front of the Witcher. It would've amused him if they weren't in a tense situation. You, a young girl, perhaps in your mid 20s, standing before the Witcher with no weapons, as the Witcher behind you towered you with his height. You looked tiny compared to his frame, both height and muscle wise.

The Witcher felt annoyed at your pathetic attempt to tame a wild wolf, as if the wolf would suddenly transform into a domesticated puppy and obey your every command.

The wolf continued to growl but it slowly started to approach you, the wolf stance becoming slightly relaxed as it stared at you and your hand that was outstretched in front of you. The Witcher looked at the exchange in slight confusion, his expression was still stoic but he felt confused.

"Sky, come on, what did I tell you about jumping in front of guests like a beast? Hmm?" You mumbled as you patted the wolf, the wolf's tail wagging behind him.

"You... Tamed the injured wolf..?" Asked the Witcher, eyeing them warily. It's not everyday that someone saves a wolf, let alone tame them.

"I would prefer 'befriended' and yes, I did. He is a sweetheart. That is also why I wanted to warn you that this wolf is not the beast. Oh! And the beast also does not live here. It lives deeper into the woods, this area is just the edge of the forest. The people... They forgot to mention something important." You glanced at him as you stood up, the wolf standing besides you in his fully height, his black fur and tall height made it look intimidating, the wolf looked strong and but the bandages around his torso also did not go unnoticed by the Witcher, making him believe the story that you told him about patching up a wounded wolf even though it sounded bizarre and made up.

"What is it?"

You bite your lips, looking at the forest, deep in thoughts before finally speaking.

"The town people provoked the beast. Some drunkards wanted to prove to the people that there was no such beast residing in the depths of the woods, so they went ahead despite the warnings and... Well, only their mangled up bodies made it back here. That's why the people think that the beast resides in the edge of the forest and not deep within."

The Witcher's frown, staring at you for a while before speaking.

"They knew that there was a beast?"

You nodded, "The beast is older than most of us, the tales have been circulating amongst the people since past few generations, it can probably be dated back to the generation of our grandparents, something similar happened but this time, the beast is... More angry. It didn't kill people before like it did now, or at least that's what the people say."

The Witcher sighed at your words. This was more work than he intended to do. If the beast was as old as you said it was, then it wouldn't die without putting up a great fight and he was in no position to get into a full-on battle in his tired state.

"Sir..? You look tired, and I doubt the villagers asked you to rest or offered you food, would you..." You trailed off, laughing awkwardly as you stared at the Wolf, Sky, instead of the Witcher as you continued in a quiet manner, "Like something to eat?"

The Witcher froze, not expecting an act of kindness, especially from someone like you. He stared at you suspiciously, thinking that you had ulterior motives to offer him something like that. You looked at him in alarm, as if sensing his chain of thoughts as you waved your hands in front of you. "I don't need anything in return, i promise! It's just... You look tired and hungry."

The Witcher didn't say anything, simply staring at you for a solid minute before nodding his head along with a stoic, "hm."

"Um.. sir? Where did you leave your horse?" You asked suddenly.

"It's outside the woods."

"Ah... You can bring your horse in, this part of the woods is safe and Sky isn't going to hurt your horse, I can assure you that much." You smiled at him, the Wolf still standing guard besides you.

"How do you know it's safe here?" The Witcher rolled his eyes.

"Well... I live here. My cottage is just a few minutes walk away from here."

"You... Live in the middle of the woods?"

"It's the edge and yes, I prefer living here." That made the Witcher frown his eyebrows in confusion as he walked beside you to get his horse.

"Why? Isn't the town safer?"

You stayed silent for a while before chuckling softly. "Perhaps. But I am not too fond of the people there." The Witcher could see why, so he stayed silent and walked towards his horse.

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

You provided food and a place for the Witcher to rest, which he found weird and bizarre but didn't complain about. You insisted that the Witcher rest for at least a day before he went to hunt down the beast, saying that it will give him more benefit in battle if he is well rested and fed. The horse, which you learnt was called Roach, was spoiled rotten too. It looked like you had a liking towards animals and insects, finding them adorable and taking care of them and for some reason, animals seem to like you too, even the most wild animals liked you and it was evident with how the wild wolf acted like a domesticated dog in front of you. The food you prepared for the Witcher was amazing, and the spare room was also comfortable enough for the Witcher to sleep in but you insisted that he slept in your room instead, that the spare room wasn't that clean and that you would sleep in the spare room instead. The Witcher tried to decline politely but you were stubborn and he ended up getting the best sleep he ever has in your bed while you slept in the spare room.

Your whole cottage was filled with plants, flowers and books. The plants weren't everywhere but the ones you did have inside were too pretty and went well with your theme. Your cottage had a cozy feeling to it, the aroma of tea and lavender was always present, along with some books lying here and there. It made the cottage feel like a home that the Witcher didn't have.

The Witcher thanked you before venturing off to hunt the beast, giving you a small, awkward smile before leaving. You waved enthusiastically at him, wishing him luck before rushing after Sky, who has decided to run after a rabbit.

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹

When the Witcher came back, the cottage was a mess, making him frown as he couldn't find you or Sky. It looked like you left somewhere in a hurry as there was still uncooked food on the table, half done and some books were scattered on the ground.

The Witcher went towards the town, the head of the beast was hanging from his hand. The battle against the beast wasn't easy, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

The town was filled with commotion, people gathering around a tall tree, yelling at something or rather, someone.

As he walked closer, he could hear what they were saying clearly.

"Burn the Witch! Burn her! She was the one who brought the beast to the town!" Someone yelled venomously, making the Witcher frown his eyebrows as he walked towards the crowd. The Mayor took immediate notice of his presence as the people stopped yelling.

"Ah! Witcher! You are back and you brought the beast's head with you." The Witcher paid the Mayor zero attention as he stared at the scene in front of him. Someone was bounded to the tree with thick ropes, blood pooling underneath them as it dropped from the wound on their arm. It looked like a young girl, which made the Witcher slightly nervous. He couldn't see her face, as her head was down, her hair covering her face. The only thing that made it evident that she was alive was the quick motion of her chest falling up and down as she breath heavily.

The Mayor, displeased with the Witcher's ignorance towards his words, turned his attention to the girl instead. He stepped closer to the girl and gripped her hair, making her wince as he forced her to look up.

Witcher's breath hitched as he saw your pained face, staring directly at him before looking at the Mayor in fear.

"The beast you called upon is long dead now, Witch. You have no one to save you now." The Mayor hissed, staring at your face as he continued to hold your hair in a tight grip, making you wince.

You were already weak from the beatings and the lack of food, your head throbbing painfully under the harsh Sun. You were dehydrated, hungry, wounded and scared.  Oh, you were so so scared.

A lot has happened in the span of just four days after your last meeting with the Witcher.

You flinched when someone threw another stone at you again, wincing at the sharp pain that erupted from your temple, where the stone landed, making it bleed.

You couldn't even look at the Witcher, humiliation filled your body as you stared at the ground, willing yourself to not cry. You have yet to let the tears flow and you want to keep it that way. You want to keep some of your dignity, if there was even any left.

"What's going on?" You closed your eyes as you heard Witcher ask the Mayor. You didn't want him to think that you were someone evil, but you weren't sure if the Witcher will believe you over the Mayor's word or the people's word. You just silently hoped that they won't answer his question but your hopes died quickly as the Mayor began to tell him what happened.

"This girl, this witch, is the one that unleashed the very beast you hold in your hands. She was seen with a wolf, commanding him to attack innocents! She can put animals and beasts under her spell, making them do whatever she please." The Mayor spit out, glaring at you as you kept your eyes closed and your head low.

"Just look at her! She has been punished but she has yet to utter a word of apology or even a tear in remorse! She is a threat to the town and the people!"

"Burn her!"

"Kill her!"

Were the words that followed soon after the Mayor stopped talking, making the Witcher step in front of you protectively, just like how he did before when he saw Sky as a threat.

"Witcher, what are you doing?!" The Mayor fumed, staring at the Witcher in anger and annoyance.

"Keep your hands away from the girl." He said quietly, his sword already out, the beast's head thrown somewhere on the ground. No one dared to put up a fight against the Witcher, everyone was too cowardly to try and fight him.

"The Witch has put you under a spell too, Witcher!" The Mayor exclaimed as the people started to insult both of you.

You whimpered, staring at the people and the Witcher in fear.

"What good will it do to you even if you safe her? She is a damned witch that should rot in hell for her crimes!" The people agreed, trying to step closer to her before the Witcher pointed his sword towards them, making them step back in fear.

"I will keep her."

That made the whole town silent as you stared at the Witcher in confusion and shock.

He couldn't let them kill you, not when you were the only one that treated him like a human and showed him kindness, it pained him to see you in such a state and he will not let you get harmed. You took care of him, and it was now his turn to do so.

He gripped his sword tightly, glaring at whoever dared to step towards them.

"Give me the girl." He hissed, his gaze making everyone scared, some even rushing away to their home to not face his wrath.

The air was tense, people stared at you and the Witcher with scared and disgusted expression while the Mayor was deep in thought. The town was known for its cowardly people and after watching the Witcher walk with the head of a beast in his hand, nobody wanted to fight him.

"What will we get in return if we let the girl go unpunished?" The Mayor asked, smirking as he stared at the Witcher.

"You can keep your coins." He grumbled, throwing the pouch of coins towards the Mayor that he got as a payment when he first came here to slay the beast.

The Mayor checked the pouch before letting them go, commanding people to go inside their houses as they rushed away.

"You are lucky, or else today would've been your last day, witch." The mayor muttered venomously before leaving them be.

You flinched when Witcher's blade cut throw the thick ropes, all at once as you stumbled forward. He caught you, making you wince as it made you put some pressure on your wounds. The Witcher carried you towards your cottage, but not before the Mayor warned them that they had to leave before noon, and if they failed to do so, they will both be punished and killed. The threat made you tense, as you tried to make yourself as small as possible in his arms as he walked you towards your cottage.

"Where's sky?" He asked, trying to break the silence.

"I made him leave. The... The people saw him and they would've hunted him down or hurt him..." You mumbled, sniffling a bit as he sat you down on your bed.

He nodded in understanding, before cleaning yours wounds.

"You should go wash yourself and pack." You glanced at him, wondering what he meant by 'pack'.

"We need to leave. Make sure to only pack the necessary things like clothes and some food." He muttered, staring at you.

You looked scared, and timided, not like the lively girl he met that day that took care of him. It made his heart clench painfully for some reason.

"Oh... A-are you... Taking me in?" You asked slowly, stuttering a bit.

He nodded silently, walking out of your room to let you bath and change. Your voice suddenly made him stop.

"You... You can use the bathroom in the spare room to freshen up too!" He smiled a bit as he heard you, making his way towards the spare room.

After you were done packing and ready to leave, you both stood in front of the Mayor at the gate of the town, you stood behind Witcher, trying to hide from anyone's view, the Mayor stared at you both as you began to walk away from the town, making sure that you both were out of the town.

After walking beside Witcher and Roach, you glanced at him as you handed him a pouch with gold coins.

"U-um... I know what you did for me can never be paid by coins, but... I still want to thank you and repay you for saving me and giving up the coins you got as a payment." You mumbled quietly.

"Keep them." He grumbled, walking towards you.

"Do you know how to get on a horse?" You shook your head, making him chuckle at how cute you looked while doing so.

"Let me help you." You nodded as he grabbed your waist gently, trying to avoid any wounds as he helped you on the horse. It made your heart beat quicken with how close you both were.

"Thank you, Sir."

"Geralt." You looked at him in confusion.

"My name is Geralt, just call me by my name."

You stared at him in shock before smiling wildly, "Okay, Geralt!"

And for some reason, Geralt loved the way you said his name.

꒷꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒷︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷꒷꒦꒷︶꒦ ͘ ˖ ⊹