#essi davens

[dapandapod]

For Mermay:

Geralt/Jaskier underwater singing

YES PLEASE and thank you for indulging me. I had to stop everything to write this, right now and immeadiately. I hope you enjoy! <3

Send me a pairing and a word, and I give you a fic?

On Ao3 here

Jaskier scoffs but doesn’t say anything when the witcher starts explaining different beasts to him that the first year they travel together.

His beastiarity about Mer is so fantastically outdated, and one would think someone as well traveled as Geralt would have a bit more updated view of people below water.

But correcting him means offering up a piece of Jaskier’s past that he is not sure will be well received, so he keeps his mouth shut.

The monsters in Jaskier’s songs that first time they met, they do exist. They are just not from the surface world. In his childhood, Jaskier remembers dark shadows from above, diving down and with sharp fangs reaching for his siblings.

Kelp can be a great cover, but there are beasties that know them even better than Shore Mer.

There is a reason you can’t find Lettenhove on a map. Well, technically you can, and it is a acknowledged county in books of old, but it is a lake. Was a lake, now a part of a river leading to the shore. They are still there, forgotten by almost everyone.

It is Deep Mer who has fish tales. Beautiful women from the depths with their beautiful voices and glistening skin and scales, luring fishers with them into the darkness, that is how the world thinks of Mer. There is only one type of human too, right?

No, Jaskier will not correct Geralt.

He is tempted that one time when he sees his witcher whistle, communicating in ways of old with the Deep Mer.

He is tempted again, when he refuses the lord, but holds back when all is said and done.

The secret is not only his to keep, and with Essi now exploring the surface world too, he keeps the words locked behind his teeth.

Still, Jaskier needs water sometimes. When the weather is fine, he bullies Geralt into swimming with him in a pond. He spends almost more time than Geralt in a bath, and when apart, he finds ways to submerge in rivers and lakes and sea alike.

Shore Mer are different, adapted for a life of both. While dry, his smattering of scales retreat, his feet less flat and flipper like.

They are not Selkies, no, those are something else. Drowners too, are nothing alike a Shore Mer, except for owning legs and having a similar swimming pattern. It’s unavoidable, given how you need to move in water to get anywhere without looking, well…. Like Geralt currently does.

Geralt didn’t join him to the coast after that blasted mountain. Didn’t even mention the presence of a hot spring, despite the middle of winter making the halls of the keep barely bearable.

He did, however, trail behind Jaskier on his way down the lake below Kaer Morhen, snow and ice slippery under their feet. Jaskier never heard him, never saw him, just felt the pull of the water, the intense need to Change.

Jaskier didn’t notice Geralt was there until he was below the ice with him. Cold water never bothered Jaskier much, his body regulating itself to keep him alive, but Geralt, noble, stupid, idiot Geralt, did not know this.

He dove into the water, clothes and all, attempting to save a bard that did not need saving.

In the end, it was Jaskier who had to drag a nearly hypothermic Geralt back up to the keep, and only then did he learn of the fucking hot springs.

When Geralt finally looked and felt like an icicle, there was a long, long conversation, bordering on argument.

Terse silence ruled for almost a week, until Geralt finally caved, the stubborn fucking idiot. 

Not only for Ciri’s sake, they lingered well past spring. 

Jaskier finally braves correcting the witchers about Mer, lecturing them about how the information is for their ears only. They, out of all people, should know the dangers of being seen as different.

On a spring day when the sky is startlingly blue, Jaskier invites Geralt to swim with him. With the help of the Killer Whale potion, the witcher manages to mostly keep up with him.

Below the surface, the light is murky, particles glimmering where the rays of sun pierce the darkness. 

Singing under water is… different. Vocal cords sound different with water instead of air. 

It’s been a while since he felt safe enough to sing below the surface, because of both land and water creatures, but with Geralt with him, there is no doubt.

The lullaby he starts with is soft, lapping like waves against the shore, dancing with the currents of the sea. He sings of the stars, only visible to him if he leaves his world.

In his own tongue, he sings of a wolf. There technically isn’t a word for wolf, but that one time he sang it for Essi, she understood.

All the while, Geralt is watching him. Eerie and beautiful as his hair fans around him like a white crown, eyes of a predator. Every once in a while, he has to go and breathe, and when he returns, Jaskier has lost himself in the movements of his song.

When they heave themselves up on one of the big rocks by the edge of the lake, Geralt is quiet. Jaskier stretches out on the rock, letting the sun dry his skin back to the smooth planes he is now more used to.

The witcher watches him, but Jaskier doesn’t feel threatened.

He closes his eyes, and doesn’t open them again until a shadow closes out the sun. Geralt’s hair is dripping with cold water, his thumb coarse against Jaskier’s cheek, but his lips so infinitely soft.

Geralt kisses him like he can’t help himself, and Jaskier kisses him back like he has only ever dreamed of.

“I’m sorry I made you feel you had to keep this from me,” Geralt murmurs, knocking their foreheads together after some good long moments. Jaskier’s breath comes short, and he smiles.

“If it were only my secret to tell, I wouldn’t have.” Jaskier whispers, and Geralt scrunches up his forehead in that adorable way of his when he is concerned. 

“You still look like a drowner when you swim.” Geralt says, ruining the moment completely, and Jaskier shoves him back into the water as punishment.

When Geralt gets out of the water, he traps Jaskier under him, cold water dripping over sun heated skin. 

Laughing and kissing under a pale spring sun is just a new step on the path they walk together. A path that always calls for a witcher and his bard.

[hannibard]

GERALT AND JASKIER ARE BACK BABY!!!!!!!

[endiness]

JASKIER & ESSI in The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep

[blooms-in-april]

In Oxenfurt there is a sacred tradition, which no one dares encroach upon: no one can be arrested during a theatre performance. And the scholars of Oxenfurt, for all their learning, are a dramatic, suspicious sort, and so the law stands. It's been taken advantage of by many a drunk and disorderly student, taking refuge in the audience of the Grand Theatre to evade the guard, until inevitably, the curtain falls and their reprieve is over.

When they come to arrest Professor Pankrantz, his students won't have it. He had come back to them quiet and broken this winter, more careless with his dissent, more bold in his defiance. He did not seem to care when the warrant was put out for his arrest, as an elvish sympathizer, a sodomite, and a conspirator against Nilfgaard.

"He knows the White Wolf will save him. He always does." Essi had said with false confidence, but the weeks pass and the university's protection wanes and the White Wolf does not come.

"He's not coming." Adrien whispers, hunched over his songbook. "We must do something."

"We will," Essi responds.

When he hears the guards outside his office, Jaskier puts down his quill for the last time. He swings open the door.

"Gentlemen!" He says. The armored faces are featureless, unmoving. "How would you like me?" They grab and cuff him hard across the head, then frogmarch him down the hall. His head rings like a great bell tolling the hour. He can feel the blood trickling out his ear.

There is a great crash, and a scuffle, and a large hand grabs him by the elbow. "Geralt." He whispers.

But it's not. Jeremiah smiles awkwardly, and holds his dented tuba in one hand. "I used to be a blacksmith before this." The quiet youth says. "Never thought it would come in handy again."

"My dear boy." Jaskier says as he's pulled along. "You shouldn't have. You saved my life."

"Your tutoring saved mine during finals. I think we're even, Professor."

Jaskier is hurried in through the backstage door, crowded with students carrying instruments, costumes, sheet music, and props. They all part way to let him through. "Top box, Professor." Essi says, hurrying him. "We saved it just for you."

He sits down, bewildered, as the guards shout outside and the orchestra tunes frantically. The curtain opens just as the guards make it into the auditorium. Everything hushes in that special breath before a show.

Essi steps on stage.

"Thank you and welcome to the members of the Oxenfurt Academy faculty, staff, and student body who have come to support this performance," she says. "We'd also like to welcome representatives of various law enforcement communities who have chosen to join us in the Academy Grand Theatre tonight. In the spirit of the arts, leave all discord at the door, and please enjoy this special performance by the students of Oxenfurt - 'The Adversities of Loving', a tribute to the life and works of Professor Julian Alfred Pankrantz."

She bows. The audience applauds. The play begins.

[bilberry-jam]

As you likely well know, A Little Sacrifice is my favourite of the Witcher short stories. I'm a big fan of Little Eye and the old bugger she's friends with :')

[perseruna]

jaskier wearing a single pearl drop earring for essi :((

[lansalla]

“A Little Sacrifice” is my favorite story in the whole Witcher, because it’s right here, in my opinion Jaskier's true character is revealed to us.

[old-deerstalker-hat]

The humans aren't looking for truth. It's no longer about sustenance. It's about greed.

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2024)

[yakowo]

The Amazing Bards ✨

(song: New York Torch Song - The Amazing Devil)

alt version without text undercut

[dearsi]

Dandelion and Little eye.

They’re blonde bards with siblings vibes, so here’s them singing The horror and the wild.

[martusia714]

im reading sword of destiny for the first time and those two feral bards are reading Geralt to filth

[fangirleaconmigo]

In your expert opinion, do you think there’s any deeper reading to interpret from Geralt’s rebound with Essi, and traits she shares with Dandelion? (I know it wasn’t authorial intention in the least, but when he kissed her within 10 minutes of meeting, I got a “she’s a lot like Dandelion, surely she’s safe to embarrass myself with” vibe).

Hi Nonny!

Essi and Dandelion, Poets and Parallels, Ballads and Broken Hearts

Thank you for the ask! I'm on my lunch break from work, but I'm so happy to be answering Witcher book questions again that I'm sneaking off to do this.

Essi is such an interesting character, right? On one hand, she seems to be treated as the 'anti-Yen" by the narrative and the thing that Geralt 'should' want, thereby reinforcing his love for Yen when he *doesn't* fall in love with Essi.

But then there are all the curious parallels and similarities with Dandelion, which also makes it fun to analyze in that way. The list of similarities is long: their profession, personality, looks, their level of talent, and my favorite, their readiness to throw hands on behalf of Geralt of Rivia. And then there is The Ballad.

Ok. I'm going to set authorial intent aside for the moment, because writers write things all the time they don't intend to write. And I think any artist worth their salt should be thrilled that their work is layered and interesting enough to inspire differing interpretations.

That being said, let's get to the fun part.

SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR ESSI'S STORY PLS DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED.

Profession, personality

Let's look at Essi's introduction! She enters the scene acting just like Dandelion. Both poets are mercilessly insulting one another in their fake-genteel way. (Lots of shade, as well as out and out insults)

Geralt is taken aback, thinking they are fighting, but then they fall on one another embracing and he's like...oh lordt. There's two of them.

"The Witcher was taken aback, but not too greatly. A professional colleague of Dandelion's could not, indeed, differ much from him in terms of predictability."

--Sword of Destiny pg 195

So we have profession, and personality being very similar. Bards with sharp tongues and ready emotions. Then we have looks!

Looks.

I've done a post on Dandelion's looks here. And Essi is similar! Blonde hair, blue eyes, and beautiful. Same same. Sorry, her eyes are a dark blue whereas Dandelion's are cornflower. Much different so contrast.

Level of talent.

They are both beloved and famous. When Ciri is studying at Nenneke's temple, she has access to both of their books of poetry.

[Ciri] read The Adversities of Loving and Time of the Moon, collections of poems by the famous troubadour Dandelion. She shed tears over the ballads of Essi Daven, subtle, infused with mystery, and collected in a small, beautifully bound volume entitled The Blue Pearl. --Blood of Elves pg 298

And Geralt adores both of their voices. When Essi and Dandelion are singing together, Geralt thinks to himself that they have the most beautiful voices that he has ever heard.

They Stay Ready to Throw Hands for Geralt of Rivia.

The text even classifies Essi and Dandelion together on this. And as I said, it's my favorite part of her character, and not just because I love Geralt. It shows her strength, her strong sense of self, her courage, and her values.

First, she, much in the way that Dandelion does, uses her fame, connections, and higher social standing to protect Geralt. And she throws Dandelion into the mix for good measure to strengthen her threats. So when Duke Agloval threatens to drive Geralt to the border with a whip. Essi reponds.

"...please dont threaten Geralt. It so happens that Dandelion and I have several friends...King Ethain of Cidaris...always says that our ballads aren't just lively music and rhymes, but a way of spreading news...Do you wish, your Grace, to be written into the chronicle of human kind? I can arrange it?" --Sword of Destiny pg 212

And when Geralt turns down Agloval's 'offer' of permanent work killing sea creatures in a permanent war with them, (keeping in mind that the noble has stiffed Geralt twice on payment so far) Agloval invokes Geralt's poverty in a demeaning way.

"Oh how proud," Agloval smiled. "How haughty. You reject offers in a way some kings wouldn't be ashamed of. You give up decent money with the air of a wealthy man after a lavish dinner. Geralt? Did you have lunch today? No? And tomorrow? And the day after? I see little chance, Witcher, very little..."

It is so infuriating. Agloval is saying...who the fuck do you think you are? Someone important? Someone with status?? Someone who is allowed to decide his own ethics for himself?

This is a constant theme. The...know your place. Stop trying to think for yourself. Ethics look stupid on you, because you aren't 'real' enough of a human being to have them. So it is super satisfying when Essi lets loose on him.

"How dare you!" Little Eye cried shrilly. "How dare you speak like that to him Agloval!...How can you be so base?"...

Geralt tries to stop her. He sees little point.

"Stop it Essi," Geralt said. "Stop, Essi, there's no point." "Not true," she said angrily. "These is a point. Someone has to tell it straight to this self-appointed duke....who now thinks he has the right to insult other people."

And she isn't done.

"Yes, Agloval, " Essi continued, clenching her shaking hands into fists. "The opportunity to insult other people amuses and pleases you. You delight in the contempt you can show the Witcher...you should know that the Witcher mocks your attempts and slights., that they do not make the faintest impression on him..."

Then we bring Dandelion back in. Because guess who also feels anger and revulsion when Geralt is treated so contemptuously? Let Essi say it...

"The Witcher doesn't feel what Dandelion and I feel, and we feel revulsion."

Sword of Destiny pg 237

That's like...not even half of her unloading on this guy. She is like...you are worth less than Geralt, so jot that down.

Now..

The Ballad

Here is why the ballad matters to me. I think that perhaps even more interesting than how Geralt responds to Essi (interesting though it is) is how Dandelion responds to Essi. Why does he think someone who is almost exactly like him is perfect for Geralt? I mean, he sees himself in her so much that he thinks of her as his sister.

He loves her more than Geralt does I think that is clear. Geralt cares deeply about her. But to Dandelion, she is like his family.

He is put in a shitty position of seeing her distraught and anguished about her feelings for Geralt and Geralt afraid of leading her on or hurting her. Geralt and Essi go back and forth, making it insufferable for Dandelion as a third wheel.

I talked about it here here and here.

Dandelion's response is the subject of controversy in fandom, and there are many valid and differing reader responses. But it seems clear that Dandelion has come to terms with the fact that Geralt and Essi will not be together in love, despite his advice to Geralt. So he suggests they just fuck to get it out of their systems and then everything will be ok. (that's his solution to most things)

So, if he is at ease with that, why the ballad? At the end of the story, Dandelion composes a ballad while Essi and Geralt sleep.

Dandelion, staring into the dying embers, sat much longer, alone, quietly strumming his lute. It began with a few bars, from which an elegant, soothing melody emerged. The lyric suited the melody, and came into being simultaneously with it, the words blending into the music, becoming set in it like insects in translucent, golden lumps of amber. The ballad told of a certain witcher and a certain poet. About how the witcher and the poet met on the seashore, among the crying of seagulls, and how they fell in love at first sight. About how beautiful and powerful was their love. About how nothing - not even death - was able to destroy that love and part them.

Sword of Destiny pg 246

Why this romantic song?? About a witcher and poet?

Yes, it could be just for the ballad, for a successful song. The text talks about the real story not being a good one for a ballad.

But there is so much emotion and magic in that scene. What is he thinking? What is he feeling?

Of course you know about what happens next, Essi's heartbreaking end, and Dandelion's crushing grief. She dies of smallpox during an epidemic. Dandelion is there. Did he go as soon as he heard? Was he visiting her expecting some lovely evenings singing around a fire and found her dead?

However it happened, Dandelion does not leave her to die alone. He does not turn tail and leave, avoiding smallpox. He literally carries the cold dead corpse of this woman he loves, who he sees as his sister, in his arms...

...Dandelion had carried her out in his arms between corpses being cremated on funeral pyres and had buried her far from the city, in the forest, alone and peaceful...

He buries her alone with his own hands! Oh how his heart must have shattered. It is moments like that, that you see the deeper, kinder, even (dare I say) noble side of the vain, braggadocios, whorish bard.

It goes on to say that Dandelion could have changed the song at any point to be a true version (the one where Essi dies), but he never did.

No, Dandelion stuck with his first version. And he never sang it. Never. To no one. Sword of Destiny p 246

Yeah.

To me there is a story about a young girl who cares enough for ten people, who has a huge heart, and a deep soul. A fearless girl who feels things too big for her to handle for a man others call a monster. A girl whose voice is like an angel.

And then there is a story about a broken hearted poet who loved her (far more than Geralt did) and who wrote a song about a witcher and a poet and he never changed the words and never sang it to anyone.

And I wonder if he wasn't writing that ballad about a witcher and a different poet entirely.

*sob*

[bluedillylee]

Fanart for Sunlight and Seafoam

 “I had a contract between a human and mermaid lover once,” said Geralt. “It wasn’t a bit like that stupid song. Or maybe exactly like it, given how well it turned out. But it was anything but ‘romantic’.”

 “What happened?” both Essi and Dandelion demanded at once, making Geralt wish he hadn’t said a thing. Essi had the calculating look of someone who was eager to start composing whatever he foolishly said, and Dandelion had half-pulled himself into Geralt’s now-soaked lap in his eagerness to get the witcher to speak. It was very distracting.”

This is more book focused with Dandelion instead of Jaskier. Don’t let that stop you if you’ve only seen the tv show because this story is fantastic. I love it and have gone back for several re-reads already

also posted on Ao3

[endiness]

THE WITCHER: SIRENS OF THE DEEP (2025)

[blooms-in-april]

Obsessed with the idea it's illegal in Oxenfurt to execute or arrest someone while there is a theatre performance going on. So when Jaskier is finally arrested for being the Sandpiper and an associate of the fugitive Geralt of Rivia, all his students band together to perform the longest musical the Continent has ever seen.

Yes, it's about his life. Yes, it's very personal. And yes, fugitive Geralt and Ciri end up in the audience, of course they do.

[thedemonofcat]

Imagine if, in the Witcher Netflix series, there was an opportunity to include Priscilla or Essi Daven, even if it were just for a single episode. One actress who would be perfect for the role is Madeleine Hyland. You may recognize her as a member of Joey Batey's band, The Amazing Devil.

Can you picture a scene where these two characters perform a duet? It would undoubtedly be a marvelous sight to behold