#following my motto: money comes back. memories don't.

[somethingsgottasaveyou]

booked the simple plan tickets, hotels and trains today, i think my bank account wants to know if i'm okay

[charliedawn]

Imagine being an old classmate of Lucius and him stumbling upon your shop

As soon as the blond boy enters your shop, you know that trouble is not far behind. The boy is touching an item when another man comes in and warns the child by hitting his hand that was handling said item with his cane, sending him a stern look.

" Come on, Scorpius. Stop acting like a child. You shouldn't touch things that aren't yours. Your father would be ashamed.."

The voice, the look, the hair..Oh no..You would have recognized that condescending tone anywhere. You are about to back away slowly and hide in the back shop when the man coughs from behind you to get your attention.

" Shopkeeper, I am searching for a crystal ball for my grandson's class of Divination. Do you have any of those ?"

The hair at the back of your neck stand on edge at the pompous voice dripping with disdain, but you force yourself to smile and turn around to greet the client.

" For sure, sir. Please, follow me."

He doesn't seem to have recognized you yet and you thank Merlin for that miracle. You show him the different crystal balls and he inspects each one of them with the minutiae of a true expert, but you know that deep down, he is absolutely clueless. You almost let out a snort when he chooses the most useless of the crystal balls to buy, surely because it is the most expensive one and that the Malfoys ever had only one motto : Higher is the price Better quality it must be. You still cash it in and try to contain your laughter at the bad deal the man had just bestowed upon himself. However, you fail to see his brat outside, practicing the Alohomora spell on your front door and before you could truly comprehend what had happened, your door shuts close and traps you both inside. Lucius pales at his grandson's action and immediately withdraws his wand to open the door, but the spell doesn't work and he groans in annoyance.

" What is this ?! Why don't my spells work ?!"

You sigh before looking at your watch..6 o'clock. Of course.

" It won't work. Because of the many thieves roaming the street at night, I spelled this door to not succumb to any spell after 6 o'clock at night..It won't open until 6 o'clock tomorrow morning."

He turns towards you, obviously unnerved and is about to yell at your incompetence when a sudden glimmer of recognition lits up his eyes.

" Wait..I know you..You were in my house. Your name is Y/N, isn't it ?"

You scoff before mockingly clapping.

" Bravo ! Took you long enough.."

He growls at your mocking gesture before looking at the door with a scowl.

" Were you always that irresponsible ?"

You rise an eyebrow before rebutting.

" And you, were you always that annoying ? On second thoughts, don't answer that..this is why nobody invited you to the Yule Ball !"

He blushes in embarrassment and mumbles angrily.

" Why you little..Because I had Narcissa !"

You roll your eyes before replying with a jeering tone.

" Thanks Merlin, you had her ! Or you would still be a virgin !"

You would have never thought to see such passionate hatred in Lucius' eyes, him who usually remained so calm and who always had the perfect comeback. But, as you are both trapped, you sigh before getting two chairs and placing them next to each other while he stands still. You sit down and cross your arms before sighing exasperatedly at him.

" Are you going to stay up all night ? Come on, I don't bite..often."

He humphs at that last part before looking at the chair, maybe trying to decipher if there are any traps under the cushion. But, he finally indulges. You both sit next to each other in silence until Lucius sighs and admits.

" You're wrong, you know ? Someone did invite me..I never knew who it was though ? However, what I do remember, is the effort they had put inside the letter..The silver lines moving like snakes around the paper and the green velvet envelope..They even used perfume: a rich fragrance of mint, leather and a hint of fresh nightingale. No name had been written though and this is why I thought it was Narcissa, since she had been trying to find a way to invite me for a while..But then, I asked her about it and she never dared to admit that it was her who wrote it, I found it cute at the time..But now that the divorce is in motion, I really doubt that it was her."

He sighs loudly before pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers, exhausted. You had noticed the heavy eyebags and could only imagine what a single grandfather Lucius could be like. No wonder his grandkid locked him inside. But, since he had been nice enough to share his worries with you, it's only normal that you do the same.

" My shop is on the verge of collapsing, nobody is interested in buying quills and papers now that they have those damn muggle phones..It must be me ? I live in the past and now, reality is hitting me hard in the face.."

He listens to you without interrupting and smiles nearly compassionately at you.

" Guess muggles aren't that great anymore, huh ? I knew that, at some point, our worlds would merge, I just didn't want the Wizarding World to be lost forever..It's sad really."

You can't help but laugh bitterly at his comment.

" A Malfoy will remain a Malfoy ! Always with your ideas of purity and against any kind of change ! If you had just been a little more open-minded, maybe you wouldn't be the most hated family in all the Wizarding World ?"

He only scoffs dismissively at your comment.

" What is the point of being liked when you have power ?"

You look at him and smirk.

" Power ? True power doesn't come from money, Lucius..If you had been paying a little bit more attention, you would have known that power comes in many different shapes and forms..Everybody could have power over anybody, if they only know how to play their assets.. "

He arks an eyebrow at you before smirking as well and asks almost daringly.

" Really ? And what power do you have over me then ?"

The both of you ferociously stare at each other for a while and then, you finally decide to jump on him and tackle him to the ground, to his greatest astonishment. Before he can do anything, you take his cane and throw it away. You then take some nearby rope and, in a few minutes, Lucius is defenseless. When he tries to speak, you put your hand around his throat and squeeze. He grits his teeths and you smile victoriously.

" What was that you were saying about true power ? See how easy it was for me to take the upper hand ? You Malfoy men, always playing the same dangerous game..Over and over again. Never learning that it takes a woman to truly feel powerful..Now that Narcissa is gone, it would be a shame if I were to bite your head off ? Who is going to save you ? Your son ? I doubt it..He hates you. Your wife was your best protection, people always underestimate the power of a mother..But, dear Lucius, you should have known better than treat everyone you come across as pathetic worthless worms..Now, you can either tell me that you were wrong, or I'll tell everyone that a mere half-blood has put the great Lucius Malfoy on his back.."

His eyes widen at the revelation before remembering that he had never seen your mother..Your father was a metamorphmagus and many respected him and that had always been enough..He should have definitely digged deeper. He groans, trying to free himself, but to no avail. He finally glares up at you with everything he feels: disgust being a very distinctive look on him.

" Let me go this instant, you filthy mud..!"

But before he could finish his sentence, you bit his shoulder so profoundly that he finds himself on the verge of screaming..He only hisses instead and you then whisper in his ear.

" Ask nicely..and I may consider it."

He sighs, how could he have been so stupid ? And now, he is pretty sure the memory of submitting to the halfblood would stay in his mind forever..

" Could you please let me go ?"

He finally asks politely but, he is surprised when you start kissing up the side of his neck.

" See ? You can be nice when you want to.."

He groans, still frustrated, but also strangely aroused by all this..But, of course that, he would never admit it to you. He only closes his eyes and hopes that you will stop when you notice that he isn't paying attention to you anymore. However, you aren't going to let him go so easily. You take him suddenly by the chin to force him to look back at your flashing yellow eyes and, to his surprise, you growl.

" Eyes on me, pretty boy..You wanted to see real power ? I'll show you what real power looks like.."

Again, you attack his neck and grind against him until he sees stars.

" You..You will never.."

He tries to speak, but his words get lost when you get him out of his coat and throw it to the ground carelessly.

" Hey ! That coat costs more than your whole damn muggle shop !"

You bite him again, a little less hard on his clavicle, only to shut him up again and roll your eyes playfully at him.

" Me who always thought that you were an ice king, you are just a snow princess.."

He opens his eyes wide at the nickname before glaring at you.

" What did you call me, parasite ?"

You dramatically put your hand at the level of your chest, as if the insult had hurt you before smirking down at him.

" What ? Is that the best you got ? Parasite ? Well, don't forget that said parasite is the one who is making you harder than rock right now..Must hurt, isn't it baby ?"

He clenches his jaw hard at your taunting tone before suddenly raising his pelvis to hit yours, making you moan loudly. When you open your eyes again, he is grinning up at you and asks mockingly.

" What was that ? I thought you said you were going to show me power, but all I hear are the purrs of a pitiful kitten who thinks she is a predator.."

You growl and put your hands around his throat. You aren't playing anymore and want to kill him..To kill him for everything he had done, everything he was..

" Die, you piece of trash !"

But, far from being affected by your sudden death sentence, Lucius only smiles weakly at you and takes your wrists that are shaking around his throat. He takes your moment of inattention to flip you under him, your wrists pinned to the floor.

" It isn't fair.."

You mumble almost in tears as he frowns in incomprehension at you. Why are you crying ? You are the one who had attacked him first, and now you are the one saying that it isn't fair ? As if you could read minds, you try to explain.

" I tried so hard to escape..To escape from you Malfoys and the misery that you seem to surround those who try to get close to you..But even years later, I still end up crossing your damned path !"

He tilts his head to the side, surprised by your sudden outburst and stares at you while you start sobbing and wiggle to set yourself free. When he is sure that you aren't going to attack him again, he slowly shifts his hands from around your wrists to gently wrap them around your waist. He then cradles you in his arms and puts his chin on the top of your head before closing his eyes, calmly stroking your back with his hand to soothe you. It takes a few moments for the both of you to calm down and get back to a normal regular breathing rhythm.

" Soon, I'll be out of your shop and you will never see me again.."

You know that he is trying to reassure you, but the realization makes your heart skip a beat in fear. You would not see him again..He would never know who wrote him that letter all those years ago..He would forget about you. Narcissa had been clear on what would happen to you if you ever dared tell him who was the true writer of the letter..But, would it really matter now ? Narcissa was gone and Lucius was there, his arms wrapped around you. Also, surprisingly, had not make a move to get his wand back to Avada Kedavra you yet. It was a good sign, right ? You look up at him and as soon as your eyes meet, you know that he isn't going to hurt you. You then look at the crystal bowl that he had bought, broken and splattered on the floor. You sigh before reluctantly standing up and getting your most precious crystal ball out of the shelf and giving it to him. He frowns in confusion at your gift.

" What are you doing ? I haven't paid for that one.."

You smile genuinely up at Lucius before silently picking his coat up and running your hand on the soft material before giving it back to him as well.

" I think it should be better if you would take a moment to rest, Mr Malfoy..My behavior was inappropriate and I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It was foolish of me and I humbly ask that you do not sue the shop for my mistake. It is already in a very bad condition and I do not have the money to pay you back for what I did to you.."

He opens his eyes wide in shock before looking at the items in his hands, and finally lays them on a nearby table.

" I do not care about all that now. I don't even understand you. At first, you say that you hate me and try to kill me, then you bite me and try to seduce me in a very odd and savage way, and now this ? What are you trying to tell me, Y/N ?"

You bawl your hands into fists and bite your inner cheek in order not to say anything and turn around to leave. He is to never know who you are or why you are angry at him..You thought he was smart, but you had to admit that he was not the one you thought he was.

" This is where we part ways, my ice prince. Tomorrow, you will come back to your kingdom of paper people and fake happiness and I'll be just another insignificant person that you will forget..Until then, I suggest we both sleep our separate ways. The sofa on your right will be just enough comfort for you and I'll be sleeping in the back with the best company one can have: books."

He stares at you for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before following you and locking the door behind him. You squint your eyes suspiciously as he flashes you a dark grin.

" After all this time, I finally found you.."

The dangerous vibe he is giving you makes you quiver in fear and you step back until you hit the wall. He chuckles at you poor attempt to escape and when he looks up at you again, you can see that his icy blue eyes are nearly glowing in the dark. He gets out his cane that you regret not having taken and slowly makes his way to you, running the tip of his wand on the many books kept on the shelves. You suddenly feel cold sweat running down your back, is he going to kill you ? You wonder as he stops just in front of you and his eyes brighten as he slowly makes a mental map of your body with his eyes that give away a certain appreciation..Is he planning on disposing of your body piece by piece ? Suddenly, he take you by the jaw and forces you to look directly in his eyes as he runs the tip of his wand on your cheek, neck and collarbone. He then leans forward and whispers in his low baritone voice.

" I hope you had fun teasing me..Because it will be the last time I'll ever allow you to make a fool out of me..What ? You thought I wouldn't recognize the perfume ? You stink of the same thing you sprayed that letter ages ago..And, if it wasn't for that, there is only one person that I've ever heard call me ice prince."

He knew. He knows. Oh no..You feel your eyes sprinkle with tears in front of the truth. When you think things couldn't get any worse, he summons said letter with his magic and smirks at your horrified expression.

" I kept it. Want me to refresh your memory ?"

He doesn't wait for an answer before starting reading out loud the subject of your embarrassment.

" My ice prince, I have been considering over the past few months to ask you humbly to accompany me to the Yule Ball. My dreams are filled with your scent and marvelous blue eyes that seem to light up a path to Heaven. When I close my eyes, my thoughts are filled with images of your delicate..Oh my !"

He stops abruptly and glances at you with a sinful smile.

" I had forgotten how detailed the letter was..I remember making Narcissa very happy the following day. To think that it could have been you..You must be feeling so disappointed.."

You blush vividly and try to get out of his grip by scratching his face, but he takes both of wrists and pins them above your head with one hand before continuing reading, not the least bothered.

"Oh no, my darling..You'll stay right there and listen to every word you wrote me..You'll listen and I'll make sure that you remember all of them by heart by the end of the night.. That way, you can shout all you want about how you've put the great Malfoy on his back, but I'll have the immense pleasure to tell everyone who I've succeeded in bringing to her knees."

Your heartbeat quickens at his words and you try to get back up, but Lucius doesn't let you. He pins you down to the table while motioning you to stay quiet.

" You..You're evil.."

You manage to gasp out and he chuckles, as if the insult in itself was some kind of hilarious joke.

" Coming from you ? It's a compliment, my dear..You bit me and tried to kill me. Now, where was I ? Ah, yes..Your delicate hands around my throat and your tongue against the crook of my neck.."

He leans in and slowly and sensually licks your neck from your collarbone to that place behind your ear. He then proceeds to whisper in the shell of your ear.

" I must admit, you are far more responsive than Narcissa at the time.."

His hand lowers itself agonizingly slow down your waist until he reaches your waist and suddenly uses it as leverage to drag you towards him brutally, as if to make you realize that it is happening, that he is here, that it isn't all just a dream..

" Your lips look irresistibly pleasing, my dear..Mind if I get a taste ?"

Before you can say anything, his lips are upon yours and his tongue is invading every crevice of your mouth. You roll your hips against him as a response and he slowly drags his other hand from your wrist to your throat. He squeezes lightly and with your free hands, you cradle his face for him to stay still.

"..I've never seen such beautiful sapphire eyes and only the thought of you makes me want to sing and dance.."

The letter falls from his hand as he understands that he doesn't have to remind you..as you've never truly forgotten. He kisses you again, but sweetly this time. Before you can continue however, he stands up and gets out of the room, leaving you hot and bothered.

" What are you doing ?!"

You yell, almost in despair and he only chuckles before closing the door behind him.

" I did what I said. You won't forget that letter any time soon..However, I can't allow myself to be seen with an half-blood..It would be improper."

" Im..Improper..?"

You repeat, as if dumbstruck by the fact that you may have been played with..You look at the door with a glare before getting up and walking determinedly towards the door. You try to open it, but find it locked.

" Lucius ! Open this door right now !"

But you are only met with a laugh from the other side.

" Good night."

You try to open it by force, but it doesn't work and you can't do anything but declare defeat. You get back to the table and sit on it before burying your face in your arms, trying to muffle your tears as Lucius had, once again, tricked you. But, to your surprise, you hear the door opening and see Lucius standing there, guilt written all over his features.

" I..I didn't think that you would actually cry.."

You don't know what angers you the most : his genuine shock or the fact that he is now staring at you, completely lost ? You try to get past him, but he doesn't let you and cages you in his arms.

" Come on..You know I was only playing. I was going to open it soon enough.."

You try to get out of his grip, but the man is not ready to let you go any time soon. He even tightens his hold on you and you finally lean back, inhaling his very expensive cologne.

" Am I just a game to you, Lucius ?"

You ask with a heavy heart and he decides to answer truthfully.

" At first..you were. But, now ? I don't think so. After the war, I understood that I may have acted wrong. I'm still trying to get better. I may have had very bad ideas over this concept of pure-blood supremacy and other..But, I know now thanks to my son and my grandson that I acted out and I wish to make amends. I truly do. This is why, I think I want to give it a try..Will you help me ? Please ?"

You are taken aback by such honesty in Lucius, but still nod in agreement.

" I have had many phases in my life, some when I hated you and some when I lov..liked you. I don't think that you are a bad man, Lucius. I just think that you are a very ambitious and very proud person. If you could just spend some time with people like me..You would see that we aren't so different..This is why I'm willing to make the first step."

He looks at your outstretched hand for a moment before finally taking it with a small smile.

" I'm looking forward to working with you, Miss Y/N."

The next day, Lucius is finally free from the shop and remains courteous. He even apologizes on behalf of his grandson and Draco seems surprised by his sudden change in behavior.

" Did you use magic on him or what ?"

He asks you in a whisper, but you only laugh heartily and shake your head.

" No. I just talked to him..and he listened."

Lucius smiles, his eyes creasing a bit and you glance at each other with a knowing look. Lucius would be back. He had still much to learn afterall..

[agoracactus]

Pt.5 - “We will be there to stop her if she tries anything.”

Sorry and not sorry for slipping in the Stark motto, i saw an opportunity and i took it lmao

also for the next few chapters (including this one) its gonna be heavy book content so um spoil alert?

this one is so short idk what to say 

Pt.1  Pt.2  Pt.3  Pt.4  Pt.4.5

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x reader

Word Count: 2764

Warnings: lack of proofread, language (like, a lot), blood

Tag list: @theojuicee

§

Something wasn’t right.

Either your memory or this world. You weren’t exactly sure which, but you knew something wasn’t going according to the script when you saw that giant disgusting spider-like creature emerged.

It wasn’t easy to take down- none of them was. But you two manage to kill that bastard without getting hurt.

You watched Geralt dragging the dead giant bug out to somewhere dry with a grimace.

“Can we not go?” “What?” “I know where you’re taking that shit. Please don’t. I don’t like that place.” “We need money, y/n. Winter is coming.” he looked at you like you were a kid throwing tantrum. “We can hunt- I can hunt! Every other village is fine just not this one please!” “Is this about the books you read back home?” “...No?” you turned away your gaze, “...It’s a gut feeling thing, that place got bad Fengshui.” “Stop being ridiculous, you’ll be fine.” You rolled your eyes at his back and mumbled, “Sure, I’ll be fine.”

§

You put up a long face riding behind Geralt- more specifically behind a donkey with the dead bug on its back. And your expression was even gloomier when you noticed the curious crowd gathering behind.

You came close to what seemed like the alderman’s house. You hopped off of the horse and was about to follow Geralt going into the house when you saw someone in the crowd sneakingly trying to lift up a corner of the blanket. “-Hey!” you slapped the man’s hand, “That’s rude!” You glared at the crowd, you were in no mood to be friendly to these people, and crossed your arms, guarding the dead bug like a bouncer at the night club.

Shortly after, Geralt came out with the alderman. He showed him the corpse, asked for a reward. The alderman shushed away the crowd and lead you back into his house.

“What’s wrong with her?” the alderman finished his jug of beer, nodded towards you. You, sitting right next to Geralt, feeling offended by the alderman obviously ignoring you, snorted, “I hate bugs.”

And this town. You thought to yourself.

The alderman told Geralt that there’s no reward, and offered him the room in the attic. “But I only got one spare room.” the alderman glanced at you. “It’s fine, we share a room.” Geralt said, finishing his drink. You held up one hand before the alderman can put on a surprising look, “We just share a bed, nothing more.” You didn’t notice Geralt giving you a side-eye. “If that’s fine with you two.” the alderman shrugged, “By the way, just between us, don't do what you did during supper last time in front of Libushe again.” “You mean when I threw my fork at the rat?” “No. I mean when you hit it, even in the dark.” “You hit a rat with the fork in the dark?” you turned to Geralt, very intrigued. Geralt paused for a second, drawn to your sparkling eyes- the stars he couldn't unsee after the night at the wedding. “Yes, and we are not going to have that again.” the alderman announced, breaking your gaze.

§

Geralt stopped you at the door when you were going to follow the guard and the alderman to the tower where that disgusting Stregobor lived.

“You should stay.” “What? Why?” “You look like you are up for murder.” “Maybe I am.” you narrowed your eyes, thinking about what the wizard did and what he got Geralt into.

Oh yeah, you would not hesitate to pull that trigger.

“No.” Geralt said firmly, but in a low voice, “We can’t have you murdering the town wizard.” “...Fine, no murdering, this time.” “Just stay here, I’ll be back soon.” he walked away.

You glared at his back, wanted to catch up on him, or sneakingly follow behind. But you know it won’t help with anything. It’s not like that sneaky bastard would let you into his tower. You sat down at the door, resting your head on your palm.

You thought this won’t be happening. You already met Jaskier. How can Blavekin still be happening? That’s not right!

You considered the possibility of telling Geralt what would happen, but then decided it won’t make any difference. You have known Geralt long enough to know, he’s a hero at heart, no matter how hard he’s denying it. Knowing the future or not, he will do what his heart tells him to.

Maybe you should find a way to sneak up the tower and kill that piece of shit wasting all the oxygen being alive, and bring his head to Renfri before anything could happen? But you’re no spiderman, how can you get into a magic tower?

You buried your head between your knees, and let out a frustrating groan.

Then you stood up.

Maybe you can find Renfri first, talk to her, or tell her to leave, or tell her you can help?... You’ll wing it. You’ll stop all this shit that has nothing to do with your witcher.

You’ll be the Butcher if you have to.

§

You asked a few people where can you find the town’s inn- it wasn’t easy when you didn’t remember the actual name for the inn. You went to two wrong places before seeing Geralt and the alderman.

“Hey!” you ran up to them, “Where are you going?” It came out as a harsh question. The alderman answered, “The Golden Court! A group of people is here seeking for trouble, that’s not allowed-” “Don’t go!” your gaze hasn’t left Geralt’s face, “This is my once in a lifetime wish. Don’t, go.” “...Once in a lifetime wish?” “I’ll never ask you to do anything again. Let’s just leave, there’s no reward anyway! Don’t talk to Renfri, you don’t have to be in the middle of all these, it has nothing to do with you.” “...”

You two had a silent staring contest in the middle of the street.

“Well? Are we going?” the alderman finally broke the silence, “We need to stop her before she hurt our wizard!” “...No.” Geralt said, then broke the gaze, “Send your guards to give her a warning.” “Wha- But-” “She hasn’t done anything, Caldemeyn. We will be there to stop her if she tries anything, for now, let’s go back to your lovely wife.” “I hope you are right, Geralt. Very well, we’ll go back.”

§

The dinner was great. Libushe cooked a grand meal for you. There was a lot of drinking and laughing at the table. You kept an eye out, wanted to spot some rat for Geralt to hit, but didn’t see any. Libushe might go through a great deal getting rid of those to prevent the scene from happening again.

The night was quiet. People went to sleep extra early for the market tomorrow. Libushe brought one last jug of beer to the table and went to bed. Geralt and the alderman were talking more quietly now. You had your chin in your hand, dozing off to the story about how Geralt fought one of those monsters.

“Y/n, go to bed.” Geralt paused from the story, gently shook your shoulder to wake you up. “...What?..No I’m listening...” “You knew the story already, you were there.” “...I wanna hear it from you-” you said with a big yawn. “Go to bad, stop being childish.” “..I’m not childish you’re childish...” you grimaced, but slowly getting up from the table, “...We’re leaving tomorrow right?” you couldn't even keep your eyes open. “First thing in the morning, I promise. Now go to bed.” You nodded, stumbled upstairs.

You opened the door to the attic room. “...Hello?” you quietly said to the dark, rubbing your eyes.

No response.

You waited for two more seconds, then shrugged.

Renfri isn’t here. You stopped her from telling Geralt her side of the story. He won’t get involved.

You lay down in bed. Before you can have more thoughts on this, you fell asleep.

§

There was a scream.

You couldn’t be sure if it was in your dream, you’ve been slipping in and out of it all night. You felt like you were awake and asleep at the same time. When you were finally sitting up in bed, with the sense of drowsiness still lurking in your head, you looked beside you.

The other side of the bed was untouched.

You heard the racket outside.

You jumped out of bed, cursing, grabbing the pistol and rushed downstairs. You almost tripped at the front door, but you caught your balance. then ran towards the source of the noise.

But it was too late.

You pushed through the crowd, only to see him standing, back towards you, motionless.

“...Geralt..” you said under your breath, ran straight towards him.

“Are you ok? Are you hurt?” you scanned his body before finally setting your gaze on his face. You saw his eyes, and what’s written in there. You felt the pain in your chest.

You heard the sound of the staff tapping against the stone.

You turned your head to look at the girl lying against the cold hard stone.

“We’ll take her to the tower for an autopsy.” you heard that old bastard said.

You aimed the gun straight at him when the witcher had his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Don’t, fucking, touch her.” you said between your teeth. “And who might you be, young lady?” You took a shot a few inches away from his feet, “Next one would be between your eyes.” you said coldly. The old man looked at the hole in the ground, the shining blade in the witcher’s hand and the look on your face. “As you wish.” he turned away.

Stones came flying in your direction. You watched the man in front of you made a sign with his hands to prevent the attacks from hurting both of you. You felt your throat tightened.

You heard the alderman’s voice. But you couldn’t focus on what he was saying. All you can see was his eyes. Then you heard those words --- ‘never come back’. You saw him ever so slowly turning and walking away. For a moment you thought your feet were nailed to the ground.

Rage erupted from deep within you.

“...Oh don’t worry we won’t.” you heard yourself said, glaring at the alderman, then turned to the crowd. “We will never come back. In fact, you better pray for no monster ever trouble your life, you don’t deserve saving, none of you are!” you raised your voice with every word coming out of your mouth, in the end you were practically screaming, “And I hope there will be monsters overtaking this fucking town and murder all your men rape all the women so all you have is fucking monsters’ FUCKING BABIES!!”

§

The camp was set somewhere near the river, you can hear the water trickling through the woods.

You were calmer than when you just left the town, the boiling rage has now become something thick and heavy, like a witch brew with tar-like texture, slowly cooking in your chest.

Geralt was stoking the fire with a stick, the orange light flickering on his face, but not in his eyes. You quietly rubbed the barrel of your shotgun with a piece of cloth.

“...The Butcher of Blavekin. That’s what you were talking about...”

He was so quiet you almost lost the words to the crackling fire.

“...If anyone ever dares to say that name I’ll put a bullet through their miserable brain.” you said ferociously. “Don’t.” “Don’t what?” “Just don’t.” his eyes never left the fire.

You set the gun down on your knees, “...You don’t deserve it.” you said quietly.

“...”

The witch brew in your chest suddenly burst and boiled again.

“Look at me!” you jumped up on your feet, “You are not! Whatever you think you are, no matter how many stupid proofs you have for yourself, you are not! You did what you can! That’s all! There’s no right or wrong or good or evil! You saved the fucking innocents!”

“...”

You hate it when you’re mad, the emotion always makes you cry. Makes your rage seems weak and pathetic.

You quickly wiped away the tears off your cheeks, looked away into the dark, took a deep breath to steady yourself.

You looked toward him once more. He’s still staring at the fire.

“...There are people who love you and care about you dearly.” You spoke slowly, word by word, hoping you could send these trembling words into his stubborn mind, “I do, so does Jaskier. And your brothers at Kaer Morhen, and Vesemier. And there will be more...I just hope you know that, and maybe one day you will join us and learn to love yourself.” you finished your speech and walked away.

“...Where are you going?” “To fucking shoot some fucking fish!” you yelled back in frustration, wiped your face again but the tears were uncontrollable.

§

Sitting by the running river, you held your knees close to your chest, listening to the rippling in the dark. Your eyes were puffy after a good cry, you sniffed, feeling the cool breeze giving you goosebumps.

You heard footsteps coming up behind, knowing it’s the witcher trying not to startle you- as he could move in absolute slience. You didn’t move.

The footstep stopped a few feet away behind you. None of you spoke. You listened to the rustling of the trees.

“...Did you, um, find any fish?” he broke the silence. “Pff, like my human eyes can see anything in this light.” you sniffed, couldn’t stop yourself being sarcastic. He didn’t reply. You immediately felt bad.

You stood up, head low, walked towards him, stopped just half an arm’s length away. He didn’t move. You looked up at him.

“Can I have a hug?” He blinked. “...Why?” “Cuz I think you need one too.” “...”

You took advantage of his silence and took a step forward, slid your arms around his waist and rested your forehead on his shoulder. You felt he grew uneasy, he just stood there awkwardly, didnt know what to do with his arms.

Standing there, surrounded by the sound of the night forest, and the warmth from another body, you were finally relaxed.

“...Are you hungry?” his voice was quiet like he’s scared to speak up. “...Yeah.” “I got some cheese and bacon in the bag.” “...Where did you get- Did you stole food from the alderman?” you backed away slightly to look at him. “And a fork.” he looked rather proud. You blinked in disbelief, then burst into laughter.

“Awesome! Let's go hit something with that fork!”

You saw, in the dim light, the witcher finally showed a faint smile.

§

You bolted upright when the door opened. Your eyes immediately shot to the man sleeping in bed.

“Don’t worry dear, he’s going to be alright.” “...Good morning Nenneke.” you gave her a sheepish smile, let go of Geralt’s hand- which you’ve been holding tightly on to all night- stood up from the wooden stool. “Go get some breakfast, I can take care of him.” “Alright.” you couldn’t stop a yawn, stretched your stiffened back from sleeping on your arms at the side of the bed all night.

It’s been like this for the past three days. You worried about him so much you couldn't sleep well. You know that he’s a superhuman underwent some crazy experiments, he won’t die that easily. But there was so much blood, he was in such terrible fever for days.

You remembered when you rushed out immediately after you heard the third crow, and found him laying on the ground, drenched in blood. And you remembered pressing on his wound, feeling the warm liquid oozing out through the gaps of your fingers. You remember you were panicking so much you couldn’t remember anything else.

Because you can’t ever be sure about what would happen now. Anything can change from what you knew.

Like when you met the beautiful Yennefer.