Chapter Text
Only once three years had passed did Jaskier leave The Meadow in search of adventure and inspiration. Each person who held him dear (everyone at the brothel, even a few customers) pooled some money together to buy him a lovely new traveling outfit. There was a white shirt, matching teal doublet and trousers with ruby accents. Despite not being the most luxurious outfit he had ever owned, it immediately became his favourite. His farewell party lasted for two days and the brothel conducted no business until it was over. The final goodbyes were said at the gates of the city and Miss Fleur was the only one who wasn’t sobbing.
All of the girls gave Jaskier a hug and peck on the cheek, saddened to watch their beloved little brother leave them. Daisy and Jasmine were inconsolable as the trio clung to each other, making Jaskier promise over and over again to visit as often as he could. Then it was Miss Fleur’s turn to say goodbye to the young man who had become her son in all but blood.
“You will do us proud,” she ordered him, sniffing and running her hands along his doublet to rid it from creases, “when I next hear your name you will be a famous bard. Just don’t forget us, my boy.” Her hands dropped to her side as her sniffing became more rapid and she raised her face to the sky.
“I could never forget my family, the people who I love most in this world.” He promised, grabbing her hands and bringing them to rest on his wet cheeks. “I could never forget my mother,” he looked to the girls surrounding them, ‘or my dearest sisters.”
Jaskier never broke his promise, when he parted from Geralt each winter he would spend a fortnight at The Meadow with his family before wintering at Oxenfurt. It was such an important event to them all that they would shut for the first two days of his visit, and when they reopened Jaskier would perform for free until his stay was over. His name would draw so many customers and fans that after just three of his annual visits they were able to expand the building and give each girl her own room along with the business rooms. All of his family were so proud of him, proclaiming “that’s my brother/son” whenever his name was mentioned, regardless of the context of the conversation.
Finally, after travelling with Geralt for seven years Jaskier decided to introduce his best friend to his family. Daisy had been insisting on meeting the witcher her baby brother was spending all his time with. It took a long while for Jaskier to convince him to travel to Cidaris (he kept the reason for going to the city a secret, he didn’t want to scare his dear witcher away) from Roggeven despite being the next city over. The look of adorable confusion on the poor man’s face was definitely worth keeping the secret. Clearly he couldn’t fathom why all of the women at the brothel had jumped on his bard and the patrons suddenly leaving, many of them mumbling a quick “Welcome back kid,” on the way past.
Of course the poor man came to the conclusion that it was his fault everyone was leaving and began to turn around himself until a vice like grip clamped on his shoulder and spun him round to face an older woman who seemed to be the Madame. “I was just-” he started to explain before she interrupted him, never once easing the hand holding him in place.
“-You were just sitting yourself down and introducing yourself is what you were doing,” she declared. So he was right, she was in charge. After ending her declaration she pushed him to a chair and walked over to the huddle of women gathered around his bard. Next she brought two beautiful women over to him, all three of them blatantly studying everything about him, causing him to squirm in his seat. “Do you know who we are, Master Witcher?” she inquired standing over him.
When all he could do was shake his head at her she sighed and muttered “silly boy!” under her breath. Once she had collected herself she straightened her spine and told him, “We are his family, I found him on the street opposite this building. He had nothing but the clothes on his back, his lute, and the food people had thrown at him. Even after his harsh treatment he was so lovely and happy, especially when I gave him a job here. I may not have given birth to him but that boy is my son, he is such a wonderful young man and he deserves to be treated as such.” The glare she settled on him was nothing short of terrifying, reminding him of his own adoptive father’s glares when he and his brothers would misbehave during training. Suddenly he understood why Jaskier serenaded and conversed with almost all of the working girls they came across, they reminded him of his beloved sisters.
Who were now all staring at Geralt.
From then on, it became a tradition that Jaskier would visit his family twice a year. Once in the winter, and once in the summer with his witcher who was now family to the women of The Meadow as well.