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Chapter Text

When he woke the first thing Jaskier noticed was everyone else had left to fight the dragon. The bard groaned then stood up and stretched, strapping his lute to his back he stumbled up the crest of the mountain towards the dragon’s nest. An unsettling feeling settled into the pit of his stomach as he passed the curve and saw the dwarves frozen in time. Yennefer, he thought immediately, but why would she… He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then pushed through the line of slow-moving dwarves. Yes, Geralt tied Yennefer’s destiny to his own, but that didn’t mean he loved Jaskier any less… right?

He approached the entrance of the cave just in time to see the witch and Geralt kiss. Suddenly a wave of chaos exploded from them and who was Jaskier to come in between that?! He didn’t bother announcing his presence in his usual dramatic way, instead waiting silently outside of the cave until all the ravagers were taken care of. “You will lose what you do not have,” Borch says to Geralt, the old man is staring straight at Jaskier, but he could tell the witcher’s mind went immediately to Yennefer. He’s going to leave you behind, a treacherous whisper thought in the back of his mind. Jaskier only sighed as he watched Yennefer have a go at Geralt, leaving a mess behind her as she turned down the mountain alone.

“Alright then!” Jaskier said, clapping his hands enthusiastically. “Where to next Geralt?” He asked approaching the witcher, arms open wide. The bard quickly found himself toppling over his lute case, cowering under Geralt’s steely glare. Jaskier didn’t dare speak, in fear of making the situation worse.

“Damn it Jaskier!” Geralt growled through his teeth, “why is it whenever there’s a pile of shit it’s you who’s there shoveling it?” Jaskier’s heart shattered,

“Well that’s not… that’s not fair Geralt.” He whispered, but Geralt was having none of it.

“The Djinn, the Child Surprise, all of it was your fault!” Geralt shouted, "if life could give me one blessing it would be to take you of my hands!" Then he turned around, shoulders pulled taught against his swords. Jaskier hastily stood up and straightened out his doublet. He checked to see if his lute was damaged, luckily it only suffered a few minor scrapes. The bard took a shaky breath and could hear his voice breaking as he spoke,

“Okay then… I guess I’ll go and get the rest of the story from the others.” He stared at Geralt’s back, hoping, begging for the witcher to respond. When he doesn’t Jaskier tries once more, “Geralt please I can’t… I mean we can’t…” He had no fucking clue what he was trying to say. “Everyone leaves me,” and shit why the hell did he say that? It got Geralt’s attention though, the witcher shifted, but didn’t turn around.

“Maybe that’s because it’s your fault,” Geralt muttered. Jaskier frowned,

“Geralt don’t leave me, please .” He begged, but it was no use. The Butcher of Blavikin had made up his mind and deemed Jaskier a nuisance just like his parents did. The sky mimicked Jaskier’s mood as he traveled down the mountain alone. The sunset was once made up of bright colors fading into the horizon... now though, it doomed him in for a stormy night, and he wasn’t even halfway down the mountain itself. 

Months later Jaskier found himself settling into a new routine, never staying in one place for too long, entertain the masses, and get out of town before a witcher shows up. Unfortunately his new post-Geralt life wasn’t very lucrative. Weeks ago he traded his lute for a bowl of watered down soup in a backwater town. Now though, his money pouch was all but empty, save for the piece of lint that seemed to cling to the bottom of it. Seems like tonight will be spent under the stars… Jaskier thought as he began to set his camp up. Sitting on a slab of stone he couldn’t bring himself to cry. His sorrow quickly blended into anger. Anger towards the witcher, towards the djinn, towards Yennefer… no, not towards Yennefer. The same week he sold his lute they ran into each other and cleared the air, things were tense but at least he had one person he could count on. As he settled in for the night, curling up in his soaked sleeping roll, the last thing he saw was an old woman’s face and a flash of color before the world went black.

Scenes from Jaskier’s past flashed through his mind… 

His mother and father leaving him in the woods, claiming he wasn’t fit to be their son.

His father locking him in his “room”, which in actuality was just a cold concrete cell.

Geralt, breaking his heart time and time again whenever the witcher chose Yennefer over him. 

The harassment he had endured on his travels once he left Lettenhove, the people throwing rotten fruit with perfect aim.

Jaskier woke up with a start. The first thing he noticed was whoever captured him had a Nilfgaardian flag hung inside of their house. The second thing he realized was that his captors had shackled him to their wall, and stripped him down to his pants. He felt a large bruise forming where Geralt punched him, and his back ached. The room he was in seemed to be a part of a one room shack somewhere. Various potion ingredients hung from the ceiling, along with various torture weapons. He pulled at the chains, which did nothing to loosen them. “Hey!” He shouted, “who the hell are you?” A daunting shadow appeared behind a curtain of hanging vines, the silhouette had a crooked spine and even more crooked fingers. Jaskier braced himself when they pulled the curtain back, but instead of seeing an all-powerful witch, he saw an elderly woman.

“Dearest poet,” she said, voice cracking due to her age. “I apologise for the theatrics, but I’ve been loyal to Nilfgaard for quite some time now. Jaskier tried to pull himself off the wall again, but the chains didn’t budge.

“Who are you? Are we still in the forest?” He asked, hoping he looked more ferocious than he felt. She chuckled then waved her hand and the curtains hanging in front of the windows shifted. Sunlight shone through, which meant he’d been out for at least a day. Through the window he was able to see thick trees surrounding the entire cottage. Not only that, but the first snowfall of the year must’ve happened overnight, because the entire forest seemed to be covered in ice.

“I am Bathalda honey,” she said. Before he could say anything else she reached forward and tapped his forehead with her hand. “Better?” Bathalda asked him, surprisingly he did feel better. The welts on his chest disappeared, and any pain he felt was no longer there. “I’m sure you’re confused so let me explain what I can.” She paused, Jaskier didn’t interrupt her. “Like I said before, I am of Nilfgaard. Our king has issued a wanted statement for you, the witcher, and his child surprise.” Jaskier laughed,

“You’d be surprised witch, I haven’t seen the Butcher of Blavikin in months. Damn him to hell I say!” Bathalda frowned,

“That explains the heartbreak…” Jaskier frowned, then realized what she was saying.

“Hey! You looked through my head!” Bathalda nodded then reached up and patted his cheek. He shivered under her touch, for an old woman she really had the creepiness on a whole ‘nother level. For some reason, she didn’t seem to be the kind to torture him for information though. If she was, she would’ve done it already. “I don’t know where Geralt is.” He growled through his teeth. Bathalda nodded,

“I believe you bard.” She sighed sadly, still not moving to release his chains.

“So does that mean you’re going to release me?” He asked her hopefully, and yet again to his surprise, she smiled and nodded.

“Yes dear one I think I will. Not only that! But I believe I’m going to give you a second chance!” She exclaimed walking over to her potions table and grabbing a glass bottle. The potion inside it was the color of the most grotesque green Jaskier had ever seen. He clamped his mouth shut, no way in hell am I drinking that! He thought while trying to turn his head away from the bottle. He pulled at the chains again, only damaging his wrists more. Help someone! Please, Yennefer I don’t know if you can hear me… but HELP! He thought loudly as the woman pushed his cheeks together forcing him to swallow the disgusting potion. “There, now was that so bad?” Bathalda asked, patting his cheek. “Now you may go. There’s an inn a little ways down the path, but you’ll find it. They don’t like me very much, but you I’m sure they’ll absolutely adore !” She exclaimed, she snapped her fingers and the chains undid themselves letting Jaskier fall to his knees on the floor. “I’ve always been one for a good love story, now go on dear find your witcher!” Bathalda all but shoved him out of her cottage and into the snow, shortly after she snapped the door shut it opened again and his lute was thrown at his feet. “You’re a bard! You might need that dearie!” Bathalda shouted.

“What the hell just happened?” Jaskier wondered out loud. He ran hand down his lute, it was in near perfect condition. “Magic…” He muttered. The bard stood and brushed the snow off his clothes. He shouldered his lute and then followed the path to the inn. Like the crazy woman said, it wasn’t too far from her hut. Jaskier walked in and was immediately hit with a homey feeling. The building had a lobby and the fireplace was burning. The smell of baking bread wafted from it, making Jaskier’s stomach growl. He composed himself, turned on his flashing smile and turned to the desk.

“One room?” The innkeeper asked him, he was middle-aged, though Jaskier could see some grey hairs sprouting on his head. Jaskier nodded then placed a few coins Bathalda threw at him onto the table. The man’s eyebrows rose, “you met the creep old woman huh?” He asked turning around to get the room key. Jaskier nodded,

“Yeah… interesting woman.” The innkeeper nodded back then noticed the lute.

“Would you mind playing for us later? The last time we had a bard was when I was a child.” Jaskier’s heart wept but he knew he needed rest. Sighing he compromised,

“I can play a few songs tomorrow.” The man nodded,

“Seems fair. You’re in room ten, we’re overbooked so you’ll be splitting with another coustomer. There are two beds and a room seperator, I hope that’s okay.” Jaskier smiled, compared to his last few nights in the woods that sounded like heaven.

“It’s fine good sir, thank you very much.” After exchanging goodbyes Jaskier made his way to room ten and could already hear someone shuffling around inside it. “Hey, are you decent? I’m your… room-friend for the night!” The shuffling stopped and Jaskier took that as his cue to open the door.

“Jaskier?”

“ Yennefer ?”

Chapter Text

Jaskier stared at the witch in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” He asked her settling into his side of the room, the situation painfully reminded him of Geralt.

“I don’t know if I’m completely honest… something called me here, chaos,” Yennefer answerd hesitantly. Jaskier nodded then sat on the foot of his bed and pulled out the lute. To his surprise, the instrument was perfectly in tune, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get it to not be in tune. Jaskier swore under his breath,

“Fuck Yen, I think there’s something wrong with me.” Her eyes flashed a shade darker and he felt her presence seeping into the cracks of his mind. Something in his brain snapped like an elastic strap and pulled them both onto the ground away from each other. Yennefer stood up then reached out her hand to help him. He reached forward, but the hand in his vision didn’t belong to him. Yennefer’s eyes twinkled with glee as he stood up and realized the bed was taller than him.

“It’s an aging curse!” She exclaimed in awe, “they’re rare and hard to do. What witch did you piss off this time?” Jaskier glared at her, crossed his arms, and pouted.

“It’s not funny Yenny!” He shouted in surprise when she picked him up and tossed him in the bed, “hey, stop it!” Jaskier managed to yell through the strand of giggles she caused by tickling his stomach.

“Oh but you’re too adorable ! And a curse this old… I don’t have the antidote at my house.” She finally stopped tickling him and Jaskier dangled his legs off the side of the bed. He tried to pull his lute onto his lap, but it was too big and instantly slid onto the floor. Tears immediately welled in his eyes and he cried.

“I wanna play the lute! I don’t care what daddy says!” Yennefer frowned,

“Jaskier, how old do you think you are?” Jaskier thought to himself for a moment then held up four fingers.

“Four! My birthday was just last month!” He said with a giggle, then he jumped off the bed and started running around the room. “Where are we?” The toddler asked. The witch frowned,

“You know who I am… but you don’t know where we are?” Jaskier nodded happily,

“You came to my house last year and made the ceiling all pretty! I liked it a lot but daddy says purple isn’t for boys.” He pouted again, but just as soon as it was there the frown disappeared. Yennefer hummed to herself as he grabbed the four pillows off the bed and piled them on top of each other, then he dragged the quilt off the bed and pulled it over himself. “I like that song!” Jaskier said from the confines of his fort. Yennefer smiled,

“I should hope so, you’re the one who wrote it!” There was a beat of silence then,

“Wow, I’m awesome! I’m going to be the best bard ever!” He started singing dischordant notes as he continued to secure the entrance flap of the fort.

“It seems you have some memories of adulthood, but they’re merging with your childhood ones. We need help…” Jaskier peeked out from the doorway of his fort,

“Why?” Yennefer sighed,

“Because we need to get big Jaskier back. Even though I think I like this version of you better.” Jaskier frowned,

“Who’s Jaskier?” Yennefer mimicked his expression,

“What do you mean? You’re Jaskier.” Jaskier shook his head so fast Yennefer almost thought it would fall off.

“Nuh uh! My name’s Julian Pankratz! My daddy’s important is he gonna… his he gonna help us?” Jaskier asked quietly. Yennefer cursed under her breath then crouched to meet his eyes.

“If you promise to be good do you want to go someplace special? Someplace no human has ever gone in millions of years?” His lips curved into a frown as he tried to count a million on his fingers.

“A million is a lot of years.” Jaskier muttered to himself, then he looked up and those damn blue eyes were sparkling. “I wanna go!” He exclaimed climbing out of his fort. Yennefer couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to make the bed again.

“Sweetie what are you doing?” She asked trying to help him pull the corners of the sheet. Jaskier yanked it away from her,

“Grown men make their own beds.” Jaskier scowled, and a hint of adult Jaskier’s glare was reflected in it. Yennefer held up her hands,

“It’s okay to need help sometimes Jas - I mean Julian.” To her surprise the toddler shook his head faster than before,

“Daddy says men don’t need help.” Yennefer sighed sadly,

“I have a feeling I’m not going to like a lot about what your daddy says. You’re a child Julian, you’re supposed to be worried about playdates and fun, not making beds.” Especially if you really are a Pankratz, last I heard they had servants just for morning chores. Yennefer thought to herself. Jaskier still shook his head, denying her help. After a while of struggling he managed to finally pull the final corner of the quilt over the bed. 

“See, I told you I can do it.” Jaskier said sitting on top of the bed with his legs crossed. Yennefer nodded,

“You’re right. How about we go meet my friend now? He lives in an old castle, and he’s really really nice!” Jaskier absentmindedly rubbed his stomach. He seemed hesitant when he said, 

“Is he like my daddy’s friends?” And in that second Yennefer never wanted anyone to burn more than the bard’s parents. She shook herself out of those thoughts, they’ll be time to exact revenge later. Getting Jaskier to Geralt was the priority, they were bound to have some sort of antidote in Kaer Morhen. Besides, it’s been ages since she’d last seen Ciri and wanted to see how her training was going. She reached her arms around him in a hug, and felt proud that he didn’t shrink away.

“I promise, he might be scary but he’s nothing like your father’s friends,” she swore to him. Jaskier seemed to trust her because he nodded and slid out from her arms.

“Do you have a horse? My favorite horse is named Roach!” He said dangling his legs over the side of the bed. Yennefer frowned slightly, but didn’t say anything. Instead she turned to him with a smile and gleam in her eyes,

“Better Julian, I’m a witch remember? We’ve got magic.” Jaskier’s eyes widened in awe as she summoned a portal to Kaer Morhen.

“Is it… safe?” Jaskier asked as he took a tentative step forward. Yennefer nodded, to demonstrate she threw a pillow through it.

“See?” She said, but it didn’t seem to comfort him. Sighing she knelt down, “what if we went through together? I can hold your hand or carry you.” Jaskier nodded shyly, taking that as her cue, she reached down and picked him up from the ground. He burrowed his face into her neck, his arms and legs  wrapped around her tightly. She bent back down to pick up his lute, then stepped through the portal.

Instantly Yennefer could tell something was off the second they stepped into what used to be Kaer Morhen’s great hall. Chaos levels were too high in the air, she could feel it like static against her skin. Jaskier must’ve sensed something too because he only clutched at her tighter. “Everything’s fine Julian, everything’s fine.” She said to comfort both the child and herself. Shifting so she could at least have use of one arm, Yennefer made her way through the keep, trying to find the source of the static. “Ciri, Eskel?!” She called out, voice echoing the dimly lit passageways. She turned the corner and was instantly attacked by a blast of raw chaos, she deflected it and darted under the cover of fallen debri.

“I told you it was Yennefer!” Ciri’s voice shouted from somewhere in the room. Yennefer couldn’t seem to pinpoint where it was coming from. The air shimmered then flickered in front of her, revealing the lion cub and the witchers. Yennefer glared at them,

“You scared Julain.” She scolded setting the toddler down. Jaskier still held onto her arm, and eyed the witchers uneasily. Ciri crooned,

“He’s so cute, where did you find him!” She took a few steps toward them, but Jaskier furrowed his eyebrows together and growled at her. Ciri yelped then stopped moving closer.

“I don’t like you, you tried to hurt Auntie Yenny,” Jaskier said softly to Ciri. A look of confusion crossed the princess’s face. Yennefer sighed,

“Julian, she didn’t mean to hurt me. She thought I was a bad guy.” Jaskier thought for a second,

“So this is her home and she thought we were one of daddy’s friends?” The witchers grumbled in confusion, but Yennefer nodded,

“That’s right, she was keeping her family safe.” Jaskier took another look at Ciri then his eyes lit up,

“I like your hair! It’s really really pretty. Can I braid it? Mommy always makes me braid her hair so I won’t make a mess!” Ciri glanced at Yennefer, who nodded. Once given the okay the princess held her arms out and Jaskier ran into them.

“You can braid my hair anytime you like Julian,” she said with a smile. Jaskier hummed happily then yawned and stretched his arms out. Curling into her he muttered,

“You’re comfy…” Then his eyes fluttered shut as he fell into what Yennefer would be a deep sleep. Geralt stared at her from across the room.

“Don’t look at me like that! I didn’t do this!” Geralt growled,

“Who did?” Yennefer shrugged,

“I don’t know. All I got out of him before this happened was that he was traveling.” Geralt frowned as he watched Jaskier curl more into Ciri’s arms.

“Give him to me,” the witcher said holding his arms open. Yennefer shook her head,

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. He still hasn’t forgiven you for what you did. I don’t know what he remembers, or how he’ll react if you’re the first thing he sees when he wakes up.” Geralt hummed, but knew she was right. He turned to Ciri,

“Take him to one of the spare rooms. Try to take out as many weapons as you can.” Yennefer nodded,

“And be sure to give him a lot of pillows and blankets.” At Geralt’s look she shrugged, “he likes to make blanket forts.” Ciri carried Jaskier quietly out of the room.

“Fuck Yen,” Geralt grunted, behind him Eskel nodded.

“I can’t help but agree. Isn’t he your bard Geralt? What the hell did she mean when she said he hadn’t forgiven you yet?” Yennefer’s laugh rang out as Gerlat continued to get grilled on why he hurt his bard by his brothers.

Chapter Text

When Julain dreamed he dreamt of fields of dandelions. Dandelions like the ones outside his window at home. Dandelions who’s seeds fly in the wind and plant themselves all over the world. He would do that one day, he swore to himself dancing in the fields of flowers, be famous and love his job. Julain ran through the fields until the blurry figure of a man appeared, he looked like him but older. “Don’t trust Geralt!” The man shouted as he flickered in and out of view.

“What?” Julian called out running to the man. The closer he got to him, the further the man seemed to be.

“He hurt us! Broke our hearts, don’t trust him!” Julian frowned, then the entire world seemed to melt away.

Blinking the crust out of his eyes Julain sat up, pushing the pile of quilts aside. He looked around the room then realized he wasn’t in his home anymore, and the girl sleeping in the chair next to him wasn’t Yennefer. “Auntie Yenny!” Julian screeched, the sleeping girl startled awake. “Aunty Yenny, I want Auntie Yenny!” He cried, waves of tears dripped from his eyes as he sneezed into the sheets. The girl sat up then said,

“It’s okay Julain, do you remember me? I’m Ciri, but my name’s a secret. Can you keep a secret?” Julian nodded seriously, his daddy always made sure he knew how to keep a secret. “I’m your… cousin alright? Aunty Yenny is helping Grandpa Vesemir with reading some big books right now.” He was still hesitant, mommy always told him about strangers. Ciri seemed like she wasn’t a stranger though… didn’t she say they were cousins? That made them family! Suddenly Julian’s stomach grumbled and Ciri smiled, “why don’t we get something to eat? It’s after breakfast time, but I’m sure I won’t burn down the rest of the keep making something.” Julain grinned,

“I like baking! Cake’s my favorite,” he said, smile splitting him from ear to ear. Ciri chuckled then helped him into some clothes Yennefer brought with them. “Can I have cake for breakfast?” Ciri laughed,

“I’m sure we can find something yummy. What about pancakes?” The two of them took the path towards the kitchen as Julian skipped happily at Ciri’s side holding her hand. On the way the toddler skipped too far ahead and ran straight into Eskel’s stomach.

“I’m sorry!” Julian shouted, his daddy always told him he was foolish. “I didn’t mean to bump in to you! Please don’t punish me!” Eskel and Ciri exchanged a look then the witcher got down on one knee.

“I’m not going to hurt you little one,” Julian still inched closer to Ciri. “You can call me Uncle Eskel,” Julian looked up. The man seemed happy and strong, like he could fight all of his daddy’s friends and win ! Julian frowned,

“You’re not Geralt right?” Uncle Eskel frowned, but shook his head.

“No I’m not Julian. We may be brothers but we were cut from different cloths.” Jaskier deemed the man trustworthy then wrapped his arms around Uncle Eskel’s neck as much as he could. The man did have a very thick neck, but Julian wasn’t going to say that to him. Uncle Eskel laughed, then Julian noticed the picture of a dog hanging on a coin around his uncle’s neck. Julian let go of Eskel’s neck then wrapped his fingers around the coin.

“It’s a pretty puppy,” Julian said, running his tiny fingers over the wolf carving. Behind him Ciri was stifling her laughter. Julian looked up at his uncle with wide eyes, “are you a puppy dog? I like puppy dogs.” The man chuckled,

“Yes I suppose I we can be puppy dogs here, though usually we call ourselves wolves.” Julian shook his head,

“Nope! Wolves sound scary, puppy dogs wouldn’t hurt me though!” Eskel laughed then ruffled Julian’s hair, who grumbled and put it back into place.

“Then we’ll be puppys for you little pup.” Eskel said, Julian smiled up at the man, not noticing the glare he was sending Ciri for laughing. Once they said goodbye to Eskel, Julian and Ciri continued their path to the kitchen.

“Food!” Julian cheered running to open cabinets and the fridge. “Ingredients, we need those, right?” He asked, Ciri nodded very seriously so he started to grab things from shelves he could reach.

“We need a recipe too,” Ciri said opening a big book she got from under the counter. Julian’s eyes widened,

“Wow! That’s a big book!” He said staring at it in awe. Ciri smiled to him,

“We’ve got bigger books than this, I’ll give you the tour after we make some food.” Julian nodded then began to pour things into his bowl. The puppies had the white powder the chef at his home always used so he put a lot of it in his bowl, but it all puffed up turning his face white. He giggled until he and Ciri were laughing on the floor together.

“We need something to mix our ingredients with,” the princess said, handing Julian a cucumber.

“I don’t think this is right,” he said, frowning. The cookbook had a lot of big words though, so he would have to take her word for it. Julian then proceeded to stir the mixture of ingredients together with the vegetable. After a while instead of mixing it became a big glob of grossness. “Ew!” He shouted, throwing the bowl onto the ground. Julian tripped and fell right into the gross mix himself. “I’m all sticky Ciri!” Ciri nodded,

“I think we both need a bath pup. Come on.” When they tried to stand up they both fell right back down onto the ground, Julian’s foot in the mixing bowl. Someone cleared their throat in the doorway and Julain looked over to see Auntie Yenny. His eyes brightened as he gestured to the mess he made,

“I made you breakfast Auntie Yenny! Ciri helped me.” Through her laughter Auntie Yenny said,

“Alright Julian, let’s get you up and ready for the bath.” Ciri protested,

“Why do I have to clean everything up?” She asked, Aunty Yenny sighed,

“Because Ciri, you’re older. You should know better.” Ciri grumbled to herself, but began to wash the mess of dirty pots and pans.

“Sorry Ciri, I just wanted food…” Julian said hoping she would forgive him. Ciri gave him a one-armed hug then said,

“It’s alright Julain, next time we just have to be more careful okay?” Julian’s face brightened at the thought of ‘next time’. Maybe they’d actually bake cake, he doesn’t really like it all that much, but he knew other people do.

Julian trailed behind Auntie Yenny, who had a few towels in her arms. “Wait!” Julian exclaimed when they were climbing into the bath. No one was supposed to see the marks on his back, it was one of his daddy’s rules, and Julian was always a good boy. He never broke any rules because breaking rules meant more punishment. Yennefer and Uncle Eskel were the only other ones in the bath, both of them wore swimsuits. “I can’t show you my back,” he said softly, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. “It’s a rule, good men don’t break rules.” Julian quoted his dad to the two adults, who both frowned at the statement.

“It’s okay Julian, I’m your aunt remember? And this is your uncle, you can trust us. We’re family.” Auntie Yenny said looking at him seriously. Julian thought about it, and he supposed his daddy did say something about only family can give him punishment.

“Daddy said only family is allowed to punish me, so are you going to after I show you?” Auntie Yenny’s eyes widened in shock, and Uncle Eskel’s expression darkened, he didn’t look like a puppy anymore.

He looked like a scary wolf.

“Fucking bastard ,” Uncle Eskel growled. Julian screeched then retreated, curling into a ball on the floor.

“We will not hurt you Julian, I promise.” Auntie Yenny said softly walking forward in the pool of water. She glared at Uncle Eskel until his growling stopped. “We will stop if you say so, and you can even wash your…” she coughed, “you can wash below your belly button.” Julian thought for a moment then slowly uncurled from his ball. Uncle Eskel didn’t look so scary anymore, just normal angry, and Auntie Yenny did promise they would listen to him. Julian took a few hesitant steps forward, then slipped and fell into the bath water. 

He quickly decided he liked it when Auntie Yenny washed his hair, she didn’t pull or scratch at his head like the women who work for his daddy. She was soft, and always made sure he was safe all the time. Uncle Eskel stayed away like he said he would, only using the soap on himself. Once Auntie Yenny deemed his top half clean Julian used the soap to clean his legs and no-no areas. When he was sure everything was very clean Julian turned around to grab a towel, and he heard Aunty Yenny gasp in horror. I broke a rule, I broke a rule, ran through Julian’s head as he tossed on Eskel’s oversized shirt and sprinted away from the bathtub as fast as he could. I can't get in trouble I only just got here. Daddy was right, I'm not worth anything...  He ignored the burning tears in his eyes and the calls for his name as he slid into a gap in the wall behind a bookshelf, perfect size for hiding. He should know, he’s had to hide in a lot of places before.

Chapter Text

Julian hid in his little hole in the wall trying not to cry. His back started hurting again, but he didn’t want it to hurt more after his punishment. He pulled his legs to his chest and wrapped his arm around them, tucking his head between his knees. Now Auntie Yenny is going to send you back to daddy. Great job! His brain thought when he finally let himself cry. “Now you’re breaking  another rule! Crying isn’t for grown men!” Julian whispered to himself, so as to not alert Auntie Yenny or Uncle Eskel where he was. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway and Julian whimpered as they grew closer. “Go ‘way, go ‘way, go ‘way!” He shouted at the steps. They stopped right outside of his hole. The man was big, bigger than daddy and even bigger than Uncle Eskel. His legs looked strong enough to be tree trunks, his arms too. He looked strong like Uncle Eskel, maybe he was stronger than Uncle Eskel. Julian squaked when the man knelt down.

“You must be Julian,” he said whispering. Julian looked at the man, then decided he did look like Uncle Eskel. Perhaps though, with a little more puppy in him.

“Who’re,” he hicupped, “who’re you?” Julian asked as his tears began to slow. The man sat on the floor blocking his only exit. He hummed then said,

“My name is Geralt.” The dream from the previous night flashed through his brain. Don’t trust Geralt! He broke our heart! Jaskier’s words were in the forefront of Julian’s mind.

“Auntie Yenny!” He yelled, curling deeper into the hole. “Auntie Yenny help! A bad man is trying to hurt me!” Julian began crying again, not noticing the expression of hurt cross Geralt’s face. Auntie Yenny came to the rescue, shooing the bad man away. Once he was gone Julian sniffled and used Eskel’s shirt to clean his face. The second he crawled out of the hole Auntie Yenny wrapped him up in her arms. Julian looked around them, still worried Geralt was nearby. Aunty Yenny ran her fingers through his hair until he began to relax more. “Is the bad man gone?” He whispered into her ear. For some reason she looked sad before answering the question.

“Yes Julian, the bad man is gone,” she said with a sad smile. Her hands made circles on his back, but she quickly stopped. “Are you hurt Julian?” She asked softly, Julian slowly nodded his head then tried to stretch his arms backwards to show her where he hurt the most.

“I broke a rule, are you going to punish me?” He asked as she carried him into a room full of band-aids and big white cloths. Auntie Yenny looked like she was about to cry as she helped him out of the shirt.

“No sweetie, I will never punish you,” she promised before dabbing at his injuries with something cold.

“Can’t you use magic to fix it?” Julian asked, finding himself getting bored after a while. Auntie Yenny answered,

“Magic can’t solve every problem Julian. Besides, we’re almost done!” She finished dabbing at his back then took a sticky white cloth and began covering his injuries with it. “Julian… why do you trust me so much?” Auntie Yenny asked once she was done fixing him. Julian frowned,

“I just do… why?” Auntie Yenny shrugged,

“Just that when you were a grown up you didn’t like me a lot.” Jaskier’s lips pouted into a frown, then he jumped off the table.

“Where’s Uncle Eskel?” He asked watching her put away everything.

“I think he’s in the courtyard with Ciri, they’re training,” she answered. Julian’s eyes widened,

“You train here too?” Yennefer nodded,

“We can teach you how to fight too if you like.” Julian shook his head,

“Daddy says swords are for men and music is for whores.” He pouted again, “I don’t want to hurt anyone though.” Shock drained Auntie Yenny’s face then she pulled him in for another hug.

“Oh sweet thing, everything will be alright.” Julian didn’t hug back, confused at the gesture. “Do you want to watch Ciri and Eskel play fight?” Julian nodded excitedly. When they got to the courtyard Auntie Yenny was reading a notebook. Julian peered over her shoulder,

“What’s fair sex?” He asked her, Uncle Eskel barked with laughter. Yennefer snapped the notebook shut then turned around and shifted him onto her lap.

“You’re too young to know that now,” she said tickling his stomach.

“I know what sex is. Daddy says its a part of bedtime.” Uncle Eskel’s sword clattered to the ground just as another witcher walked in.

“What’s going on?” The man asked, he looked big, bigger than Eskel, bigger than Geralt even. He looked old though, like he was supposed to be dead a long time ago.

“Vesemir, I swear to Melitele I’m going to kill someone.” Uncle Eskel growled, wolf starting to peek through again. He looked angry, but Julian didn’t know why. The old man looked grimm, then he turned to Julian, expression soft.

“My name is Vesemir, I own this keep.” Julian looked up at the tall man, then straightened his back despite the injuries. Holding out his hand he introduced himself,

“I’m Julian Alfred Pankratz, son of the Viscount of Lettenhove.” Vesemir nodded then turned to Eskel,

“You are not to harm any human Eskel.” Julain’s uncle nodded then grabbed his sword, slung a long cloak over his shoulder, and pushed past the witcher walking in.

“Lambert!” Ciri shouted with a smile. She leapt into the witcher’s arms who caught her with a grunt.

“Uncle Lamb?” Julian questioned. Vesemir nodded, then through a thin smile he said,

“Yes child. Uncle Lamby.” Julian  cheered then ran and wrapped himself around Lambert’s leg.

“Vesemir!” Lambert protested, the older witcher ignored his calls as he turned to Yennefer. Lambert had no choice but to leave the room with two children attached to him. The witch stood up,

“What is it?” Vesemir produced a book from behind him,

“I think I’ve found an antidote. It’s old though, and magic evolves through time. It might not work.” Yennefer nodded as she read through the spell’s ingredients.

“But it just might work,” she said to herself. When it does work, they’d be able to question Jaskier about his childhood. She’d be able to ask why he only trusts her. Geralt appeared behind Vesemir,

“Hmm…” the witcher voiced reading over Vesemir’s shoulder. Yennefer snapped the book shut, startling the witchers.

“You have something to answer for Geralt. It’s obvious you hurt him, and despite being half a year, he still hasn’t forgiven you.” Geralt stayed silent, Vesemir took the book back from Yennefer.

“I can see what we already have in our storage, then see what you might need to find.” Vesemir said before leaving them alone.

“I know I have to apologize Yen! He won’t stand being within two feet of me!” Geralt growled angrily. Yennefer placed a hand on his shoulder,

“You need to figure out how to then. Do it with someone else in the room if you must, but it’s obvious he misses you.” Geralt hummed in response. “I’m serious! He talks about Roach, and about these ‘stories’ he thinks about featuring a witcher with white hair.” She could only hope the witcher would find a way to apologize.