Work Text:
Ciri was curled up against her chest, arms clutching tightly around her waist. Her typical sleeping position. Before bed, she would sometimes inch away from her, claiming that there was no need to be childish anymore--she was a witcheress and a sorceress in training. She was strong, brave, and resilient. No nightmare will ever haunt her ever again.
And yet, as soon as the candles went out, her arms instinctively wrapped around Yennefer’s waist.
“I’m scared of falling asleep.”
Her soft whisper would pierce through the night and Yen would sigh softly. Her hands would come up to stroke her ashen hair, then trace soothing circles on her temples.
“I will always be here my darling.”
She needn't be brave during these moments. The constant, steady presence of her mother would lead her into peaceful oblivion. There were no nightmares, no shivers, no screams. Only a cascade of warmth and then nothing at all.
And though Ciri would already be asleep, Yen would continue to hold her.
She was so small. So young. So vulnerable. Yet so strikingly similar to Geralt. And to herself.
At times Ciri was explosive, a writhing she-devil that exasperated her and made her snap at times. And yet, Yennefer found herself enjoying the fiery passion that rivaled her own.
She would look into those green eyes and see the electricity crackling within them. It was as if she was looking into a mirror--her past reflected in those emerald pools. Its depths revealed the want, the need for something more. Decades ago, she longed for power, for the endless feeling of energy and lightning to course through her veins.
But the years had passed and she had changed.
Years of searching for a cure. A dragon egg. A djinn. Anything. Anything. Anything to bear a child.
And now she held her daughter in a tight embrace.
Ciri was a bit ardent at times, but there were also moments in which she would suddenly stop what she was doing and simply wrap her arms around her.
“I love you Mother.” She would say. Her frame was so thin and yet Yen found herself being squeezed so tightly she could barely breathe. Her arms would wrap around Ciri in turn and she would press a kiss to her forehead.
“I love you too my daughter.”
The moon shone brightly through the windowpane, illuminating the both of them. For hours, Yen continued to stroke Ciri’s hair and watch her chest rise and fall.
She was hers and hers only. There was nothing in the world she could ever need other than the sleeping child in her arms.
I love you too.