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I was walking down the road to the orchard. It was a beautiful sunny day. Visibly, there were no clouds in the sky. A light breeze blew past which would shake the green leaves and tree branches beside me. I was content at this moment.
The reason for my outing was my family. It had been a few weeks since I been over there and I knew that my mother would be ecstatic to see me. She helps my father with the orchard but she does little things. My father was very hands-on. This leaves my mother to have large amounts of free time. Thus, my visit will be very appreciated.
A nice breeze hit. I smiled while I felt my body cool. The dresses that I wore could get so hot and the sweet relief always made me smile and sigh.
I was so caught up in how amazing the breeze felt That I failed to notice the large mass that was blocking the road. Just before running into it, I opened my eyes. With mt gaze quickly landing on the mass of dark clothing, I could see that there was an outline of a body. The body was a man.
I stood there for a few minutes trying to figure out what to do. The man looked far too big for me to carry. I only wished that there was something or someone around to help me. There clearly was something the matter with this person and I needed to examine him further. Suddenly, there was a neigh.
A brown-haired horse came bolting out of the tree line. She was heading straight for me. It didn’t look like the horse was going to stop anytime soon. As fast as I could, I threw myself out of the horse’s path. This, however, was a moot point. Halting right before the man, the horse bent down to sniff the unconscious body.
“So, you know this man?” I cautiously approached the horse., I noticed that she was female.
I had gotten close enough that I stood at her side, “Hello, I’m just here to help this man. You seem to know the man,” As slowly as possible, I reached out to let the horse sniff my hand. “See, I’m not going to hurt you.” It was weird. Watching her, I noticed that it looked like she was listening to me.
I crouched down to maneuver the man around. Just simply moving the man took a lot of energy out of me. If this is how it was going to be, I was never going to get this man to my cottage. I lived clear on the other side of town and I was a ways away from my parent’s orchard. I had no clue as to what I was going to do. That was until the horse beside me knelt down.
I moved my attention to the horse. It was almost to say that she’ll help. I stood there in awe. How is it possible that this horse could understand me. It was even more surprising when she gestured with her head. It almost looked like she was pointing at the man and then to her back.
Regaining my composure, I attempted to do as the horse had gestured. The first attempt was me trying to pull his arms to get his body closer to the horse. This made this more difficult than before. I stopped immediately. Kneeling down, I wrapped my arms around the man’s torso. Using all my strength, I heaved the man to the horse’s back. When we were close enough, the horse started to nudge her head under his body. With her help, the two of us managed to get the man on her back.
It wasn’t my best job but he was at least on her back. I would have to keep an eye on him to make sure that he wouldn’t fall off. His chest was slung sideways on the horses back. It was an awkward and uncomfortable position. Thankfully, the man was unconscious.
With the horse’s help, we all made it to my cottage in a decent amount of time. Reaching my door, I stared at the man and the horse, then to my front door. The horse was most definitely too big to fit into my humble home. This meant I was somehow supposed to get the man into my house. That was when a brilliant idea hit me.
Rushing to the little shed beside my cottage, I pulled out A little red wheelbarrow. I pushed it to where the man and horse were. Leaving it there, I ran into my cottage and haphazardly threw some blankets on the floor.
Back outside, I struggled to get the man into the wheelbarrow. The horse couldn’t do much to help except lean a little to the side. Thankfully, this did help a little. I grasped the man’s shoulder and had him fall into the wheelbarrow. This worked but did not do anything to help the poor man. His body hit the red cart. Hard. The noise made a cringe-worthy noise. He’d get a nasty bruise.
From that point on, everything went smoothly. I got his body inside and on top of the blankets. Before I examined the man, I went out and gave the helpful horse a few carrots for her work and a bucket of water.
When I got inside, the first thing I noticed was that the man was awake. He was trying to sit up with great difficulty. My movement made the man stop where he was. His gaze flicked to where I stood. I watched as his eyes assessed me. When he saw that I was no threat, his shoulders loosened and he let out a huff.
“Where am I?” he questioned.
“You’re in my house. I found you passed out in the middle of the road. I haven’t had time to look at your wounds.”
“There’s no need. I heal quickly.”
“With all due respect sir, I think I should at least give you a once over. Quick healing or not, you still need to be fixed up.”
“Look at me. I’m a Witcher. There really is no need.” With a loud grunt, the Witcher finally pulled himself to fully sit upright.
“Oh, a Witcher. I see. Could I at least clean you up? It would help calm my nerves.”
I watched as the Witcher dropped his head. He let out a sigh. After a few seconds, he Looked up. his eyes met mine. They were just like a cat’s eyes. The glowing saffron color left me in awe.
A few more seconds passed when, finally, he nodded his head. I smiled at the gesture. Without hesitation, I was rummaging for my emergency medical equipment. It was essentially a bunch of bandages, a swallow potion, and a few healing herbs.
Sitting on the floor, I was a few inches away from the man’s thick bicep. I couldn’t see that there were any noticeable wounds. I looked at him and he raised an eyebrow. The only reply I gave him was a motion to lift his shirt up.
Instantly, The man was pulling his shirt off. My face heated up. I only wanted it lifted to check his wounds but now his whole upper body was on display for me. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t distracting.
His chest was littered with scars. I wasn’t completely unknowledgeable about Witchers. Just a few months ago, I had a Witcher come by. He was just as mangled. The Witcher career path wasn’t the kindest.
Looking more closely, I didn’t see anything wrong. That was until I looked at his back. My eyes landed on a nauseating gash that went across his back in three stripes. They were deep. For some odd reason, there wasn’t much blood gushing out. Most of it had dried. In curiosity, I looked at the back of his shirt. Sure enough, it was soaked.
I returned to the task at hand. Reaching for my medical items, I grabbed the alcohest and put a few drops on a cloth. I, ever so carefully, began to clean off the dried blood. I took extra care when I got close to the open wound.
After the wound was cleaned, I crushed up some herb in a mortar and pestle. I applied the past to the open wound with a light hand. Before I wrapped up the wound, I made sure to soak a few of the bandages with the swallow potion. The Witcher who was here previously here had taught me this. I figured it wouldn’t hurt the Witcher.
“What is it that you soaked the bandages in?” The Witcher leaned back and scowled at me.
I thought for a moment. “I believe its called Swallow.”
“Where did you find this potion?” The frown from his scowl deepened.
“I-Uh. I’ve had your kind here. He was here a few months back. He was the one who gave me the recipe.”
“Hmmm. Who was it? Did you get a name?”
“I did but I can’t remember the name. however, I remember that he had a wolf amulet like yours. He was rude at times. Though I would describe him as more Prickly. He had short brown hair, a tough build, and he had the same amulet as you. Do you know him?”
The Witcher chuckled. “That’d be Lambert. The bastard.” His words were harsh but there was a fondness to them.
“I take it you know him well.”
“I-Yes. Were from the same school. That’s why we have the same amulet. We trained together. We’re like brothers.”
“So, I know Lambert’s name. Is there any way that I could learn yours?”
The Witcher eyes me. It wasn’t in a malicious way but it was more in a curious way. “Geralt of Rivia.”
“Nice to meet you, Geralt. I’m Y/N Y/L/N.”
Geralt took this as a sign to stop talking. There was an awkward pause. I was staring at the wall behind Geralt and I was pretty sure Geralt’s eyes were on my front door.
After a few more moments in silence, I pulled myself to stand. I grabbed Geralt’s black shirt from the floor. Looking from the shirt to my window, I saw that it was still light out. I might as well clean his shirt. I could have it dry ready for him the morning.
I grabbed a wooden bucket and made my way outside. To the left of my house, down a small hill, flowed a river. I dipped my bucket into the river and filled it up with water. Next, I was back in my house and pouring the water into the cast-iron cauldron. It would be a while until the water was warm so I decided to set up some bedding for Geralt.
With most of my chores done, the water had boiled And I dumped some into a bath. The Witcher thanked me and I left him to cleanse himself. With the remaining water, I used it to clean his shirt.
Once the Witcher was done with his bath, I gave him some dinner and we ate in silence. There were a few awkward stares and I’m pretty sure he caught me admiring his features a few times. I couldn’t help it. The man was gorgeous.
~.~
The night came and went. I was awakened by the sounds of small movements. Pulling myself up, I quickly got dressed and made my way to the living area.
Upon entering the open space, I saw that Geralt was up and packing his stuff. Roach was outside already saddled and ready to go. I knew that Witcher’s were always on the go. They always were looking for jobs that provided a few coins. A Witcher’s life was a hard one.
I knew there wasn’t really anything I could say that would make him stay and heal. So, instead, I went to my kitchen and packed the man a few provisions for the road. Who knows how long it’ll be until he finds work. He needed to keep his strength up for him to heal properly. Though, He was a Witcher who has a remarkable healing ability. I still wanted to give him something just too keep my racing thoughts at bay.
It wasn’t much, but I filled a small a sack with some bread, dried meat, and a jar of my parent’s apple butter. I also made sure to pack a swallow potion and a few bandages. With the items ready, I walked towards Geralt. I noticed he was finished packing up. I extended my hand out to him.
“I want you to have this. I know you’re not one to take these kinds of thing but since you refuse to stay and heal, I figured that I could give you something that will reassure me that you won’t die out there.”
He glared at me but, with a sigh, took the sack and stuffed it into one of His horse’s saddlebags. I flashed him a smile and he gave me a blank stare. Then there was an awkward pause.
“Hmm.” With that, Geralt was climbing on his horse and was riding off,
“Geralt! If you happen to be in the area just know that you always have a place to stay here!” I couldn’t tell if he had heard me or not. he gave me no indication that he had heard me. That was when I got a slightest of nods. Knowing that Geralt had heard me and acknowledged it made me hope that he would take up that offer.
~.~
It didn’t take him long to visit me again. A month later he was back and with a friend. I came to learn it was the famous bard Jaskier. He made sure to quiz me on everything I knew of Geralt. He came to be quite disappointed when I told him that nothing really special happened.
However, when I explained that I knew who Lambert was he got quite animated. I told him the few stories I had. Jaskier seemed to be more pleased with those. Watching the two of us interact. Geralt had the smallest smile on hid face. I’m pretty sure he didn’t know it was there.
The two had only stayed for a day. As quickly as they unpacked, they were repacking it all up. Before they left, Jaskier surprised me by giving me a big hug.
“Thank you for being so kind to him. Not many people do these days.” With that Jakier flashed me a smile and then chased after the white wolf who was already halfway down the road.
This happened quite often. I’d either get a visit from both Jaskier and Geralt or just Geralt. I didn’t mind. I enjoyed both of their company. It added something to my otherwise uneventful life.
my parents weren’t too pleased with me hanging around a Witcher. they didn’t seem as bothered after meeting him. He was quite nervous upon meeting them. Not many people are pleased to meet his kind. He had no idea how they would react but he calmed down once he saw that they accepted him.
Through all these visits, I had gotten to know the usually stoic Witcher. I found that he can be quite emotional. He just hides it well. It didn’t take me long h to get him to talk about his feelings. He hates it but admits that he feels better afterward.
Each visit from him I get a piece of his world and the things he had to go through. It brings us closer. I can’t fathom all that he has experienced. I always make sure that he is comfortable. I only wish that I can make things easier when he isn’t around.
I have lost count of how many times I have been visited by my lovely Witcher but I do know that I am filled with warmth when I see him ride up to my cottage.
~.~
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what to say. I was still in shock.
On my way to my parent’s orchard, I was going to spend the day with them. This was because I had been busy for the past two weeks and was unable to see them. However, when I reached the little house they lived in, they weren’t there. I walked all around the orchard trying to find them.
When I did find them, I couldn’t breathe. My eyes were glued to their bloodied corpses. I couldn’t breathe yet I let out a piercing scream. Their bodies were mangled and unrecognizable. The only way that I could tell that it was them was by their matching hats. They were discarded on the ground next to them.
I sobbed while I stared at their bodies. At some point, I had fallen to my knees. I couldn’t tell how long I was there but it must have been a while since Geralt had come looking for me.
He had stopped by for a day or two. I told him that I’d be back after a while. I also said I’d bring him some food. Specifically, my mom’s homemade applesauce and Apple cider. He wouldn’t ever get to try it now.
“Y/N?” He bent down to my level. “Listen to me. You need to breathe. You’re going to pass out and you’re not gonna be any help to anyone.”
Geralt grabbed my face and turned it to where My line of sight met his. This brought me out of it. Taking a deep breath, I sobbed even harder. Geralt pulled me to his chest. He then guided me to breathe. It was hard with my sobs but eventually, those calmed down.
“I’m gonna have to ask you a few questions. I need you to answer them, okay?” Geralt’s hands still held my hands and he was still looking into my eyes. His eyes held an expectant look. All I could do at that moment was nod. “Did you see who or what killed your parents?”
The words killed and parents had my eyes tearing up again. No stop. I took another deep breath and I blinked away the tears. “I-I didn’t see…” I sniffled and blinked away fresh tears. “They w-were just-.” Another deep breath. “I found them like that. There wasn’t anybody o-or anything.”
“Hmmm.” Geralt had let go of my head. His eyes looked away as his eyebrows furrowed.
Without moving, I watched as Geralt got up and walked towards what used to be my parents.
He walked around their bodies. His moves were calculated. He didn’t want to trample on any kind of evidence. He crouched down to examine their corpses and the area around them. Finally, he stood up and crept further away from the bodies.
“I don’t think it was a human that did this. Do you have any idea if they were having any animal problems or monster problems?” Geralt was now looking at me. His lips were turned downward in question.
“I don’t know. Not that I know of.” A sob wracked through my body, “I-I haven’t been over for t-two weeks. As I said, I have been quite busy and…” I took a deep breath trying to chase away the sobs, “I didn’t have any time to come over.” Geralt just hummed at my answer. He looked back at what I figured was an unseen path.
“You should head to safety. I have a trail. I’ll kill the creature and be back as soon as it’s done.” I was about to say something about his pay when he stopped me. “-And you don’t have to pay me a single coin.” With that, Geralt was walking off.
I stayed there for a few minutes as I tried to find the motivation to get somewhere safe. Besides the occasional sniffle and the wind blowing in the trees, there really wasn’t any other sound. I focused on the sound of the branches swaying. I took a few breaths. Then, I was pulling myself up and was walking to the little cottage my parents live in. Lived in.
Once in the cottage, I make sure to barricade the door. That front door wouldn’t open for anyone but Geralt. I can’t trust anyone. Geralt once told me that there are creatures out there that disguise themselves as humans. I wasn’t going to take any chances.
~.~
After a couple of hours of waiting and crying. I heard footsteps approach the front door. My breath picked up. Standing, I sneaked closer to the window. peering out, I saw that it was only Geralt. He was covered head to toe in blood. His sword was still clutched in his hands as his shoulders rapidly moved up and down.
Without another thought, I was removing the barricade that I had made hours ago. As soon as the barricade was down, I was ripping the door open and dashing out of it. Geralt looked up at me. He was still breathing heavily.
“The beast-”
“I don’t want to know. Just…” More tears welled in my eyes. I pushed them down. Are you alright?” All I got was a grunt as he made his way inside.
The large man was grabbing a cloth that was left on the table and was using it to wipe the blood off on his sword. Before he sat down, Geralt placed the now clean sword on the table. He rested his elbows on his knees and place his head in his hands. I did nothing but stand there and stare at the Witcher.
“Thank you.” I kept my eyes on him. Geralt looked up gave me a curt nod.
With that, he left. I figured I would see him when I returned home. Whenever that was. I had this feeling. Under all the other emotions, there was this feeling of numbness. I didn’t want to leave where I was. I really didn’t want to do anything. The feeling made me want to just stay there and wilt away.
I wanted the world to forget me so I could just disappear from existence. Hell, I wished that I never existed in the first place. Why should I go on? What’s the point in living now that I have no one. It’s not like anyone would care. That’s when I came up with a plan.
~.~
Eventually, I made my way to my cottage. It was only so that I could see everything one last time. I wanted to look over the quiet little space I had made for myself. It was calming in a way. I had control over this and it was nice to know that I got to see everything one last time. I made sure not to act too suspiciously around Geralt. If he found out what I had planned, he would surely try to stop me. I didn’t want that. This was my choice.
After walking through the place I had come to call home, I somehow found myself at my parent’s cottage. It had grown dark. I figured I could tie the rope around the tree where my parent’s remnants were found. I thought it was poetic in a way. It made me feel a little closer to them.
As I walked through the orchard, I ran my hands across the bark. I felt the rough and scaly texture and the velvety moss growing on it. I smiled a little. Reaching up, I felt the smooth yet slightly bumpy leaves. Occasionally, my fingertips would brush against an apple.
Upon reaching the spot, I paused. I took the sight in. The leaves rustling, the sound of crickets, and the breeze blowing by. I breathed in a deep breath and closed my eyes. This was the last time I would ever get to revel in this.
I opened my eyes. Then, I was moving towards the tree intending to kill myself.