Chapter Text
Imbolc had been a few days ago, and like the festival of Sprouting announced the coming of spring, it also signaled the day the full-fledged Witchers set out on the Path again. Sticking around for the festival had become a habit ever since the elder cats had left Morgraig almost two centuries ago and settled at Stygga.
For Aiden, it was a festival of both celebration and goodbyes. He was looking forward to the longer days. The sun warming up rooftops in the citadel so he and his fellow recruits could spend the rare moments they didn't have to train or study perched on top of them.
At the same time, he dreaded the procession of witchers that would leave the safety of the keep soon. Shrinking his makeshift family down to ten at most, instead of the thirty-odd witchers it held right now.
Some of them would pass through Stygga during the year, if the Path took them that way. Most of them would start trickling back just after Mabon rolled around. And by the time Saovine was near, all cats who could get back would be back.
In the six years since he had gone through the trials, Aiden had learned that those who hadn’t shown up at Yule were considered lost. In the past two years, he had seen more Witchers leave the citadel than return. He couldn’t help but wonder if the same fate was waiting for him and his classmates. He was looking forward to the adventure of walking the Path while at the same time dreading the isolation its traversal would bring.
He sat in the courtyard, popping dried pieces of apple into his mouth and chewing them thoughtfully. He couldn’t wait until the nearby orchard would start producing fresh ones.
He watched as Guxart instructed a young trainee on how to hold his sword. The kid was probably no older than Aiden was when he went through the trials and had the same gangly awkwardness all children around that age had.
Aiden chuckled, thinking back to the year his body changed faster than his balance could handle. It made every single bout of practice with Dragonfly feel more like training for a mummers troupe.
In the year after the trials, Aiden's worst nightmare turned into an even more horrifying reality. His appearance changed. Not in the same way as the other boys his age. His features started to soften. Every time he glanced at a reflective surface or saw the slopes that betrayed him, he felt nauseous. Aiden resented the body he was stuck in more than ever before.
Dragonfly had called him to her quarters one day after training, "I can see you're hunching, and it's messing up your attack and defense." She spoke casually as Aiden walked in. He froze in the opening of the door. He knew his form was sub-optimal. He had just hoped no one else would have noticed.
Motioning Aiden to come in, Dragonfly continued, "We're going to fix your posture today. Amongst other things."
Aiden opened and closed his mouth like a fish on dry land. How the hell could she fix this? If he stood up straight, his chest reminded him of the fact that his outside and inside didn't make sense. It was hard enough to deal with that on his own. Having others see it and possibly point it out would be devastating.
Dragonfly opened a trunk near her bed and pulled out a small notebook, vials, and a stack of cloth."Sit down." Placing all the objects on top of the trunk, she gave Aiden a triumphant look as she held up a tangle of blue strips. "Here’s step one."
Aiden sat on the bed awkwardly, wishing for Dragonfly to stop being so damn chipper. However, that was like asking the sun never to rise or set. Sitting down next to him, Dragonfly handed Aiden the blue pile. On closer inspection, he saw they were bandages, just a bit wider than the ones he knew from medicine classes or the ones Felix wound on his feet.
Aiden gave her a puzzled look.
"You're not the first person that was born with different parts than belong to them." Her small hand covered his, and she smiled at him. "You are not even the first witcher this applies to, dear Aiden. And I doubt you'll be the last."
He stared at Dragonfly, dumbfounded. "But… You—" he looked up and down her petite yet shapely frame while fidgeting with the hem of his tunic.
Dragonfly's contagious laughter filled the room. "No, silly boy, not me. A friend of mine from the Griffin school. He and I traveled together for a few months, and I acquired some…things from him."
She had a mischievous smile on her lips as she gave Aiden a teasing shove. "So, are you ready to learn, little Kit?"
Before the day was gone, Dragonfly had passed on years worth of experience to him. It made him dizzy to think of all the information, and he was very grateful that she let him keep the notebook on one condition. "One day, you will see someone struggle with what you're going through right now." She squeezed his hands. "Reach out to them. Do what I did for you and make their journey a bit easier."
The next day, Aiden walked into the courtyard with his back held straight for the first time in months.
He had seen the small groups of witchers preparing for their journey all morning, including Dragonfly. As she mounted her horse and rode through the Stygga gates, she blew Aiden a kiss across the training grounds.
Dragonfly had not returned during Mabon. Nor at Saovine. By the time Yule came and went, Aiden had accepted the inevitable.
When he looked up at the practice area, it was empty. Glancing down at the well-worn notebook he always carried with him, Aiden smiled as he felt a tear glide down his cheek. One day he would be able to fulfill his promise. Until then, he would keep adding information of his own, including recipes for potions and decoctions that would benefit those like him.