Chapter Text
Jaskier was not speaking to him at all.
As a result of what occurred at the coast and what he did, Geralt expected a lot of yelling from the bard. It was expected in Geralt's mind that Jaskier would be shouting different insults at Geralt all the way from where Yennefer and Ciri were to where the two of them were.
While walking alongside Jaskier, he refused to speak with him as he rode on the steed of Roach. It wasn't so long ago that Geralt would love the silence with Jaskier, rarely shutting his mouth for an extended time. However, in today's world, Geralt would give anything for Jaskier to say one word to him.
Ciri shouted, "Your back," as the two men stepped into Aretuza in front of her. As soon as she finished speaking, Yennefer came running up to Ciri and shooed her off to go and practice her magic again.
"I am glad that you could find him," Yennefer remarked. However, the bracelet on Jaskier's wrist and his expression conveyed unhappiness to him. From the look on his face, he had not chosen to come. "I get the feeling he is annoyed about the entire thing."
As Geralt shared, "He doesn't even want to speak to me." Geralt glanced over to see Jaskier, staring out it, sitting in the nearby window.
"Let him have some time," Yennefer suggested. Though she would admit that if she were in Bard's shoes, she would be furious until the day the sun burns out. An order was issued with the following.
"Jaskier, don't leave Artezua without permission."
The situation in which they were found to be awkward was something that they wanted to move on from. So Geralt offered, "How about we take a look at your room, Jask?".
"I need to ask a favour for the first time before I am taken as a prisoner here," Jaskier said, speaking for the first time.
"We don't want you to be a prisoner, Jask, but what we're doing is for your own good," Geralt said. "So what do you need?" asked The Witcher.
"They had the voice of Lottie, and I need someone to go to Lettenhove to make sure she's okay," Jaskier requested. "I didn't want to risk going there again."
"If you would like, I can go and check on your sister tomorrow via a portal to Lettenhove," Yennefer offered.
"I appreciate that," replied Jaskier.
When Jaskier went to bed at the night's end, he dreamed. The only thing was that he wasn't sure whether or not those dreams were real memories. That dream occurred before he was replaced and became Julian Pankraz.
While sleeping, Jaskier dreamed that he was only two years old once again and playing in a field of flowers that stretched on for miles and miles. There was also a woman alongside him, but she was unrecognizable due to her lacking a face.
She sighed softly, "My little buttercup," and he smiled back. Then, she whispered softly, "Do not worry, I love you very much, but you have to go."
In the shadow of the women, a man appeared. This was the man that Jaskier had envisioned in his childhood nightmares. This was the man who used to be his guardian when he was young.
In some way or another, a part of Jaskier desired desperately to remain with the woman. And yet, he found himself being carried away from her.
In a child's voice, he yelled out to the woman, "Mama, don't leave me!" the child's version of Jaskier yelled as he stretched out his hands to her. It was clear that Jaskier still could not get closer to her despite Jaskier's pleas on his behalf.
The once peaceful dreams that Jaskeir had soon turned into long-forgotten nightmares from when he was a child.
"Now witch rhyme with bitch” Jaskier grumbled to himself. "And I can rhyme witcher with ditcher" Writing songs has always been Jaskier's way to get out his emotions and release the tension in his body. But unfortunately, Jaskier's feelings regarding his so-called friends provoke a lot of anger because of what they have done to him.
When Jaskier thought about it, he asked himself, "How can they work together."
Jaskier jotted down rhymes in the Aretuza library on a piece of paper. Then, a man came behind him, taking him out of his thoughts.
Observing Jaskier and walking up slowly to him, the man said, "...look at you", as he looked at Jaskier.
While Jaskier did know why he was filled with a great deal of fear as the man stood before him. Jaskier asked the man, "Who are you?".
"I'm Stregobor!" replied the man, and the man replied, "I'm here for you!". The man continued, "And I know a great deal about you. The last living Phoenix." Stragobor said. Got closer to Jaskier than the bard was comfortable with.
With a slow step backward, Jaskier replied, "I also heard about you," remembering what Geralt had told him about everything that had happened in Blaviken.
At this point, the Witcher came into the library to check on Jaskier.
'Stay away from him.' Geralt practically growled from his position between Jaskier and Stregobor. Jaskier had not yet forgiven Geralt for the things he had done, but the fear he felt for the man was greater, and Jaskier did not try to stop himself from hiding behind Geralt.
"Come now, Geralt, "Stregobor urged. "Can you blame me for being excited about meeting the legendary phoenix"?
"Your curiosity is of no concern to me. You will never go near Jaskier," Geralt replied. "I will not hesitate to run my sword through you," the Witcher replied. As the two friends watched the mage leave the library, they exchanged a look.
Geralt turned his attention to Jaskier, asking, "Did he hurt you?". Geralt didn't like the way Stregobor looked at Jaskier. Looking at him as if Jaskier was some sort of thing for Stregobor to experiment with.
Jaskier stated, "No, I'm fine; he didn't touch me at all." With Stregobor gone, Jaskier was left with no other choice but to continue to be angry with Geralt. When the bard turned away, he tried to ignore Geralt once more.
"Well, I know what you think of me, and I know that you may hate me now," Geralt replied, "but please understand that I am just trying to protect you and whatever interest Stregobor may have. If you can't be a good thing."
Geralt was on the verge of leaving the library. However, he was stopped by Jaskier when he said something to him.
"I don't hate you, Geralt," Jaskier Expressed. Then it followed, "but I need to be angry at you. You ought to know that I don't like being enclosed in a cage."
"I have never wanted to cage you," Geralt said as he walked back into the library.
"So then, what was your purpose?" Jaskier asked, his eyes almost welling up with tears.
"Because I know you and if you believed running away was the right thing to do, then nothing would have stopped you," Geralt explained. Then he added, "and I can't lose you."
The situation was a bit more complicated because Geralt knew that if Nilfgaard got Jaskier, it wouldn't be long before they got Ciri. Geralt would lose everything if that happened, and The Witcher didn't think he could handle that at all.
The Witcher tried to make amends as best he could with Jaskier. "What about when Yennefer gets back? I can ask her to create a portal for us so we can go visit Borch." Geralt told him that it was important for Jaskier to know more about being a Phoenix.