The White Werewolf || Season One: Ties That Bind

Chapter Sixty-Four

Rinde, 1256

Jaskier waited patiently as Chireadan left to find his way back to his own camp. After the noises ceased, the bard felt it was safe to approach the house.

He marched in, found his way to the main room, and loudly announced, "We need to go."

Robin immediately shushed him. He saw that Geralt was wrapped around her, sleeping soundly.

"Huh," the bard whispered. "Finally fell asleep, did he?"

Robin nodded, not moving. "Are you all right, Jaskier?"

He nodded back, waving dismissively at the blood left on his shirt. "I'll survive. Shall I go get Roach and Cricket? You two obviously need clothes."

"That would be lovely," Robin agreed. "I'd conjure some, but my magic is exhausted for the moment."

He turned to leave, then glanced back at her over his shoulder. "Are you all right? Is he?"

"We both are, Jas," she assured him.

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I can." He paused again one more time before he left the room. "I love you, Robin."

"I love you too, Jas."

He beamed at her, then headed out on his mission.

Geralt still wasn't awake by the time he came back. Robin had recovered enough, though, to dress him and then lift him outside and onto Roach magically so they wouldn't have to disturb him.

She climbed up onto the horse in front of him and they headed out of town. Considering everything that had happened, she thought it best that they leave.

Vizima wasn't far. Robin went in that direction, contacting Triss once no one else was around. The older mage provided them with a portal.

Traveling through it was what finally woke Geralt. He blinked sleepily as he sat up, hugging Robin to him and smelling her hair, then smiling at Jaskier.

"Jaskier," he rumbled. "You're okay."

"I'm glad to hear that you give a monkey's about it," Jaskier retorted, winking at the witcher.

Geralt chuckled. "Let's not jump to conclusions," he teased.

Their horses were taken to the stables and their belongings to guest rooms. Triss invited them for a large, fortifying dinner in her tower. As they gathered around the fire with full plates, they began telling Triss what had happened, each filling in their own parts of the story when the others couldn't.

"Are you perhaps short of a marble, by the way?" Jaskier accused Geralt when they were finished. "I can't believe you came back for us. You could have died."

Geralt squeezed Robin's waist. He hadn't let go of her since they'd fallen through her portal, even in his sleep. "I'll always come back for either of you," he revealed. "Without question."

Robin beamed up at him as he glanced at Jaskier and added, "And I'm sorry, Jaskier. It was my first wish that put you in danger."

Jaskier shrugged. "You didn't mean it. And I'm fine, so it's all right."

"I bet that will teach you two to fight again," Robin observed primly.

Triss chuckled, her eyes flicking back and forth between their faces as they each spoke.

"And another thing," Jaskier decided to bring up. "When you realized you had the wishes, why didn't you just wish us out of there?"

"Because I didn't know if Yennefer was still in Robin's body," Geralt protested. "Or what was going on." He shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth and muttered, "And I didn't think of it until you said it just now."

They all laughed at that.

After dinner, Jaskier snuck off to rekindle some old liaisons he'd had the first time he was in the castle. Robin tucked Geralt into their bed and promised to return as soon as she was done talking to Triss.

When she returned to Triss' room, she sat down heavily and put her head in her hands. Triss joined her and squeezed her shoulders comfortingly.

"You should get some rest too," the older mage suggested. "We can talk tomorrow."

"I don't have time to waste, Triss," Robin murmured. "I have to get stronger."

"There's a limit, Robin," Triss reminded her. "No one's power can be infinite. You learned that today."

"But I have to be able to stop her, Triss," Robin reminded her mentor. "She's not going to give up. I told you how I tried to talk her out of it. I suggested everything I could think of, and it didn't make a dent in her reasoning."

"She thinks this spell is the only way to get what she wants. Everything else she's trying is just easier while she crafts it," Triss agreed.

"So what do I do in the meantime? Just wait? I can't do that, Triss."

"Did she give you any indication that she's even ready to cast the spell, Robin?" Triss asked.

Robin sighed. "No."

"She likely never will. I appreciate your dedication to this, Robin. I really do. We never would have met if it wasn't for that dedication, after all. But if Yennefer gets close, the Brotherhood will get involved. I will get them involved."

Robin tightened her fists against her knees. Triss didn't understand, and she couldn't enlighten her.

She couldn't tell her that the stakes were higher than she imagined. Because if Yennefer cast her spell, Geralt would die. And that was not something Robin was about to let happen.

So she gave in, with a caveat.

"All right. But I still need to get stronger, if I can. Even if she can't cast the spell, Yennefer will be after me now, if only for revenge. Even though it wasn't very impressive, the three of us still bested her, and I don't think she's going to take kindly to that."

"No, likely not. I'll come up with some ideas for you. But tomorrow. Not now. For now, go rest," Triss ordered sternly.

Robin nodded and wandered back downstairs to the room she was sharing with Geralt. She stripped off her clothes and took down her hair, standing by the fire and letting it warm her as she gazed at him.

He was on his back, one arm slung across his belly, the other resting over his head on the pillow. The sheet was pulled down to his hips, revealing his full torso, his muscles perfectly accented by the dark curls of hair on his chest.

His hair was down and his face was serene. Under any other circumstances, she would have woken him and begged him to make her stop thinking for a few hours.

But he hadn't slept well in years, so she couldn't bring herself to do it this time, as much as she wanted to.

She slipped into the bed beside him and rested her head on his chest. It was ironic, of course, that just as he had found his peace, she'd lost hers.

She'd try to feel better tomorrow, but that thought didn't cheer her much at the moment, especially since, no matter what she did, she always seemed to make the same mistakes as before.