The White Werewolf || Season One: Ties That Bind

Chapter Seventy-Three

Dragon Mountains, 1262

Robin spent a sleepless night making sure Yennefer didn't try anything. Geralt sat up with her, even though she insisted he could go to bed. Jaskier slept, but only fitfully.

The next morning, they readied themselves for the expedition. Robin braided her hair tightly and put on a red bodice before they went downstairs for breakfast. Outside, she began packing everything they would need to take with them, since the horses couldn't come along.

"Your man might've mentioned that the road was too narrow for horses in his initial sales pitch," Jaskier complained.

"Welcome to the world, Jaskier," Geralt replied.

As the dwarves made their way past the horses, one of them called, "You'll fetch a goodly amount for that mare if you sell now!"

"Charming how everyone wants to get their hands on Roach these days, isn't it?" Jaskier remarked.

"He means we won't make it out alive," Geralt explained.

"Wait, what? No one mentioned anything about impending death!" Jaskier joked.

He knew full well that this was the most dangerous thing they'd ever done as a group. Not just because it was a dragon, but because of Yennefer.

"Speaking of that, Jas," Robin murmured, turning to look at her brother. "Maybe you shouldn't come."

The bard frowned. "You don't want me to come?" he repeated.

"I want you to be safe, Jas. The dragon and Yennefer will be on that mountain. The safest place for you is anywhere else."

"I'm not leaving you and Geralt like that," he insisted.

Before Robin could protest further, Yennefer joined them, approaching slowly and holding up her hands in a gesture of peace. "How is it that I've walked the Continent for decades without coming across a witcher, and the first one I meet, I can't get rid of?" she wondered.

"I'd say something strange was afoot, but then again, witchers are bound to bump into monsters eventually," Jaskier retorted.

Yennefer laughed. "The crow's feet are new, Jaskier," she taunted him.

He still looked youthful enough, but it was apparent that he was aging while the rest of them weren't.

"Yeah, well, your jokes are... old," he responded lamely, slinking behind his sister for safety.

"What are you doing here, Yennefer?" Robin asked coldly.

"I'm with an escort," Yennefer explained. "Noble Sir Eyck of Denesle. To assist him in killing the dragon."

"And?" Robin snapped, knowing there was more.

"Well, you know what they say about dragon hearts and infertility, don't you?" Yennefer drawled.

"That's a myth," Geralt interjected, coming to stand beside Robin.

"We'll see," Yennefer replied, waving off their skepticism. "I'll get to the point, though, since we're leaving shortly. I know you both want to kill me the first chance you get. But while we're on this hunt, we're after the same thing, and I don't need to remind you that if I get what I want, I will cease to be a thorn in your side. So I propose a truce."

Jaskier snorted. "How can we trust anything you say?" he pointed out.

"She means a magical truce," Robin realized. "They're impossible to break, and would protect all of us from direct harm by the hands of the other until it's ended."