Songs of Fire °Jaskier, The Witcher

°0.2°

0.2 |old faces|

VALERIA DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. She was still staring at the empty space where Jaskier stood not an hour before. Coming back to the Continent, she never had a second thought of being able to come across old friends. Or well, old faces. She could definitely not call the two of them friends. He had made that quite clear. She felt the eyes of the dozen people still alive on her. The small crowd gasped as she could hear a soft thud behind her. Turning to look over her shoulder, she saw the white wings of Wiscar. He stepped towards her with a bow. Raising her eyebrows she encouraged for him to elaborate. They locked eyes and Wiscar's soft whisper entered her mind.

"I have taken care of those who ran away. They have passed."

"How did they die?"

"Quick, just as you asked for, my lady."

Valeria nodded. The few survivors that were truly the only ones left alive now stared at the pair in confusion. All they saw was them staring intensly at each other while nodding from time to time. The only child left, shrieked at the sight of the white creature. His horns and wings as white as snow. His head quickly snapped to the child and Wiscar's slinted eyes focused on the boy. A sigh escaped his lips and he walked out of sight.

"You don't have to fear him, my child. He is not a monster," Valeria tried to calm him. A small smile came on her face as she stalked towards him. He retreated into the arms of his mother, clutching onto her.
"No but you are." His mother answered for him.
Valeria's smile faltered and her eyes emptied.
"I am only doing what is necessary. If I was the monster you claim me to be, I wouldn't have given you the choice to stay or leave."
She turned to face the rest of the survivors. "I cannot let you stay here. This place is no longer your home but you will be brought somewhere that can become your new home. None of you will have to worry about having to begin anew with nothing because I can assure you that you will be taken care of and you will not have to worry about anything."
The same woman from before piped up "But who will take us there?"
A cloaked figure appeared from the shadows. "I will."
The unknown woman took off her cloak as Valeria nodded towards her. The woman bowed "My lady."
Valeria smiled slightly and nodded as well. "Isolde, I see you have made it."

...

Valeria had waited the entire day. She watched as Isolde left town back to their home along with the town's folk. The people of the Continent weren't as grateful for her presence as those back in Erbor or Naath were. Surely she gave them reason to have suspiscions but at some point they will understand. Rhenvys had flown away along with the people that left. Valeria had learned her lesson from the attack on Naath. Her child would always stay hidden from sight as he flew high above the clouds. A knock pulled her out of her thoughts and she whipped around. Wiscar stood there with his hands crossed. Once more she looked him in his eyes and his voice entered her head.
"Will you go and see him? I've had to listen to him singing with rats for hours now."
Valeria chuckled while shaking her head.
"And the worst part of it all, my lady, is that I can't even tell him to stop."
With a sympathetic smile she patted his shoulder, careful not to touch his wings. She thought back on the first time she met him and she was shocked when he ignored every word she said. It wasn't until Isolde explained how his tongue was cut out so he wouldn't be able to speak even if he wanted to. To her shock, after weeks she finally heard the soft silky voice of the winged man without him ever opening his mouth. To this day she still did not know how it was possible for him to communicate with her in their heads and she never dared to ask. This time she actually spoke up.
"I'm sorry, my friend. I guess at some point I will have to face our prisoner." His icy cold hand rested on her elbow as he nodded encouragingly.