Songs of Fire °Jaskier, The Witcher

°0.4°

0.4 |you're a monster|

JASKIER WAS PULLED OUT OF HIS SLEEP AS SOMEONE VIOLENTLY SHOOK HIM. The yelp escaping his mouth, quickly shut off as Valeria covered his mouth. She signalled for him to be quiet. With wide eyes he obeyed, turning his head to the direction, the woman was pointing at. Wiscar was nowhere to be seen.
In the distance, lights could be seen and voices reached the bard's ears. Valeria pulled on his arm to help him up.
"Do you have a weapon on you?" she whispered.
He shook his head. With a sigh, she unsheathed her sword and gave it to him.
"I trust you know you're way around it a little bit?"
She turned her head to face him. "Stick them with the pointy end" she tried to joke.
Rolling his eyes, he accepted the weapon, nearly dropping it as he did not expect the weight. Valeria raised an eyebrow at the man beside her. "Don't you need a weapon. If one of us should be armed its you cause I'll probably be useless."
Shaking her head, she slowly stalked towards the people. "I don't actually need a weapon anymore to keep myself safe."
With a nod, Jaskier stayed safely behind Valeria. Watching from behind a tree, they waited for the unknown group of people to arrive. Jaskier's hand rested on Valeria's shoulder as he tried to spot anything. "Where's the flying man?"
Valeria's eyes were set on the bard's hand.
"Wiscar is up there" she pointed at the sky "Trying to spot whoever is coming up here."

Valeria crouched down and pulled Jaskier down with her as a man approached. Carrying a torch, his ears became visible. It was an elf. Valeria sighed as she saw the child in the man's arms. She walked backwards, trying to get out of their sight.
"Let's get out of here, no reason to stay here," she pulled Jaskier with her.
Trying to not alert the man, they stayed crouched as they got away. Valeria stopped in her tracks.

A woman stood behind them, gasping. Two children hiding behind her. Holding up her hands, the woman stepped backwards. The man came running towards them as well. Valeria stood up, her face stoic, as she looked a the unknown people.
"Princess Valeria," the woman gapsed again, "you're alive."
Valeria didn't react, simply staring at the woman with her lips pressed together in a thin line. The man set down his child and calmly explained. "We saw smoke and wanted to see what it was."
Wiscar landed behind the man staring at his queen. With a sigh, Valeria exclaimed "You should have stayed away."
She nodded and Wiscar sprung into action. His wings wrapping around the man while he snapped his neck. The child beside him screamed and Wiscar did the same to her.

Jaskier dropped the sword as he stared down at the two bodies. The woman behind them screamed out and leaped towards Valeria. The whitehaired woman spun around and directed the flames of the bonfire towards her, burning the grieving mother. The cries of pain soon stopped as the burning woman fell down and drew her last aching breath. Valeria stared down at the two remaining children, holding each other's hands. Clenching her jaw and balling her fists, she closed her eyes. Tears pricked behind her eyelids as she waited for them to disappear.
"I'm sorry, little ones" She whispered. Turning her head to Wiscar, she nodded and ordered
"Make it as quick and painless as possible."

Jaskier's hand stopped the winged man in his tracks. "No!"
He whipped around to face Valeria. He spit out "you can't do this!" Shaking her head she tried to explain "you don't understand, Jaskier. They saw me and I cannot risk the rumour going around that I am not dead."
He shook his head. "They are children! Innocent children!"
He gestured towards the crying elves. Walking forward, he put himself between Valeria and the little ones. "You have become a monster, Valeria, but I will not let you murder these children."
Tears welled in the woman's eyes as she spotted the venom in his voice. Casting her eyes to the ground with trembing lips she felt her nails digging into her palms. With a large sigh Valeria nodded. "Fine."
Avoiding Jaskier's glare she turned back to Wiscar.
"Take them back home and make sure Hawking does not hear a word of this," she ordered solemnly.
Not wanting to be around anyone else any longer the woman walked away from the distraught children.
Once she was far enough from anyone else, she allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks. Surpressing any sounds while biting down on her lips. Jaskier was right. What had she turned into?