The White Wolf and the Black Nightingale

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 13

((a/n: I have no excuse for my slow updates other than me being lazy, having some writers block at some parts and just struggling with not making this chapter suck butt bc honestly this chap is a mess a̶n̶d̶ ̶I̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶r̶e̶t̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶. But I'll be trying to update a bit more regular (possibly once a week if I can) bc I have the ideas on where I want to take this story, I just suck at putting it into a story rip))

~~~

Shaela smacked the vial with the potion on the table, startling the two males that had been peacefully enjoying their breakfast. She plopped down on one of the free chairs, picking some food from Jaskier's plate as she eyed the potion.

The female looked like she hadn't slept all night, and that was partly true as she had spent most of the night working on the potion. She let out a sigh, running a hand through her hair.

"I'm leaving today" she spoke after a few minutes of silence between the three, her gaze still fixed on the potion, "one of you will have to give this to Geralt. Put it in a drink or something. No way in hell he'll take it from me."

The two males gave each other a confused look, but judging by the permanent glare on the female's face they both knew not to ask any questions.

"I'll do it. Got some more business here before I leave anyway" the dwarf spoke up, taking the potion from the table. Shaela gave him a thankful smile, leaning back in her seat.

"You've both been good friends even if we've only known each other for a few weeks. May we see each other again in the future" the female spoke after a few minutes of silence, standing up from her seat and grabbing her bag as she headed out of the inn.

 She made her way over to the stables to get her horse, letting out a sigh of relief as she didn't run into Geralt. She greeted her horse with a smile and a pat on the nose before her gaze drifted over to the brown mare in the next stable.

"I wouldn't touch her if I were you lest you want to feel the wrath of Geralt" a voice spoke up before she could pet the brown mare, startling her as she quickly turned around.

"Jaskier? What are you doing here?" Shaela questioned, raising a brow at the bard. He shrugged his shoulders, adjusting his bag and lute that were both strapped to his back.

"I'm coming with you. Can't have a beautiful lady travel all on her own" the brown-haired male spoke with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself, but I wouldn't say no to some company" the female let out a hum as she led her horse out of the stable. Jaskier followed after her, excited to go on another adventure.

"If we're lucky we can get a good ways towards the Lost Woods before nightfall. It's a few days' journey from Flotsam" Shaela spoke as they walked out of the town. She strapped her bag to the horse's saddle, motioning for Jaskier to strap his bag to the saddle as well.

~~~

By the time the sun started to go down, they had gotten quite some distance from the town. They were now in the middle of a small forest, having passed by a small village where the had stopped for some food and other supplies.

Shaela worked on starting up a fire and fixing up some dinner for the two of them while Jaskier played on his lute to fill the silence between them. 

While they ate, the bard told about one of his many adventures he experienced with Geralt, with the female occasionally making comments or remarks. The male did have a knack for exaggerating a lot after all.

"Get some rest. I'll keep watch for the night" Shaela spoke after a while of the two enjoying the warmth of the campfire in peaceful silence. She let out a soft chuckle as Jaskier didn't even hesitate to make himself as comfortable as possible on the hard ground.

She sighed softly at the sudden silence, the only sounds being the occasional bird flying around or the hoot hoot of an owl in the far distance. It was almost too peaceful given they were in the middle of a forest and the nearest town or village was a good 3 hours ride away.

~~~

Shaela didn't know how many hours had passed, having nearly fallen asleep herself if it wasn't for the sound of a twig snapping nearby that kept her awake. She slowly stood up, grabbing her sword and carefully circling around the make-shift camp.

A sudden movement from within the darkness caught her attention, the female pursuing quickly after the figure. It was risky to leave Jaskier undefended, but she couldn't risk the figure getting to a group of bandits to ambush them.

Yet she ended up walking into an ambush either way when the cloaked figure darted across a clearing. As soon as she reached the area, a whole group of bandits sprung from treelines, circling around her with smirks on their faces.

"Look what we have here. A little birdy all on her lonesome self" the person she assumed to be the leader spoke up, twirling a sword at his side. She turned her head to keep an eye on the others as well, readying her own sword in case they tried to attack.

"Attack." With that command given, all of the bandits quickly ran at her, swiping recklessly with their swords in her direction. Shaela tried her best to fend them off, slashing at the bandits with quick movements. Yet one against at least a dozen wasn't a good odd in her favor.

Yet she wouldn't go down without a fight. She managed to cut down a handful of the bandits when they all retreated backward much to her confusion. She held her sword tightly as she turned around when another bandit, who had been the one to lead her into the ambush, made his way forward.

"Drop your weapon or pretty boy here dies." Her eyes widened in worry when she noticed Jaskier in his grip, a dagger pointed at the bard's throat. She gritted her teeth, feeling dumb for having left Jaskier by their make-shift camp.

She let out a huff, standing straight and dropping her weapon on the ground. It was too risky to try and free Jaskier or to try and fight off all the bandits. The brown-haired male gave her an apologetic look which she returned with an apologetic look of her own.

Shaela let out a hiss when she felt a harsh tug on her hair, the bandit leader standing behind her with her hair in his fist and his other hand holding around her upper arm. She scrunched up her nose at the stench of his breath as he leaned in close to her.

"Good girl. Now come along nicely. We're gonna have some fun with you~"