Life's One Blessing (The Witcher fanfic)

Chapter 15: That's my epic tale

Geralt walked over to Vesemir one evening after dinner. Vesemir had gone to the kitchen for something and now lingered on his way back, his eyes on the scene in the great hall. 

Triss was smiling shyly at Eskel, Ciri was using a pestle and mortar under Yennefer's watchful eye, and Aiden and Lambert were wrestling playfully on the furs in front of the fireplace. Jaskier was singing something about greased pigs in the background, but it didn't seem like Lambert or Aiden had made the connection.

"Vesemir?" Geralt asked, seeing his contemplative face.

"Perhaps I grew too cautious after the Sacking. Kept you all too isolated," was all that Vesemir said.

"You kept us safe," Geralt said. 

Vesemir grunted, and they stood awhile in companionable silence. 

"I heard Eskel ran into Coen a few months back," Geralt said.

"Coen was going to Cidaris for the winter." 

"Hmm. Found another Griffin," Geralt said, keeping his eyes on the scene in front of him. 

The Griffin school of witchers had suffered heavily in the Sacking. Until recently, Coen, and the rest of them, had thought he was the only Griffin left alive. Their school had been completely destroyed, which was why Coen often came to Kaer Morhen for the winters.

Vesemir grunted with sudden understanding. "He didn't think he could bring his brother here."

"Hmm."

"Like you with Jaskier. Lambert with Aiden. Because I told you that witchers didn't have feelings. Or friends," Vesemir said as if coming to a realization that had been a long time in the making.

"Hmm."

"But twenty-three years, pup. The fuck?" Vesemir asked suddenly. "I didn't raise you stupid."

Geralt had no comeback to that, so he left the matter of the Griffins for Vesemir to mull over. 

A few days later at breakfast, Vesemir addressed the table. "Can you get all that we need in Cidaris?" Geralt looked up and Vesemir nodded at him. 

Vesemir had given his blessing and opened up Kaer Morhen coffers, so Eskel had helped Triss to restore the greenhouse. Lambert and Aiden had been roped in, too. Lambert's motives seemed to be partly to settle his debt with Triss, and partly to torment Eskel about his budding romance with Triss, which Eskel deflected back to Lambert with life-long practice. With all of them, and two witches, the work progressed much faster than anyone had hoped for.

They had waited with their first supply trip until the repairs were finished and the greenhouse was warm and airtight again. Now the time had come.

When Yennefer opened a portal to Cidaris for herself, Triss, and Geralt, Eskel went with them.

"Bring him home," Geralt told him when Eskel set off in Cidaris. Geralt was staying with Yennefer and Triss to keep them safe while they rounded everything on their very long list of supplies.

"Home, huh?" Eskel hummed and left Geralt staring after him. 

Kaer Morhen had been a sanctuary, somewhere Geralt would return to each year and the only place he could truly relax. Now it had become something more without him even realizing it. It held his heart this winter. 

***

When they portaled back to the keep later that day, everyone who had stayed in the keep was waiting in the front yard. Geralt gave a small smile when he saw the welcoming committee, and then he had his arms full of a relieved-smelling bard. It seemed everyone, not just Jaskier, had been on the edge; the looming war had a way of doing that. Still, Jaskier and Ciri had complained loudly about being left behind, but Geralt couldn't risk it.