Maneater

Fae

He pulls my hood over my head and grabs my wrist, dragging me in the opposite direction of the inn. I try to pull away from him, but he tightens his grip. I'm sure there will be a lovely bruise there in the morning.

He stops once we've reached the woods, and a confused Ciri pushes him away from me. "What the fuck, Geralt?!"

He pulls my hood down, I slap his hands away and Ciri gasps. Her eyes stare at me in shock, "How is this possible?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

I'm still angry, completely pissed off. The Witcher attacks me and now he's dragging me into the woods? I shouldn't have let my guard down.

"Your hair, it's glowing," Jaskier says.

I run over to the stream behind me and stare at my reflection in the water. My hair was indeed glowing, not brightly, but bright enough to notice. And it was a different color now. Red. The same dark red as my cloak and the sparks that dance around my hands when I'm angry.

The Witcher stands next to me, "You're a fae."

"That's not possible. The fae died out thousands of years ago," I answer.

He kneels down next to me, a serious look on his face. "I could sense that you weren't human. Your heart rate is slower than a human's, and your reflexes are too fast. Not to mention that you have unfamiliar magic."

"I don't have pointed ears or fucking wings, Geralt!"

His name slides off my tounge before I can realize it. His yellow eyes shine with amusement, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, he stands up and holds his hand out to me. I give him a confused look, "We were just trying to kill each other and now you want me to take your hand?"

"Yes, now that I know you are a fae, I think it would be wise of me to be on your good side."

I take his hand and allow him to pull me up. He pulls my hood back over my head, "We should discuss this at the inn."

So the four of us walk back to the inn. Jaskier wraps his arm around my shoulders, holding my hood in place as we walk up the stairs. We enter my room, and Ciri closes the door and locks it.

I pull my hood down and make my way over to the mirror in the corner of the room. The glowing has died down, but my hair is still red. As I run my finger through it, I notice red sparks shooting off of it.

"A faes hair is their most prized possession. It holds most of their power."

I look at the Witcher through the mirror, "Why is my hair red now?"

"That I do not know. There is very limited knowledge of faes."

Ciri fluffs my hair, "I like it. It suits you better."

"Makes you look even more evil," says Jaskier.

My head spins from the mix of overwhelming information, and the fact that I just got my ass beat by a Witcher. Jaskier grabs my arm as I begin to lose my balance. He walks me over to the bed and sits next to me.

"This is insane," I mutter.

The Witcher stands in front of us, "Your parents never told you?"

"My mom told me I was special, but what mother doesn't tell their child that? I never thought anything of it."

He looks away in thought, "You don't have pointed ears, so you aren't full blooded."

"My mother had magic too, but we lived in a village full of mages, I just assumed she was one as well."

The Witcher looks at me, "Was her magic like yours?"

"Yes, but she always told me I was stronger. She never allowed me to use my magic," I frown at the thought.

Before tonight, the last time I had used my powers was when we were getting attacked. The memory sends shivers down my spine, so I push it back.

"Why?"

Ciri gives me a knowing look and answers Geralt, "Because she couldn't control them."

"They're dangerous, I'm dangerous. That's why it's best for me to stay alone."

I reach for my bag of stuff, but Ciri stops me. A pleading look in her eyes, "You can't go. We need you."

"For what?" I ask.

"I don't know yet. The vision didn't show me-"

I let out a laugh, "The vision? Ciri, you only saw me for a moment. I'm just another stranger you'll pass by on your journey."

Screams erupt from outside. Geralt walks to the window and looks out, "Fuck."

"We have to go," he says.

When we all have our stuff we make our way outside to see the village engulfed in flames. People run wildly, letting out horrified screams. Soldiers on horses ride through, killing anyone they see. 

"Bring us the fae, and we will let you live!" A loud voice yells out.

Please, not again. I can't let another innocent village die on my behalf.
I take a step forward, but the Witcher stops me, "Don't even think about it."

He drags me to the stables, Jaskier and Ciri, following us closely. We saddle our horses and prepare to ride off when a soldier stops us. The man stands in front of us. "Hand her over."

Geralt fights the soldier, defeating him within seconds. He jumps on Roach's back, behind Ciri. Jaskier and I jump on Loki, and the four of us speed off. I turn back to watch the village as we leave. The flames are even bigger now, and the screams can still be heard.

Jaskier wraps his arms around me and grabs the saddle horn. His voice is low as he whispers, "It's not your fault."

~~°°••°°~~

We finally stopped to set up camp after hours of riding. The four of us sit around the fire, trying to get as close to the heat as possible. Ciri breaks the silence, "How did they know (Y/n) is a fae?"

"I don't know," the Witcher says.

Jaskier bumps his shoulder into mine, a friendly smile on his face. "Lighten up, Maneater. You should be glad to know that you're the most powerful being in the world now."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Geralt shakes his head, "The fae had the most powerful magic. When everyone realized they couldn't use them, they decided to kill them off."

"They want to use me as a weapon."

"Afraid so," he says.

Jaskier rests a hand on my shoulder, "Fear not my little fairy, we will keep you safe."

"I think she's the one that will be keeping us safe," says Ciri.

"And how will I do that if I can't even figure out how to use my magic?"

Geralt sighs, "I know a place we can go where you can train safely. We can rest there and figure out what to do next."

Ciri's eyes light up, "We're going back?"

"Yes."

Jaskier raises an eyebrow, "And where might this safe haven be?"

"Kaer Morhen."

My eyes widen, "Fuck that. I'd rather be used as a weapon."

"What is Kaer Morhen?" Jaskier asks.

"Where the Witchers live," I say bitterly.

Geralt gives me a stern look, "It will take us a couple of weeks to get there. It might do you good to get over your hatred for us."

I bite my lip as I pull my thoughts together. Living on a mountain with Witchers sounds like my worst nightmare. My mother is probably rolling in her grave right now. But, going there may be the only way I learn more about this magic. I'll have to bite my tongue and fake my way through this.