The Heart of Alchemy - A Witcher Eskel FanFiction

Chapter 17 - Confessions

Thalia hurried down the stairs. The sound of her steps on the stone was echoed by the tower walls. Fortunately, Eskel did not seem to follow her. Right now, she didn't feel prepared for the conversation he had asked her for.

This morning, in the lab, when he had suddenly come so close to her, when he had touched her and his hand had left that wonderful, tingling sensation on her skin, she had been sure that he felt as much for her as she did for him. That she did not have to be ashamed of her feelings, that she no longer had to keep them to herself. Everything felt right.

But then, when Triss had appeared, he'd withdrawn from her, as fast as if he'd burned himself when he touched her skin. As if he felt caught doing something forbidden.

So it was as she had already guessed: Eskel and Triss were more than just friends. And if she'd doubted that before, what happened this morning didn't leave any room for uncertainty.

She had only wanted to fetch a book from her room to look something up when she almost collided with Eskel on the stairs. Just as he left Triss's chamber with his shirt open.

If Thalia had still hoped that he would choose her instead of Triss, this hope was now shattered into a thousand small splinters that now seemed to be drilled in her guts.

He wanted to talk to her. Of course. He had noticed her reaction to his touch this morning, and now he wanted to make sure that she didn't misunderstood his gesture. To tell her, that he and Triss were a couple. That he was sorry. That he felt flattered and liked her and appreciated her as a friend. But that she has interpreted too much into his gesture and misunderstood his behavior. That she had mistaken friendliness with ... something else.

Thalia felt incredibly stupid. Her stomach tightened. She knew that she was only delaying the conversation by avoiding it. But she needed some time. Time to catch up. Time to brace herself so that she could face him with composure.

She would not undignifiedly burst into tears or accuse him of sending out contradictory signals to her. She wanted to preserve a bit of her pride.

But now she needed to clear her head. If she went back to the lab, she would risk Eskel visiting her before she was ready to talk to him. She wanted to leave the fortress, get away from all this. To get some breathe somewhere in nature and find a bit of inner peace again.

Contrary to her claim to Eskel, she had, of course, already taken care of the liquor, so it wouldn't spoil. Her work could - had to - wait. As unfocused as she was, in the worst case she would ruin one of the won essences.

Arriving at the foot of the stairs, she hurried to the main portal, pulling her cloak from the hook on the wall, and threw it over.

"Greetings, Thalia."

Startled, she winced. Geralt was sitting on a bench, obviously polishing old weapons. She had not noticed him before.

"Oh. Greetings, Geralt."

"Want to get some fresh air?"

"I, uh ... yes. I need some more herbs, which I should certainly find near the lake."

"What do you need? Maybe we have something left in our supplies."

"No, I ... have already checked. I'll take my horse and will be back soon."

"Please be careful, Thalia. I controlled the day before yesterday the area around the lake and found no trace of drowners or other creatures - but you never know. In addition, the weather will change this afternoon."

"I'll be back by then. See you later, Geralt."

She disappeared into the yard, leaving Geralt alone in the hall. He briefly wondered why she had looked so confused. Then he turned back to his work. Five ancient witcher swords waited to be freed from dust and dirt.