With a Witcher

e i g h t

Where was Geralt? He was close to meeting his maker and it was not the way he wanted to go. Not at all. He started to lose bits of his vision. It was not a lot but it was enough to know that his situation was deadly. Then came the sharp pain above his knee. He was not able to look down but even if he could, he would not have been able to see. Not with the spots in his vision.

When he opens his eyes again, Geralt stood over him and the Ghoul was on the other side of the room. It was dead. Jaskier knew that much. He thanked Geralt and went to another room in the corridor. He could try and get some sleep before they would head off in the morning. At least he thought. |

*

They did not have the time to rest but there was no way that Jaskier was able to proceed in is condition. 'Leave me. I will only slow you down.' Geralt snarled as he placed the bard on Roach. She saw that Jaskier had to actively fight the urge to scream. Tears had collected in his eyes and he let out a weak whimper as they started to move again.

Jaskier kept pleading to let him off of the horse citing that the light bounce was aggravating his injuries too much. 'That is not happening. Stay on the horse and shut up.' She was shocked about how stern she sounded. It was as if she had picked up on some of Geralt's abrasiveness. She did not mince her words and she purposely left no room for argument.

She held onto Roach's reigns as Cirilla led the group with Geralt flanking the back. In theory, they would be covered from all angles but she had heard stories of that witch, Fringilla, and if the stories were true, they would not get very far. The mage would be able to track them using some sort of forbidden magic. That much she knew.

And then they heard it. A single snap of a branch made her aware that Nilfgaard were there. Soldiers emerged from behind the trees and she gasped. They were outnumbered. Fifteen men were too many for them. Seven were too many for them, even. If Cirilla was unable to use her powers they would stand no chance. She could only hope that Yennefer had taught her enough for the princess to be able to control it.

Surrounded and unable to fight, she looked to Geralt for some reassurance. There wasn't any. Geralt was prepared to fight. She saw it in his stance. Nilfgaard made the first move. The commander screamed for them to attack. One soldier grabbed her and held her by her neck. She struggled against her attacker but it proved futile. She kicked and tried to hit the person holding her but the grip was too tight.

A blade was pressed to her throat and she stilled. To say that she was in a precarious situation would be an understatement. In spite of the immediate danger she found herself in, there was a little humour to it. How the fuck did she end up in that situation? Maybe her sense of self-preservation had been significantly reduced due to her severe exhaustion.

*

It was as if time stilled. Geralt still had some of the enhancement from the potion that had mostly worn off. He watched her get snatched in slow motion and his one goal was to make sure those he cared about made it out alive. Geralt waited for some soldiers to approach him. She would have died if he made the first move. They did not have the upper hand and Geralt had to improvise.

Geralt exchanged a look with the princess. They had a plan, that much was clear, but she did not know what they would do. Geralt's aim was to kill the man that had Y/N so that Cirilla would be able to use her powers. When the men were knocked to the floor, he would be able to slaughter them. Stop them from telling anyone where they were.

She was terrified. She was held by a creature that wanted to kill her as Geralt watched scornfully. As much as she trusted him, she felt genuine terror. They type of terror that would have tested the trust between any two people. And then she saw it all unfold from the confines of the soldier's arms.